His Son's Teacher

3. Dinner

Camila grabbed a bin bag and a dustpan and brush as she made her way into the kitchen to clear up the mess that had been made hours earlier by Austin. She'd directed Shawn and Rio into the living room, considering the fact that Shawn was more likely to be able to get the TV back on the wall then she was. She began to sweep the food into the dustpan before leaving dumping it in the bin bag. 

After half an hour, when Camila had managed to clean up half of the floor, with the counter top still to go, along with the rest of the floor, she heard footsteps enter. She looked up to find Shawn staring down at her, a grin on his face. "Need any help?" She nodded. "Please. There's just so much." He nodded and went to grab a cloth to clean the counter top and the cupboards while calling Rio to come help with the floor.

"Did you clean the living room?" He nodded. "Yeah, we also got the TV back up and it's not likely to fall down anymore." Camila breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you." She smiled. He shook his head, "It's no problem. Seriously, we're happy to help, it's not your fault this place was ruined." She smiled and went back to clearing up the floor. Rio and Camila found themselves moving into a routine where Camila would sweep up and he would empty it into the bin bag. 

Fifteen minutes later, they were almost finished, there was only a little bit left to clear in the far corner of the room. Rio had just finished placing the rubbish in the bag when a pair of hands grabbed him by the waist and lifted him into the air. "I've got you now." Shawn laughed as Rio squirmed attempting to get away from his father as he began to tickle him, resulting in the boy feverishly laughing, soon joined by Camila, who had just put the last of the rubbish in the bin and tied the bag up. 

A moment later, he stopped tickling the boy and placed a kiss on his forehead. "You know I love you right?" He spoke quietly. The boy nodded, "Of course Daddy, I love you too." The boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck and Shawn hugged the boy close to his body. "You are so, so special and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just because you don't have a mother, doesn't make the other kids any better than you." He murmured quietly to his son as tears lined his eyes. He placed a delicate kiss on his forehead and they stayed in that position.

Camila couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on a private moment between the father and son. She had no idea about anything that went down between Shawn and Rio's mother, all she knew was that the woman was no longer around. But clearly, it had had a deep effect on both Shawn and Rio. She had heard kids tell the young boy that because he didn't have a mother, he didn't deserve to be friends with them and it made Rio upset. Camila often found the boy sitting at a desk face streaked with tears, but recently she had made a point to the kids that it didn't matter if they didn't have a mother or father, they were all equal. After that, they began to accept him and invite him to play games, but there were still a few that refused to acknowledge him and Camila really felt for the boy.

After another minute, Shawn pulled away and wiped his face of the tears present and put Rio and the floor. Camila smiled at him and motioned to the floor, "Let's just mop the floor and we're done." Shawn beamed a smile back and picked up the mop. "Let's do it." He quickly swept across the floor with the mop and Camila and Rio grabbed towels, sliding across the floor with their feet attempting to dry the floor as Shawn stood at the side laughing at the pair. "You do it!" Camila nudged him. "Yeah, go on Daddy!" Shawn sighed and grabbed a towel before beginning to slide his feet, attempting to dry the floor. 

Ten minutes passed before they finished and when they did Shawn picked Rio up and ran all the way to the couch before dropping him. The boy laughed and squealed. "So, are we done?" He asked her. She nodded, "Thank you so much for helping." Shawn smiled, "For the last time, Camila. I don't mind." She smiled. "I'd offer to cook dinner for you, but I don't have any food now." Shawn waved his hand, dismissing her apology before a grin lit up across his face. "How about we all go out to dinner now?" He asked. "Really?" He nodded. "It will be fun!" He beamed. After a moment's deliberation, she nodded, "Let me just get my jacket."