42. Terra
TERRA
By the time Terra pulled into the driveway, she had almost convinced herself that bringing Taurex home had been a terrible idea. Not because she didn’t want him there—that was exactly the problem.
She wanted him there far too much.
The entire drive from downtown had left her painfully aware of his enormous presence beside her, despite the absurdity of one horn sticking out the passenger window and his knees practically jammed beneath his chin.
Every time she glanced at him, she remembered the way he had leaned into her hug in the police station after she threw herself against him, slow and careful as though he still wasn’t entirely convinced he had permission to be close to her.
She remembered calling him “baby” without thinking, remembered the startled look in those golden eyes and the way her entire body had seemed to relax the moment she felt his warmth against her again.
Now she was bringing him back to the little bungalow in Seminole Heights where her mother and children were waiting, and Terra had absolutely no idea what she was going to do once they got there.
But as it turned out, she didn’t need to decide. The moment she turned into the driveway, the front door flew open and her kids came rushing out.
“The Bull-man! The Bull-man!”
Lisa came tearing across the front yard barefoot, despite the fact that Terra had told her approximately four thousand times not to run outside without shoes.
Cody was only a few steps behind her, and Lucy appeared in the doorway after them, one hand pressed against her chest as though the excitement had already raised her blood pressure.
Taurex looked startled but pleased at the children’s reaction to seeing him.
Terra barely had time to park before Lisa reached the passenger side and began bouncing beside the door.
“Bull-man! Bull-man! You came back!”
“It appears that I have,” Taurex said gravely.
Terra got out and hurried around the car.
“Give me a second, Lisa. He’s kind of stuck in there.”
“I am not stuck,” Taurex protested from inside the Honda with dignity.
Cody stared at the horn poking out of the window.
“You look stuck.”
Taurex lifted his chin.
“I am simply experiencing a temporary spatial inconvenience.”
Cody burst out laughing and Terra couldn’t help it—she laughed too. Lisa bounced around giggling madly and the corners of Taurex’s mouth twitched up as though he was on the verge of laughing too.
“Hold still,” she told Taurex, opening the passenger door. “Turn your head a little.”
“I am trying.”
“No, the other way.”
“If I turn the other way, my horn strikes the roof.”
“Okay, then duck.”
“My horns do not duck.”
At this, Lisa giggled so hard she almost fell over.
“Silly Mommy!” she exclaimed. “Horns aren’t ducks!”
It took nearly a full minute of maneuvering before Taurex managed to extract himself from the little car, unfolding upward until he seemed to become twice as large as Terra remembered.
Lisa immediately launched herself at him and Taurex caught her automatically and swung her around as she shrieked happily.
“There you are!” she exclaimed, wrapping both arms around his neck. “We thought you went away forever, Bull-man! We missed you!”
Something flickered across Taurex’s face.
“I had business to attend to,” he said gently. “But I missed you too, Lisa. And you, Cody,” he added, smiling at her son.
“Well, don’t go away again,” Lisa said bossily. “You have to stay around here with us.”
Taurex nodded gravely.
“I shall try to arrange my schedule accordingly.”
Cody came closer more cautiously, but his expression was just as pleased.
“Hey, Taurex.”
“Hello, youngling.”
“Did you really get arrested?”
Terra’s eyes widened.
“Cody!” she exclaimed.
“What? Nana said,” he protested.
Lucy had made it across the yard by then.
“I said no such thing!”
“You said Mom went to get him from the police station.”
Lucy’s face went red.
“That is not the same thing, Cody.”
“It kind of is.”
Before the argument could continue, Lucy reached Taurex. For one second, she simply looked up at him. Then her face crumpled and to Terra’s surprise, her mother threw both arms around Taurex’s waist.
“Thank you for saving my grandbabies,” Lucy said to him, her voice breaking. “Thank you so, so much.”
Taurex froze and Terra saw uncertainty cross his face, as though he genuinely didn’t know what to do with an elderly human woman hugging him with all her strength.
Then his expression softened and, very carefully, he wrapped one enormous arm around Lucy’s frail shoulders.
“You need not thank me,” he said quietly.
“Yes, I do.” Lucy held him tighter. “You brought those babies home.”
“They were frightened, but unharmed.”
“You brought them home,” Lucy repeated, looking up at him with wet eyes. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
Taurex lowered his head slightly.
“I am glad I was able to do so.”
Terra stood beside the car watching them, and something deep inside her chest began to ache.
Taurex was so careful with her mother.
Lucy looked incredibly small beside him, even more fragile than usual, her graying head barely reaching the middle of his chest and her thin shoulders nearly swallowed beneath his muscular arm.
Taurex could have lifted her with one hand, yet the way he hugged her was extremely gentle. He held himself rigidly enough that none of his weight pressed against her, and when Lucy finally stepped back, Taurex kept one hand near her elbow as though ready to catch her if she became unsteady.
The sight made Terra’s throat tighten. She had always known he was gentle with her, and she had seen the patience he showed Cody and Lisa. But watching him with her mother brought it all together in a way she hadn’t been prepared for.
This huge, terrifying-looking Monstrum who could kill four armed men and walk away without a scratch, was also the male who remembered how Terra liked her tea, bought gifts specifically chosen for each of her children, and treated her elderly mother as though she were precious.
He would make such a good father, whispered a little voice in her head. It’s too bad you pushed him away.
Terra felt a stab of regret because it was true—the big Monstrum would make a wonderful father.
Not a replacement for Jackson—she would never ask anyone to erase her children’s biological father, regardless of how badly he had failed them.
But Taurex was dependable and brave and kind.
He was someone Cody could look up to. Someone Lisa could run to when she was frightened.
Someone who would show up every single time, no matter how difficult the circumstances were.
“Are we standing outside all day?” Lucy demanded suddenly, wiping at her eyes and breaking Terra’s regretful train of thought. “It’s ninety-five degrees and I’m getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.”
“It is extremely humid,” Taurex agreed.
Lucy patted his arm.
“That’s Tampa, sweetheart.”
Terra almost laughed at the endearment. Apparently she wasn’t the only woman in the family calling Taurex sweet names now.
They went inside, and within five minutes the living room had turned into complete chaos.
Lisa immediately retrieved her mood-bloom bracelet from her bedroom and insisted on showing Taurex that she had managed to make the blossoms turn three different colors at once.
“Look!” she exclaimed.
The tiny blooms scattered around her wrist were glowing yellow, violet and blue.
Taurex bent down to examine them.
“Interesting,” he said, nodding.
“What does it mean?” Lisa asked.
“That you are excited, affectionate and attempting to remain calm,” he said, after studying the bracelet some more.
“But I’m not calm,” Lisa protested, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Not at all!”
“I had noticed,” he said dryly.
Cody disappeared and returned carrying the living puzzle Taurex had bought for him on the Mother Ship. The silver geometric shape floated above his palms, rotating slowly.
“I got to level fourteen,” he said proudly.
Taurex’s ears lifted.
“Fourteen?”
“Yeah.”
The big Monstrum nodded his head.
“That is considerably farther than I expected. Quite an achievement.”
Cody looked pleased.
“I figured out you have to rotate the middle ring before you separate the outside pieces.”
Taurex immediately sat beside him on the floor.
“Show me.”
Terra watched from the doorway to the kitchen while she helped Lucy put together drinks and snacks.
Taurex folded his enormous legs beneath him and somehow managed to make himself look comfortable on the old area rug despite the fact that his knees nearly came up to his chest. Cody leaned close, explaining the puzzle with animated gestures while Taurex listened with complete attention.
Then Lisa crawled onto his thigh as though it were a chair and began telling him a completely unrelated story about something that happened at school.
Somehow, he managed to listen to both of them—not in the distracted way adults sometimes pretended to listen to children. He actually listened.
He asked Cody questions about the puzzle. He asked Lisa why her friend Madison had gotten angry at recess. He remembered the names of children they had mentioned during his first visit. When Cody corrected him about some detail of the puzzle, Taurex didn’t dismiss him. He simply nodded and said,
“You are correct. I had not considered that.”
Terra leaned against the kitchen counter, watching and Lucy looked over at her.
“You’re doing it again.”
Terra frowned.
“Doing what, Mom?”
“Staring.”
“I am not staring.”
“You most certainly are.”
Terra lowered her voice.
“Mom…”
Lucy poured lemonade into a glass.
“That man loves those children.”
Terra looked toward the living room.
“I know,” she said softly.
“And they love him.”
“I know.”
Terra sighed.
Lucy’s eyes softened.
“And, sweetheart, you love him.”
Terra felt heat rise into her face.
“Can we please not do this right now?”
Her mom arched an eyebrow at her.
“When would you like to do it? Christmas?”
“Mom…”
Lucy gave her a look Terra knew well.
“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?”
Terra sighed.