Whirlwind

prologue

"Daddy?"

I hear a voice in the darkness and I roll over, my body making the sofa groan.

When I turn, I find Jason, my four year-old son standing just in front of me, tears staining his cheeks, a pool of wet staining his pyjama pants.

"Hey bud," I mumble tiredly, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands as I sit up. Jason steps forward and leans on my legs, fresh tears starting down his cheeks.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

He nods his little head and sniffles a hiccup, pushing his head into my shoulder.

He's been having nightmares for a few months now, ever since a friend from school showed him a trailer to the 'Are You My Mummy?' episode of Doctor Who. I wanted to kick the parent of whichever kid that was. Jason's been down six nights in a row with soiled pyjama pants.

"What was it this time?" I ask, knowing it'll be the same one.

He looks up at me and I can tell he wants to get up on my knee but I'm not sure the lady of the house will appreciate piss on the brand-new couch. She hates me sleeping on it too, but I have no choice when I know she hates me waking her up even more.

"I had a dream about a dessert." Only Jason would have a nightmare about dessert.

"A dessert?" I ask and he nods his head sleepily, climbing up on my lap anyway. I cringe inwardly as he sits, but I don't move him, knowing he's trying to find comfort in my arms. Usually he goes to find his mom, so I don't know why he's down here tonight.

"Yeah. Lots of sand. I lost you."

Oh, a desert. "Lost us?"

He shakes his head and touches his tiny index finger to my chest, making my heart swell.

"You."

"Me?" I ask again, kissing the side of his head as I wrap my arms tighter around his tiny frame, pulling him in a cradle position, ignoring the wet on my hands.

He nods.

"You know I'm not going anywhere though, don't you?"

He doesn't nod that time but just looks blankly at me, like he doesn't believe me.

I've been away a lot, trying to finalise the last few deals on my new book. I'd been away for nearly three days on a book tour for book two of my new fantasy series, and it was around about the time when Jason's nightmares started back up pretty badly. He'd had them before, but never like this.

"I'm only going away for a few days at a time. I'm never leaving you guys, you're too important," I assure him, hugging him close again as I hear a telltale squeak of a floorboard from the stairs.

Both Jason and I look up to see his mom standing at the top of the stairs, watching us. She's wearing one of my t-shirts, which she always wears when I'm away, and she looks so damn sexy in it my breath catches. Her pregnant belly is starting to show, and I smile at the thought of meeting the little tyke in just over four months.

"Hey boys," she says softly, her voice thick with sleep. It was nearly four in the morning, according to the big clock on the wall by the kitchen, and I needed to be up in a couple of hours to go and pick up Bentley from football camp. I'd be moody tomorrow, that's for sure.

She stands and comes towards us, taking a seat close to me before dropping a kiss on my shoulder then Jason's cheek. At that, he transplants himself to her lap with a squelch and her face falls slightly in concern as she gives our son another reassuring kiss.