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“What?”
“Hadley, you’re bursting out of your seams. You’re not only beautiful, but you’re a capable woman and a fantastic mom. Who wouldn’t want to be with you? Call him and ask him to take you somewhere. Go to his house or something. Anything.”
My eyes widened and glanced at the phone like it would give me the plague. “Are you crazy? It’s almost nine. What would I ask him to do?”
“You said he’s been over and watched a movie this late so what’s wrong with going to his house right next door or letting him take you out?”
I frowned, feeling scared and a little excited about the possibility. “I don’t know. We’re friends. I don’t want to ruin that.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Well, go be friends with him. I’ll be here with Lucy and Eli. And if you stay out all night, it’s not like you can’t come home first thing in the morning since he’s right next door.” She winked. “Stop thinking. I can see it in your eyes that you really want to do it. For one second, be a woman and admit what you want. Don’t you want to see how he is with you alone? He’s good with Lucy. Why not find out how good he can be to you? It’s not a crime to do that. You’re still the most amazing mom even if you take a moment for yourself. You’re so wound up over what a parent should and shouldn’t do. I know it’s because of Scott and his mean-ass family. They make you feel inadequate, and you’re scared of them using Elijah against you. Am I right?”
Panic seized my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. I recalled my phone conversation with Lilly the other day.
Scott told me you have a man around Lucy. Do you know how dangerous men are these days? Heard he was a drug addict with tattoos.
I won’t sit back and let my grandbabies be around someone like that.
Scott’s mom’s idle threats always had a way of terrifying me. Lucy and Eli were mine. But even before Scott and I split up, his mother always had her own input when it came to parenting. It was stressful and only got worse when I made it clear that Scott and I were not getting back together. She kept hinting that she’d take the kids from me. I didn’t think she could, but it scared and enraged me. How did she think she had the right?
Olivia’s words were one hundred percent true. Scott told his mom about Elijah and they both had opinions. I hadn’t spoken to Scott’s mom since. When she wouldn’t shut up, I hung up on her. I only answered Scott through text messages. Things were already a mess with those two. Elijah would be an issue Scott and his family would throw in my face, regardless. Scott had wanted them that weekend, but I denied him. I wanted the kids there for Olivia plus the awful way he acted last time we’d seen him was enough for me to stand my ground.
“They’ll cause problems,” I finally muttered.
She nodded. “They will. It’s all they know how to do.”
Stopping myself from crying, I agreed. My voice, just like the truth, was sad. Ever since Scott had saw Elijah, it’s been awful.
“So, how about you do what you want, anyway? Your kids will be with you, regardless.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask. I’m sure he’s busy, anyway.” I unlocked my phone and thought of what I should say to him. Suddenly I remembered.
Hadley: Are you busy?
He responded immediately.
Elijah: Notfor you. Everything okay?
The tension in my shoulders eased. What came next felt natural.
Hadley: Is it too late for that tattoo? I don’t know when I’ll have a chance like this. My sister offered to stay here with Lucy and Eli.
Elijah: I’ll be there in thirty.
When he disconnected, I slowly lowered the phone. My face was strangely heated. “He said he’d be here in thirty minutes.”
“That was fast,” Olivia chuckled.
I jumped off the couch. “I need to shave. I’m not sure where I want a tattoo.”
She gasped. “You’re getting a tattoo tonight? You rebel.” As I rushed to my bedroom, Olivia yelled, “Do you have any milk pumped for Eli? I don’t want to leave the little guy missing his mom’s tit.”
“Yeah. In the fridge and freezer.”
Thinking of Eli’s needs, I remembered Lucy. I stopped searching for something to wear and stepped into her room. She was playing with her dolls. “Lucy?”
“Huh?” She looked up at me.
How should I tell her? I didn’t want to just walk out without saying I was leaving. She would hate that, but if I said I was going somewhere with Elijah, I knew she’d want to go. “Mommy’s going out with Elijah. He’s taking me to get a tattoo.”
