"Hold up, you sell magic?" Ryan asked.
"I suppose trading or bartering is a better term, but yes."
"But I thought magic came from the unicorn's horn, and was attached to your life force," he said, staring at my forehead.
I chuckled. "Not at all. I don't know where that overly dramatic myth came from. Unicorns are absolutely able to share the magic of our horns without dying."
Ryan let out a big sigh. "Well, that's a relief. Do you like, put in a little jar or something?"
"Yes, actually. Tiny glass vials are the perfect conduit for unicorn magic."
A huge smile spread over Ryan's face. "Okay, that's actually adorable."
"I'm glad you think so. Now, what are we looking for again? Ah, yes. A stroller."
"Oh, right. You were telling me so many mind blowing things that I almost forgot the reason we're here." Ryan gestured to the next aisle. "They should be over there. Come on, Andrew."
Andrew trotted over and demurely held up a blue plush dinosaur. "Can I?"
At first Ryan looked like he was going to say no, but then he shot me a questioning look, as if silently asking me what we should do. I smiled, appreciating that he was taking my input into account. We were already fitting into a partnership perfectly.
I gave Ryan a slight nod, because of course I wanted Andrew to have everything he desired. Besides, it was difficult to say no when he was so cute.
"Okay, Andrew," Ryan said, putting a hand on his hip. "How badly do you want the dinosaur?"
"Reallyreallybad," Andrew exclaimed. He clutched the dinosaur to his chest like it was his final lifeline.
Ryan gave up with a laugh. "Fine, we can buy it. But you have to thank Ulysses, okay?"
Andrew nodded ecstatically. He ran towards me at full speed and I kneeled down just in time for him to hug me. "Thank you, Daddy Yooshy!"
Oh. My. Absolute. Heavens.
If that wasn't the cutest thing I'd ever heard, I didn't know what was.
Ryan and I exchanged a glance. If the joy filled tears and quivering lip were any indication, he was just as happy as me.
But then our moment of happiness was interrupted by a rough, unfamiliar voice.
"Ryan?"
9
Ryan
I frozeat the sound of his voice. It was one I hadn't heard in over two years, and one I didn't want to hear ever again.
It belonged to my ex, Cameron.
When he promptly excused himself from my life upon learning I was pregnant with Andrew, I never actually expected to see him again. I didn't have the money for a lawyer to pursue him for child support, so when he refused to pay, I assumed that would be the end of it.
My immediate anxiety-filled thought was that he was following me. But was he actually? Or was this just a very unpleasant coincidence?
"Ryan, what's wrong?" Ulysses asked, his voice tight with concern. He must be sensing a huge spike in my distress level. It must've been uncomfortable for him, too, so I felt bad that I couldn't control my own emotions.
"That's Cameron," I mumbled. "My..."
Cameron glanced from me to Andrew to Ulysses with a confused sneer, like he was trying to put the pieces together in a way that made sense to his manchild brain. Unfortunately, it failed. "What are you doing here? Who is this guy?"
