Slaying the Dragon

I bent down, grabbed his bag of kibble from the cabinet, and poured it in his bowl. Giving him a quick scratch on his tail as he ate, I made my way from the condo, taking the elevator down twelve floors to the lobby.

“Hey, Mackenzie!” Paul, the security guard, said when he saw me emerge. He was in his late fifties or early sixties, and had distinguished gray hair and brilliant blue eyes. He had been retired from the police department for ten years, but he still kept in decent shape, apart from the occasional cheeseburger. He was like a father to me, probably more so than my real dad, who I only got to see once a month at a pre-arranged time and couldn’t even tell anyone he was still alive. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I suppose. Tired.”

He nodded. “I remember those days. Poor Angie was exhausted through all three of her pregnancies.”

I groaned. “Don’t tell me that. I’m sleeping more than I have in my life, but it’s still not enough. I constantly wake up exhausted. Having to give up caffeine hasn’t really helped, either.”

“You work too hard, sweetie. I see the hours you keep at that restaurant. At some point, you need to start taking better care of yourself.”

“I will. I promise.” I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his temple.

“Good. You better get a move on. I’m sure Brayden and Je

I glanced down at my wrist and checked my watch. “Shit!” I exclaimed when I saw it was quarter after six, bolting from Paul. I was usually the one waiting on them, not the other way around.

“Drive carefully!” Paul yelled.

“I will!” I responded as I dashed out the doors and into the parking lot of the condo building I lived in on the north end of South Padre Island.

The sun was still shining brightly as I took quick steps toward my car. Clicking on the key fob to unlock the door, I was startled by the sound of glass breaking and I swung my head toward the front gate. A chill washed over me when my eyes settled on a dark sedan idling on the street, the driver wearing darkened sunglasses. His expression remained fixed, never looking at me…or anything else, for that matter.

Part of me had hoped the glass breaking was Charlie making an appearance, but he was too smart to do anything that would draw attention to himself. Nearly four months ago, he had disappeared from my life when his photo was splashed all over the news as the only suspect in a rash of murders spa

Sighing, I got in behind the wheel of my Mercedes convertible. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to think about how I was going to afford a bigger car. I certainly couldn’t put a baby seat in the back seat of my two-door coupe.

I pulled out onto the main road and, within minutes, arrived at the wine and tapas bar Brayden, Je

I threw the valet my keys, then strode into the restaurant and toward the bar, Je

“There she is!” Brayden exclaimed, spi

I glanced around the empty bar, rolling my eyes. “Yeah. Thanks. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t save me that seat.” I sat down beside him and smiled at Je

I hung my purse on the hook underneath the counter and my eyes darted to the opposite end of the bar where a mystery man sat one night months ago. His stool was empty, which was exactly how I felt. I had been pretending I was over him and all the lies he told, but I wasn’t. I had hoped if I kept saying I was over him, I had moved past him, I didn’t need him, I didn’t love him, it would be okay.

I needed it to be okay.

“Hey.” Je

Biting my lip, I nodded and struggled to mask my real feelings from my friends, wishing I could convince myself they were right. “I’m fine, guys. I swear. For all I care, he can drop off the face of the earth, which he pretty much did.”

“What can I get you?” the bartender interrupted, leaning on the counter. “The usual? Cranberry juice with tonic and a piece of lime?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I sat forward and avoided both Brayden’s and Je

“So…,” Brayden started, his voice cautious.

Exhaling in a

“How are you doing with all of this?” Je

I shrugged. “No better than yesterday, and I’m sure tomorrow will be the same. I’ll wake up and go to the gym, spending the entire time worrying about how the hell I’m going to do this on my own. I see parents struggling to raise a baby all the time. The constant diaper changes. The midnight feedings. They’re exhausted, but they have each other to lean on for help. I don’t have that.”

Brayden slammed his fist on the bar. “Have you not been listening to us at all the past few months?! How many times do we need to tell you we’ll help with anything you need?!”

“I know,” I conceded, exhaling and leaning back in my chair. “And I appreciate that, but you guys are both young with your entire lives ahead of you. I hate to saddle you with my problems. I got myself into this mess and I shouldn’t count on other people to shoulder the burden.”

“Mackenzie Sophia Delano!” Je

Her words cut me, leaving me speechless.

“We both love you, Mack,” Brayden said softly. “We’ll do whatever you need. Hell, I’ll even change dirty diapers for you.”

I giggled, picturing Brayden’s upturned nose the first time he had to follow through on his promise, but he would. He would walk through fire for me. They both would.

“I’m sorry, guys.” I grabbed each of their hands in mine. “I know I’ve been a bit of a bitch lately. I’ve just always done everything on my own and I hate the thought of–”