“Okay.” Laughing, Tegan stopped pushing and let the swing start to slow.
She glanced around the park again, unable to shake that weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. A mother was on a bench while her two kids raced across monkey bars. Another mom stood next to a small toddler attempting to climb onto the head of a big plastic fish that had been made to look as if it was coming out of the ground. It was in the middle of a big circular section with soft, squishy material instead of concrete where different plastic sea life sprouted from it. When Tegan had asked Dillon if he wanted to play there, he’d looked at her so seriously and told her he was a big boy now and that section was for babies.
Rolling her shoulders once in an attempt to get rid of the residual tension, she reached for the seat of the swing and stilled it completely so Dillon could slide out.
“Daddy said you’re coming to Christmas dinner with us this year,” Dillon said, tucking his little hand into hers.
The trusting action seemed so natural for him and it warmed her better than any hot chocolate ever could. She still felt like she was navigating foreign terrain where kids were concerned but so far Dillon seemed to like her. “Yes, he asked me to. Is that okay with you?”
Kali fell into place next to them, prancing as only she could as they made their way to the merry-go-round.
He grinned up at her. “Yep. I even got you a present.”
She blinked. “You did?” Oh, crap. She needed to get them presents. With everything going on she hadn’t even thought about Christmas. Not really. The holiday had been in her face since November with decorations all over the city and on television but it had been an abstract thing for her. She hadn’t thought about Christmas because she’d planned to be alone again this year. For her, holidays had never been a particularly fun time of year. Her mom had barely put in a half-ass attempt to celebrate with her and her brother. Forget about lights or a tree. She and her brother had always gotten one present for each other but that had been the extent of their holiday celebration. After her mother had died, Tegan hadn’t really cared to put in much effort either. She’d usually just done something with her single friends.
“Yep. It’s awesome, too.” He continued chattering, telling her about what he’d gotten his daddy for Christmas and how he hoped Santa brought him Thor’s hammer. It took her a moment to realize it was a reference to The Avengers.
As they headed across a grassy incline, an SUV slowly steered through the parking lot. The windows were tinted dark. On the back she saw one of those little stick family sticker collections, including a dog.
She glanced over her shoulder, looking for Aaron. The place was big but he’d find them. Still, she wished he was with them.
God, she had to get over whatever this weird anxiousness was. After the bombing, the doctor had mentioned she might have some lingering effects, including panic attacks. Maybe she really did need to talk to someone. The thought of opening up to a complete stranger felt weird, though.
As they reached the merry-go-round, she glanced over as the SUV backed into a parking spot. The parking lot spanned around three sides of the park and everyone had parked by the main entrance, their vehicles clustered together. This driver parked about twenty spaces away from the other vehicles.
“Spin me!”
Tegan started spinning Dillon as a man wearing a sweatshirt, jogging pants, and a black knitted cap got out of the SUV. When he started stretching she realized he was going to use the running track that looped through the park. Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned back to the merry-go-round where Dillon was still hanging on and giggling.
A smile broke over her face—until she saw a man jogging across the other side of the parking lot in their direction. He was coming from a nondescript truck parked far away from everyone else. It took all of a second for her to recognize the man. She didn’t know his name but she knew that face. A large scar slashed over his left cheek on a ragged angle, almost looking like a sideways V covering most of his cheek. It was very memorable.
Terror jolted through her, the jagged lightning bolt edges making her freeze for a moment.
A sidewalk and fence separated them but he was moving in their direction with purpose.
Everything funneled out as she jerked the merry-go-round to a halt. “Dillon, come here. We’ve gotta go now.”
Next to her Kali whined, maybe because she sensed Tegan’s tension. There was still no sign of Aaron.
“We’ll get ice cream and whatever you want. Come on—” She stopped talking as the man’s gaze connected with hers.