by H J Welch
Or was it just that Myles wasn’t interested and trying to be polite. He obviously had some big important job from the way he’d talked about taking his first vacation day and the watch he wore on his wrist (not that Dillon had been paying close attention or anything.) Why would he be interested in a silly kindergarten teacher who spent his days peeling PVA glue from his fingers and reading story books about trolls?
Myles was probably interested in guys who went to the gym and owned sports cars and had high-flying careers.
But…there was the way he’d looked at Dillon after he’d guessed correctly with the coffee. Damn. Dillon was always making grand gestures and nine times out of ten he got it wrong or it was just too much and it scared the guy off. But Myles had beamed at him like Christmas had come early. It was enough to keep hope alive.
They moved on from the giraffes to check out the kangaroos. They were some of Dillon’s favorite animals. He hoped they might see a joey in its momma’s pouch. Even if he found the concept of zoos a little problematic in this day and age, he couldn’t deny the thrill of seeing something like that up close with his own eyes.
He finished the last of his coffee just as he passed a trash can, so he disposed of it with little hassle. Then he looked around to see which kid was inevitably lurking by his side, waiting to hold their teacher’s hand.
To his surprise, he discovered it was Jenny Slater.
“Hey, Jenny,” he said, offering his hand.
He had Briella Needham attached to his other arm. She was a quiet kid who would be content to simply absorb her surroundings, not a chatterbox like some of the others. So Jenny had almost his full attention.
Her light brown hair was braided in pigtails. Dillon wondered if Myles had done that, seeing as Jenny’s mom and stepdad were still away. There was something incredibly endearing about a guy who wasn’t afraid to style his daughter’s hair.
“Hey, Mr. Combes,” said Jenny. “How are you?”
Her proper manners always tickled Dillon. She was going to be a real people person when she grew up, he could tell. “I’m very well, thank you. How are you?”
Jenny nodded. “I’m good, thank you. But I want to go to the bug house for the display and on the map we’re very far away from that now.”
She looked up at him with worried eyes. Dillon knew the map off by heart now, however, and he’d looked up the insect talk earlier in the week after Jenny had mentioned it several times. Her anxiety around missing it was a pretty harmless insecurity, especially when he could ease her worries.
“Don’t you worry,” he said with a nod. “It’s not until one thirty, so we’ve got plenty of time.”
Jenny chewed her lip. “But we have a long way to walk back.”
“Good thing you’ve got strong legs, isn’t it, then!” Dillon cried with a big grin. “I bet you’ll beat everyone there.”
Jenny appeared to think this over, chewing her lip. “I am a fast runner,” she agreed sagely.
“Oh, hey.”
Dillon looked up to see Myles had dropped back to walk with them. They were still close to the rest of the class in their fluorescent vests, so Dillon didn’t see an issue. Plus, he was secretly thrilled that Myles had come to him this time.
“Are you worrying about the bug show again, termite?” Myles asked Jenny, who looked up at him and smiled, scrunching up her nose. “I promise we won’t miss it. Why don’t you go ask some of your friends if they want to see it, too?”
“Oh, good idea!” she cried, letting go of Dillon’s hand and running off into the throng, tapping Billy Hope on the shoulder.
Myles shook his head. “We called her ‘termite’ when she was just a bump and we didn’t know her sex. If we’d have known that would have given her a bug obsession, maybe we could have called her ‘rabbit’ or ‘koala’ or literally anything else cute and cuddly.”
Dillon laughed. “She’s got such a great attitude,” he told Myles. “I bet her report cards aren’t going to be an issue for you guys.”
Myles smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he said as Briella let go of Dillon’s hand to skip arm in arm with Maria Martinez.
For once, there wasn’t a kid waiting to hang off Dillon’s arm. Despite being in a sea of people, it felt like it was just him and Myles walking side by side.
“Corinne deserves the credit for that, mostly,” Myles said. “That’s Jenny’s mom. She’s great, so’s her new husband, Rafael. I’ve…well, I’m glad I can be here now. I can make up for some lost time.”
Dillon shrugged. “Hey, look, I don’t know everything, but I’ve seen a ton of shitty parents even in the few years I’ve been at this job.” He meant that. Some people should just flat out not be allowed to reproduce. “Anyone can see you love your daughter and you’re right. You’re here now. So, you get to take a little bit of credit, I’m sure.”
Myles smiled shyly and slipped his hands into his pants pockets. Damn it, Dillon was sure there was something sparking between them. It was like shivers over his skin, in spite of the Californian sunshine beating down.
“Thanks,” Myles said. “So, uh, you got kids?”
He raised his eyebrows as he looked back at Dillon. They were strolling along together at an easy pace, the kids enthralled by the pandas lolling about in the enclosure beneath the bridge they were currently crossing.
Dillon shook his head. “Not yet,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m only twenty-five, so plenty of time still.” Fuck it. He decided to lay his cards on the table. “I’d like to find Mr. Right first,” he said. “So we could start a family together.”
“Mr.-” Myles repeated, his eyes growing slightly wider. “Yeah, sure,” he quickly added. “It’s easier when there’s two of you. Or more. Thankfully, I’m great friends with Corinne and Rafael, so Jenny lucked out getting three parents.”
“That is lucky,” Dillon said.
He leaned on the railing and worked to stay cool on the outside. But inside he was dancing. Myles hadn’t made a big deal of the gay thing at all. Also, he seemed genuine about being friends with his ex and her new husband. Were there no hard feelings because Myles was, in fact, gay?
He looked over to Myles who was also holding the side of the bridge, looking down at the fat pandas as they rolled on their tummies, munching on bamboo.
“So,” Dillon said tentatively, “are you back into dating again?” He held his hands up. “Tell me if that’s way out of line.”
Myles scoffed. “No, I don’t mind,” he said. “I meant it. Corinne’s still my best friend, but…well, getting back into dating is a little complicated this time around.”
“Oh?” Dillon prompted softly. He shifted his body so he was an inch or two closer to Myles.
“I, uh…” Myles said. He glanced away, his eyes scanning over the kids.
Then his back went ramrod stiff.
“Where’s Jenny?”
Dillon immediately snapped to attention, quickly casting his gaze over the gaggle of small children in his care. They were all in their reflective vests, so it was clear they were all still huddled together.
But he couldn’t see Jenny Slater anywhere.
“Okay, intrepid explorers!” Dillon cried, doing his best to keep the panic from his voice as he clapped his hands. “Everyone find your buddy and line up for me. Quick as you can. That’s it! My goodness! Look how fast you all are!”
“Mr. Combes!” Billy Hope called out, sticking his hand up in the air. His mom was also a chaperone and moved to stand by his side.
“What is it, sweetie?” she asked.
“Jenny’s my partner, but she’s not here,” Billy said to her and Dillon. He wrung his hands and looked about the class who were in a reasonably straight line by the side of the bridge. Other visitors passed them by, but Dillon couldn’t see any sign of a high-vis shirt in either direction.
“Jenny!” Myles cried, panic clear in his voice. “Has anyone seen Jenny?”
Students and parents both looked around, the kids curious and the adults anxious. But Jenny was nowhere to be seen.
Fuck.
5
Myles
This couldn’t be happening.
Myles’s heart was beating so hard in his chest he thought he was going to pass out. He stumbled as he ran down the line of kindergarteners, looking for his baby girl.
“Jenny?” he yelled.
Strong hands grabbed his shoulders and he looked over to see Dillon’s face in front of him. His blue eyes were wide and his jaw was set. “We’ll find her,” he said firmly. “She’s dressed up like a traffic light and only has little legs. She can’t have gone far.”
“But, but what if…”
Myles could hardly think the words, let alone say them out loud.
“No, Myles,” Dillon said, shaking his head. Then he smiled, flicking his gaze toward the three dozen six-year-olds all gaping up at their teacher, putting on a brave face. “Myles, listen to me. She’s close by. Think. If you were Jenny, where would you be?”
Myles screwed up his forehead. He had no idea! He was a terrible parent! He-
Both he and Dillon snapped their gaze back to each other at the same moment.
“The bug house!” they cried in unison.
“Porcha,” Dillon said to Billy’s mom. She was by their side immediately. “Can you maybe get the group off the bridge and wait by the elephants? Myles and I are going to run to the insect house. We think Jenny’s taken herself there.”
Porcha nodded, her mouth slightly open in shock. “Of course, sweetie. Go, go!”
It was only when Myles felt the tug did he realize Dillon had his fingers wrapped around Myles’s hand. Dillon yanked him from standing into a sprint, heading back along the bridge toward the front of the park, in the direction of the bug house.
“Do you really think she’s walked all the way back there?” Myles gasped between breaths as they ran flat out.
“Yep,” Dillon said, gritting his teeth and breathing heavily through his nose. “She thought she was going to be late, remember?”
Myles knew that, but really? The insect house was so far away. He couldn’t even remember the way. How was his little girl going to get herself there in one piece?
Fucking hell, she was all alone. His little termite.
He’d been too busy fucking flirting to pay attention to the most important person in his whole life. He would never forgive himself if-
No. Nothing was going to happen. They would find Jenny and he’d give her a firm talking to about stranger danger and scaring her daddy and everything would be fine.
Right?
It had to be. It just had to be.
Dillon’s hand felt too much like comfort in his own. Myles slipped it free and concentrated on picking up the pace, sprinting flat out. He followed the signs back toward Discovery Outpost where the creepy-crawlies lived.
“Left!” Dillon shouted from behind him as they raced up to an intersection. The orangutans gawked at them as they hung from their treetops, munching on spiky durian fruit.
Myles briefly wondered if he should slow down for the other man. But paying attention to him had made Myles lose track of Jenny in the first place.
Myles had been selfish. Nothing should come between him and his little girl. He felt sick that he’d jeopardized her safety for the sake of…what? Making eyes at a guy like a teenager?
What the hell was wrong with him?
Everything, just like he’d always suspected. Just like his parents had warned him. Jesus. He’d be lucky if Corinne even let him have visitation rights after this. What kind of a father was he?
“Why haven’t we found her yet?” Myles cried. The reptile house flew up on their right. They were getting close to the insects.
“I don’t know,” Dillon cried, gasping down lungfuls of air from behind. “Maybe she came a different way?”
Myles almost suggested they turn back. But he knew in his gut they were on the right path. Jenny had taken herself off to the bug house, so preoccupied with missing the show as she was. He just needed to keep going.
The insect house had to be in the furthermost corner of the damned zoo. Myles was cursing its existence until he rounded the last corner, panting and sweating in his nice pants and T-shirt, where he saw his little termite perched on a park services golf cart, sitting with two park employees, one of which was speaking into a walkie-talkie.
“Daddy!” Jenny shrieked.
She jumped from the cart and dashed over to him, her arms outstretched. Myles thought he might black out from relief as he dropped to his knees and scooped her up.
“Jenny!” he yelled back, hugging her probably a bit too tightly. “Honey, where did you go? You had Daddy worried sick!”
A small sob resonated through her chest. “We were going to be late for the show,” she insisted, “and no one wanted to come. No one. I couldn’t miss it, Daddy.”
He cradled her to his chest as the zoo employees gave him relieved smiles and sighs. If he were to guess, he’d say they were calling in to say their lost child wasn’t so lost anymore.
“Termite,” Myles said heavily. “Daddy would have come with you. I was always going to come with you. You can’t run off all alone. You’re far too precious!”
Jenny sniffed and rubbed her wet face into his neck. “You were right,” she mumbled. “Everyone hates the bugs. Elijah King called me a dung beetle and said only losers like creepy-crawlies.”
“Yeah?”
Myles and Jenny both turned to see Dillon slide to a halt in front of them, grabbing his knees for support as he bent forward and gasped for breath. His honey-blond curls stuck out at odd angles and his cheeks were flushed from running.
“Well,” Dillon said, standing up straight again. “I definitely saw Elijah King licking the glass of the giraffe enclosure earlier. So, who’s the loser, really?”
A giggle escaped from Jenny’s throat and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Mr. Combes,” she admonished. Clearly, she was as amused at the idea of the bully Elijah licking the glass as Dillon was. And Myles, if he was honest.
“Jenny,” Myles said gently, back into full parenting mode. “Look, sometimes you’re the only person that likes a thing. And, well, that kind of sucks. But you can’t run away from people like that. And look!” He jutted his chin toward the entrance to the insect house where several people were making their way inside. “There are a ton of people who think bugs are just as cool as you do. You just haven’t met them yet.”
She bit her lip and watched as other families and couples wandered into the insect house. “Oh,” she said softly.
“Excuse me?”
Myles stood and faced the zoo employee with the walkie-talkie. He kept a firm hold of Jenny’s hand as he did, aware that Dillon had come to stand by his side. She had a cloud of frizzy red hair that she’d tamed back with a robust clip and freckles on her round cheeks. She gave Myles a sympathetic look.
“Are you Jenny’s dad?” the employee asked.
Myles nodded at her. “She slipped away and scared us silly. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
The woman shook her head and laughed. “Nah, we get lost kids every day. I’m just glad we were able to give her a lift on the cart. She said she was supposed to come to the insect house, so we figured someone might be waiting for her here.” She crouched down and gave Jenny a warm smile. “You gave your daddies a bit of a fright, little lady!” she cried.
“Oh, no,” Myles spluttered.
“We’re not-” stammered Dillon.
Jenny giggled. “Mr. Combes is my teacher,” she said happily. “But he’d probably make a good daddy, too.” She squinted up at Myles. “Would you like Mr. Combes to be your boyfriend, Daddy?”
A wave of dizziness washed over Myles. Jenny didn’t seem fazed in the slightest at the idea her daddy might like other men. She was ju
st looking up at him with sincere interest.
Well, that in itself was incredible. But his relief and pride in his daughter was warring with the acute embarrassment currently making his cheeks heat up horribly. “Oh, I, uh, that’s-”
“Maybe Daddy and Mr. Combes can talk about that later,” Dillon murmured, looking down at Jenny with affection. Then he glanced back up at Myles.
“So, erm, well,” the zoo employee blurted out, jumping to her feet, making her red hair bounce and waving at Jenny. “It was nice to meet you guys. Bye, little lady. Enjoy the bug show!”
“I will!” Jenny called back with enthusiasm.
As awkward as the zoo lady obviously was at her faux pas, Myles was mortified. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to come out to Jenny.
He wasn’t even sure he was ready to come out at all.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, unable to meet Dillon’s eye. This was all such a mess.
“Oh, no biggie,” Dillon said flatly. God, he was probably just as embarrassed at the implication he would be interested in Myles. Myles was too old for him, too stuffy, too gawky.
Too closeted.
“I’m sorry, too, Daddy,” Jenny said, rubbing her face. “Am I in trouble?”
“Oh, no, sweetie,” he said. He picked her up with ease after years of practice and sat her on his hip. “The most important thing is that you’re safe. But you can’t run away like that, okay? Promise me.”
“I promise,” she said somberly.
Myles checked his watch. “You know, it’s not long until the bug show. Shall we go get some seats?”
Her eyes lit up like firecrackers. “Yes, yes!”
“So, uh…” Dillon said. Myles looked back up at Dillon who bit his lip. “I’ll leave you guys to it,” Dillon said. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of chaperones. If you don’t catch up with us again, have a great summer, I guess.”
He swung his hands back and forth before apparently realizing what he was doing and slipping them into his jeans pockets. Myles felt guilty. For what, he wasn’t entirely sure. Putting Dillon in an uncomfortable position, perhaps? Making him feel like he had to be nice to Myles when Myles was being stupid, crushing on a guy ten years younger than him? On a guy who happened to be Jenny’s teacher?