Page 107 of Deceived Wrath

“They keep away the bad dreams.”

“Then I definitely need one,” I mutter.

As I follow behind Scout back down the hall, I catch a waft of something delicious heading up the stairs.

I moan. “That smells incredible.”

“It’s Daddy’s famous spaghetti and meatballs. It’s my favorite.”

I laugh. “I think it’s about to be mine too.”

We find Cormac in the kitchen, plating up three huge portions of food.

Immediately, my stomach growls, and my cheeks flood with color.

His dark eyes twinkle. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving.”

Even though this isn’t the first time the three of us have shared a meal, it’s the first time we’ve shared onealone. It feels weirdly intimate, but within seconds of sitting down at the table, my nerves disappear as Scout eagerly hijacks the conversation.

“No more talking until you’ve eaten some more food.” Cormac catches my eye across the table, and I fight a smile as Scout quickly shovels spaghetti into his mouth.

“So, I already know that your favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs, and your favorite book isThe Complete Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs.Hmm…what else do I need to know?”

Scout grins at me, the lower half of his face completely covered in tomato sauce.

I smile at him. “I know. What is your favorite thing in the world to do?”

Scout screws up his face in concentration as he stares down at his plate.

My eyes flick briefly to Cormac, who is watching his son with a mixture of pride and sadness on his face.

“I love rockets!” Scout suddenly exclaims.

Cormac nods. “It’s true, he does.”

“More than dinosaurs?” I feign horror.

He tilts his little head. “Well, I can’t actuallybecomea dinosaur. But I can become an astronaut.”

“An astronaut? Whoa, that’s pretty cool.”

“It’s what I want to be when I grow up so I can fly up to the sky and visit my mom.”

I steal a glance at Cormac, who immediately tenses.

I’m desperate to know the details of his relationship with Scout’s mother, not out of jealousy, but out of a morbid sort of curiosity.

Cormac is the opposite of an open book and seems allergic to any form of intimacy outside of casual sex. So, the fact that he managed to have a relationship with someone long enough toprocreate kind of fascinates me. But of course, I know better than to ask any sort of personal questions.

Cormac mutters, “I think it’s time for bed, bud. Go and brush your teeth, and I’ll come in and read you a story.”

“But I want Fiona to read me a story. She hasn’t gotten to the best part of my dinosaur book yet.”

I tense as I catch a flash of annoyance in Cormac’s eyes, but it’s gone within a blink.

“We can read it another time—” I start, but Cormac shakes his head.