Chapter Sixteen
Naomi
“…and that’s what happened to the dinosaurs.”
I tell the little boy from my class - Jackson - as the last of the kids filtering out from the school behind me disperse through the gates to their waiting parents.
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
He jumps back, spreading his arms wide and making explosion noises as he pretends to be a dying dinosaur. He thrashes around a little bit as I laugh, and then suddenly sees his Mom waving at him from the entrance.
“Oh - Mom’s here! I have to go tell her about the dinosaurs. Thanks, Ms. Hart!”
He runs off before I can do more than wave, walking down towards the gates to make sure the last of the children get out okay. I don’t cover this duty often, and I’ll be honest - I’m kind of surprised at how punctual most of the parents seem to be around here.
There’s only a few left hanging around by the gates and—I pause as I spot Tyler, running a branch along the fence with a clang-clang-clang sound.
“Hey.” I call out, smiling. “Your Dad not here yet?”
He glances up, then bounces over to me enthusiastically. “Nooo - but he will be.”
I grin back. “Of course he will. Did you have a good day?”
“Yeah, it was great. Ms. Gardner told us the best story - it was all about pirates and kings and monsters. I want to be a pirate when I’m older! Do you think Dad will let me, huh? I could…I could find the best treasure, and then I’d bring it back, and—and we could have a party. A pirate party. Thomas says he wants to have a pirate party for his birthday - but it was my idea. I need to tell Dad - for my birthday. Is Thomas’s birthday before me, do you think?”
“Ah, well, maybe you could both—” I try, but I don’t quite manage to finish it before he starts talking about all the other things he wants at his birthday, and telling me all about what he did last time, and on and on in that never-ending, adorable way he has.
I can’t help it. Every time I see him, I think my heart feels ready to burst out of my chest. I’m not sure what it is about him - I mean, I’m around kids all day. There are so many precious, amazing little personalities in my class. But…Tyler is the one that makes me melt. Every time.
So I just listen, and smile, and ooh and aah - and wonder, just a little, where Mack is.
He’s not usually late - not at all, and especially not for Tyler. After a few minutes, I’m almost ready to consider calling him, but I know that’s just because it’s me - school policy would be to wait a while longer. And I’ve been pretty determined not to let my relationship with Mack affect anything about how I treat Tyler at school. If he were in my class, it would be completely different - and I’m not sure I even could be dating Mack - but as it is, it hasn’t been an issue. So far.
“Tyler!”
We both glance up at the voice, Tyler’s story about monsters cut off in the middle - and then my gut sinks.
Shit.
“Hey, Tyler.” Fiona walks up to us, smiling at him. “I was wondering if I might find you here.”
Tyler looks up at her, and all that bubbly enthusiasm of a moment earlier seems to dry up.
“Your Dad wanted me to walk you home tonight.” She says, and Tyler’s looks up at her, obviously confused.
I frown. That surprises me, and I glance between them. This really isn’t the kind of position I want to be in, but…even though I don’t really know the details, I’m pretty sure Fiona doesn’t have legal guardianship. And even if I wasn’t damn sure that Mack never said anything of the kind - that’s enough to worry the teacher in me.
“Did your Dad tell you anything about that, Tyler?” I ask gently.
He looks back over to me, shaking his head. “No…”
“Who asked you?” Fiona shoots me an irritated glance.
“I’m on duty here.” I say, trying to keep it as mild as possible. “And you’ve never picked Tyler up before. I can’t just let—”
“Well Mack is obviously late, isn’t he?” She says, huffing in exasperation. “I can walk Tyler home, get him set up with his games and toys, make a snack or something - save him waiting out here for god-knows how long. That way, we’ll be waiting at home for when Mack does arrive. Doesn’t that sound better for everyone?”
Alarms start going off in my head, and I take a small step forward. That definitely doesn’t sound like Mack asked her to do this at all. And I’m not as well versed on whether picking your own child up from school might count as abduction, but—
“Why don’t you walk me home, Naomi?” Tyler interjects, before I can formulate a response to Fiona. He reaches out for my hand, looking up at his Mom defiantly. “She lives right there too.”
“Because Naomi isn’t your Mom and can’t just take you out of school—”
“I’m sorry.” I say, more firmly this time, interrupting the snide tone that I can’t believe she’s addressing her son with. “I can’t let him leave with you. I’ll call Mack and—”
“Ugh.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re fussing about - I’m Tyler’s Mom, and Mack and I are pretty much back together again—”
Wait, what?!
She must see the stunned disbelief in my expression, because her lip curls up.
“What, didn’t you know? Yeah, we went on a date the other day and everything - Tyler knows, he was there. It was lovely, just like a real family again—”
I just stare at her. I don’t believe a word - she seems to blend lies and the truth in her own mind as if they’re pretty much the same thing - but it’s still…hard. To hear her say that…to think about it.
“—so I might as well pick him up, because we’ll be spending a lot more time together anyway, and I want to make things easy for Mack, you know? He hasn’t had it easy for a long time, and I want to make that up to him. Take care of him, and Tyler, the way a family should be—”
“What?!”
I jump at the deep, furious voice behind her - and Fiona spins around, her hand on her heart. Tyler just yells, and runs right up to him.
“Daddy!”
I watch Mack visibly check himself, bringing his focus back down onto his son, even though I’m pretty sure I can see the red throbbing vein at his forehead. He drops to one knee and pulls Tyler into him.
“Hey, kiddo. I’m so sorry I was late for you - there were some silly people that kept trying to talk to me.”
Tyler peeks out at Mack, considering, before he eventually replies. “Were they pirates?”
Mack blinks, but somehow manages to smile - though if he caught even half of what Fiona just said, I’m not quite sure how - and ruffles Tyler’s hair. “Yeah, Ty, they were pirates.”
“Cool!” Tyler jumps up. “Can I meet them?”
“Maybe some other time. Can you give me a moment - I just want to talk to the grown-ups, okay?”
Tyler nods, looking back at us, a shadow crossing his expression again. “Okay…”
I step towards them and look at Tyler - having a good idea how that conversation might go and thinking it would be much better if Tyler weren’t around to witness it.
“Would you like to finish telling me about the monsters?” I ask, holding my hand out and raising an eyebrow at Mack.
He gives me an appreciative glance as Tyler nods and takes my hand, but there’s something else there too.
Later, I think. We can talk later.
I lead Tyler back inside the gates and try to distract him with questions about the monsters he was telling me about, and after a few moments he starts responding. Not quite in the same unending, run-on way he usually does, but I figure at least some of his attention isn’t on the furious debate raging in quiet tones behind us. Even if a whole lot of my attention is.
I’m not sure what Mack heard but…well…any of it would probably be enough to make me go ballistic. The only reason I didn’t was because I really don’t want to put myself in the middle of that situation - and I’m not exactly sure what place I have to do so, either. As far as I’m concerned, it’s up to Mack and Tyler what relationship Fiona has with them…not me. I just couldn’t let Tyler leave with her alone - even if I don’t know what the legal lines are, it seemed like a really fucking bad idea. Especially after what Mack said about the last time Fiona was with Tyler alone. Maybe it was years ago, but…if it can happen once…and this is a child we’re talking about. The very fact she could even say half the things she did in front of Tyler—
I try to shake it off. To think it’s not my problem. But as angry as Mack might be…it’s hard to suppress my own rage the idea of what Tyler might have heard, the things that might have sunk in…he deserves more care than that. More respect.
A few moments later, Fiona storms off in one direction and I watch as Mack takes a minute to cool off, obviously still angry. By the time he comes over to me, though, he’s back under control - though that unreadable mask is still over his face.
Until he turns to Tyler, anyway, and then some of it cracks into a smile.
“Hey, kiddo. Sorry about that - you all okay over here?”
Tyler nods, either because he did get distracted enough talking to me, or not wanting to upset his Dad further.
“C’mon, then.” He scoops Tyler up and swings him around to sit on his shoulders, and Tyler grins down at me from above.
I gasp with surprise, then wave up towards him - before Mack catches my eyes.
We pause like that for a moment, and I read far more there than he can easily say in front of Tyler, but I offer him a small smile anyway.
“Thanks, Naomi.” He says softly. “What she said…”
“I know.” I say, in the same tone of voice.
He shakes his head. “I can’t believe it—or maybe I can, and that’s worse. But none of it was like that—”
“I know.” I say again, glancing briefly up at Tyler. He’s already overheard more than I’d like him to, I don’t want to add to it.
Even if I do still feel a little uneasy about what Fiona said - I know it’s not true, but it’s still—
Mack reaches out to squeeze my hand, and it brings my gaze back to his, and the grateful expression there.
“I was going to ask, even before all that…would you like to come and have dinner at mine tomorrow? With Tyler and my Mom?” His smile becomes more genuine, as I feel my heart skip a beat.
I’ve never met his Mom before, but I know just how crucial she’s been to raising Tyler and…a small nervous-excited thrill runs through me.
“Yes.” I say, biting my lip slightly. “I’d love to, Mack.”
“Good.” He squeezes Tyler’s leg and looks up. “What do you think, Ty? Would you like Naomi to come for dinner tomorrow.”
“Yes!” He yells, bouncing in excitement, and my heart goes out to him again.
“Then it’s settled.” Mack nods, his eyes lingering on me for a long moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He pauses for just a brief moment, and I know exactly what he’s thinking - because it’s at the front of my mind too. How easy and natural it would be to lean forward and kiss me. To take my chin in his hand and pull me in for the kind of spine-tingling kiss we need right now.
But he doesn’t. Not in front of Tyler. So we settle for the way that moment passes between us, and then he gives me a little wave.
As he walks around the corner towards his truck, I turn back to the school feeling lighter than I have any right to, after that whole interaction.
I know part of the reason he suggested dinner tomorrow was to reassure me about everything Fiona said - but, hell, it worked. It was stupid to feel awkward and insecure about all those things she was throwing around, and it’s stupid now to feel relieved because of a dinner invitation that he was going to offer anyway.
Oh well, Naomi, I guess you should get used to being stupid, when it comes to Mack and Tyler…
I’m still smiling though.
Things have been going very well between us - but this?
This feels just a little more serious.