a buffer. I’ll get through. At least I was supposed to have her tomorrow night, so I was only scheduled
here.”
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” I told him. “For now, focus on making it through
today. Is there anything Willow can’t or won’t eat? I’m going to grab something on the way out, and
I’ll see if my sister can make a grocery run for me this afternoon so I’m not dragging Willow around
when she’s sick.”
“I don’t want you to put her out,” Corey argued. “I can stop by the store on my way to your place.”
“Nope. You are going to come straight home after work,” I insisted. “And she’s going to love me
asking her for help for a change. But be warned, that will mean you’re going to have to meet her.
She’s not the type to be put off once there’s something she wants.”
Corey barked out a laugh, startling Willow. She scowled at him, then went back to drawing on the
scrap of paper Corey had given her. “Gee, sounds like that’s a family trait.”
I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t exactly dispute his observation. I wandered around the
store while Corey spent a few minutes with Willow. I didn’t even try hiding my amusement as I
watched the two of them together. He was good with her. By the time he scooped her into his arms,
both of them were laughing and giggling. “I need to get back to work so I can get out of here when
Marie comes in. Are you sure you don’t mind keeping an eye on her?”
“It’s not a problem at all,” I told him. Later, when there weren’t little ears around, we would be
talking again about how this was part of my job, not as his Daddy, but as his partner. Yes, it was
sooner than either of us had anticipated, but we were in this together. There wasn’t some magical
point where I went from being the guy who got him off to being a part of his whole life. “Now, if you
don’t mind, I apparently have a date with a beautiful girl and ponies, whatever that means.”
“Oh, just you wait. You might be safe today, because she’s usually pretty quiet when she doesn’t
feel well, but give her time and you’ll know everything there is to know about every pony and their
friends. It’s her current obsession,” he warned me. And being the sap that I was, I couldn’t wait. He
hugged Willow tight, giving her little kisses all over her face. He frowned when he pressed his lips to
her forehead. “I hate asking, but on the way home could you swing by the store and get some kids’
fever reducer? She’s feeling warmer than when you got here. Lisa had likely given her some before
dropping her off this morning.”
“No problem,” I told him as he handed Willow over to me. His fingers trailed down my arm as if
