Page 50 of Together Is Where We Belong

“What’s a cousin?”

“When your dad’s sibling has a child, that makes him or her your cousin,” I said, hoping I didn’t butcher my answer and his little innocent mind understood.

“What does that make my dad’s siblings? Like, what are they called?”

“Well, your dad’s brothers are called your uncles, and your dad’s sister is called your aunt. Your aunt has a husband and that makes him your uncle too. I know it sounds confusing, buddy, but you’ll get used to it,” I reassured him.

“What’s a husband?” he asked, and I groaned. I didn’t want to answer this question because it’d lead to ones I wasn’t sure I could answer.

“When a boy and a girl really love each other they get married,” I said after giving my response some careful thought.

“Will you ever get a husband?” Luke happened to ask just as I took a sip of my sweet tea, causing me to choke.

I coughed some and patted my chest to relieve the ache as I tried to regain my composure.

“You okay, Mom?” Luke asked.

“Yeah, buddy. The drink went down the wrong way,” I replied.

“So, will you?” he curiously asked.

I didn’t want to give him any false hope, but I also didn’t see a way out of avoiding the conversation. With the way Luke was, if I avoided answering a question, he’d double down on trying to get the answer out of me.

“Maybe one day,” I told him. Not likely, but anything was possible.

“If you do get a husband, what will that make him to me?”

Could we get off this topic?

“That would make him your stepdad,” I said as I took a bite of my sandwich, which now tasted like lead due to this conversation.

“Would he replace my dad? Because if so I don’t want you to get a husband,” Luke said as he eyed me warily. In just the few short days since he’d met Leo, he’d grown attached.

“No, buddy. No one will ever replace your dad. How about we finish your lunch, and we can put one of your Lego sets together?” I asked, hoping he’d take the bait on my change of subject.

“That’s for me and Dad to do, Mom. But we could play with my trucks,” Luke suggested. It was such an innocent response, but I couldn’t help the pang in my chest at him only wanting to do that with Leo. We’d always done everything together, and now he had something that he just wanted to do with his dad. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy that he wanted to spend time with Leo and that they had bonded instantly, but my mama heart was a little hurt that he wasn’t just mine anymore.

We spent the rest of the day playing in Luke’s room, and before I knew it we had thirty minutes before Leo would arrive to pick us up.

“Let’s get this room picked up and get you ready, kiddo,” I told him as I stood from the floor.

I played the clean-up song on my phone which always helped motivate Luke to pick up his toys quickly.

Opening his closet door, I had limited options to choose from until our packages arrived from South Carolina.

“What do you think about this?” I told him as I pulled out a pair of khaki shorts and his favorite button-up shirt. The blue stripes of his shirt always made the blue of his eyes stand out.

He shrugged, and I took that as a yes and handed him the clothes so he could get dressed.

“I’ll be right back. Make sure you get ready, okay. Your dad will be here in about twenty minutes,” I told him as I rushed out of his room and into mine.

I had no clue what to wear to dinner. I didn’t want to be overdressed, but I didn’t want to be too casual either. With the heat outside today, I also didn’t want to wear anything too heavy.

Without giving it much thought, I pulled out a couple of sundresses and tossed them on the bed. I mulled over my options. The yellow dress came down to my ankles and was light and flowy and didn’t show too much cleavage, while the other one did. Yellow sundress it was.

Quickly I got changed and pulled out a pair of white sandals. I pulled my long brown hair into a claw clip and put on some mascara and called it good enough.

This wasn’t about me. This was about Luke and him meeting his family. I was nervous to be around them again. I didn’t know what they thought about me and my situation with Luke. But the Courtrights had always been fair and honest people. I couldn’t see them saying a harsh word to me, especially in front of my son.