𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝘿𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙭

|15| Deer For You, My Dear

EMARA

He is gone.

Okay, well, maybe that is a little dramatic. Taeric said he would be back. But I am starting to get a little worried. The sun was going down, and Mr. Alien man had been out for hours. He had left just a little after we finished eating lunch. What exactly an alien who had never been to Earth before had to do was beyond me.

I drum my fingers on the table and then move around the room, pacing some more. I was planning on cooking some rabbit tonight, but the water needed to boil. I kept pacing around the house, moving little things.

Is he trying to go back to his planet? It had already been over a month since he had been here, and maybe he was feeling a little homesick. I sigh, feeling annoyed by how clingy I sound, but I would be lying big time if I didn't admit I was getting attached to the big guy. It is like he is making it his goal to make us all comfortable, and honestly, I love it.

It probably isn't helping with my attachment to him, either. It sort of reminded me of how my dad used to play with me and help my mom in any way he could—babysitting me, picking me up from school, helping get me ready for bed when my mom was working late nights.

To be honest, it was helpful in many ways to have a crappy birth father and then a man that came into my life as a father figure. A stepfather, someone who chose to be in my life, chose to love me and care for my mom and me. Then, a man that helped create me, the name who just up and disappeared after his divorce from my mom, not contacting me once since he found out my mom and dad were getting married.

I still remember that day vividly. It was one of the few times I saw him after the divorce. He was asking me how things were going, and I had brought up my stepdad. I still remember his rage, how he had told me to sit on a bench and stormed away, screaming into his phone at my mom over my then, soon-to-be stepdad.

Looking back at it now, it was ridiculous. He had gotten himself into a frenzy over something a kid had said. At the time, I was so upset, and I felt like it was my fault. I still loved my birth father. I thought maybe I shouldn't have mentioned my stepdad, and I didn't want him to be mad at my mom, either. I was only 5 years old.

Since that had happened, he hadn't contacted me. He had plenty of time to do it, too. The wars didn't start till I was twelve. Eight years; plenty of time before the wars came and destroyed everything. Who knows, he could still be alive. But one thing is for sure, thanks to him and my stepdad, I knew what to look for and what to definitely avoid.

My mom always told me, "Honey, there will always be guys who will come and compliment you or make your heart flutter. That doesn't mean they are good, and I had to learn that the hard way. You need someone who won't just flatter you. You need someone who will work alongside you and love you. A partner."

I smile to myself at my momma's comforting words, knowing she was right, like always. I am a hopeless romantic, but at least, at least I hope, I am practical in some sort of way. I look outside. Dark clouds fill the sky, and I can see sprinkles of water falling.

"Hope it doesn't start pouring rain before Taeric comes back," Lilly says, looking in my direction and at the darkening sky.

"Mhmm, yeah," I hum in agreement.

Lilly and Jace are sitting on the ground, and Evey is pretending to be a teacher giving them fake assignments. She even hands one to Bear, who lets out a huff of breath as his eyes flutter closed.

THUMP! THUMP!

I almost jumped out of my skin at the knocking on the front door. Bear's head pops up, ears alert. His head moves around as he plods over to the front door, sniffing. He lets out a little yip with more sniffing.