Page 15

I laugh, crouching down to hug him properly. “You did?”

“Yes! Daddy let me pick!”

“Tacos are a great choice, baby.” I say, pressing a quick kiss to his hair before standing back up.

Simon is standing just behind him, holding a takeout bag in one hand, looking a little apologetic.

“Sorry for running late,” he says. “I was teaching him a video game and we lost track of time. I grabbed dinner, though.” He lifts the bag slightly.

I take the bag and step aside. “Come in.”

Theo is already halfway down the hallway, kicking his shoes off.

“Hey—shoes,” I call after him automatically.

“I know!” he yells back, not correcting it at all.

I shake my head and turn back toward Simon, who’s now awkwardly standing in my living room like he’s waiting to be told what to do next.

“Do you want to stay and eat with us?” I ask, nodding toward the smaller bag in his hand.

He pauses for half a second before nodding. “Uh… yeah. Sure.”

He follows me over to the small dining table, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

I go to grab plates from the cabinet, watching Simon from the corner of my eye as I do so. He’s texting on his phone with his brows slightly pinched, and I assume he’s texting the woman he’s been seeing.

Crap. Was he going to have dinner with her after dropping Theo off? Should I not have invited him to stay to eat? If he was going to meet this woman for dinner, but accepted my invitation instead, what does that say about his commitment to her?

I don’t get long to dwell on an answer because a large bang sounds from Theo’s room, followed by a very unconvincing, “I’M OKAY!”

“Okay,” I call back. “Clean whatever that was up please!”

“Okay!” he shouts.

I exhale and set the plates down on the table.

“How did Donuts go?” I ask, glancing at Simon as I open the bag. “How was my dad?”

“It was good,” he says. “Haven’t seen your dad in a while. It was nice.”

I nod. “Theo was excited to have you both there.”

I don’t mention the texts my dad sent me afterward. I already knew it wouldn’t be smooth. Simon hasn’t said more than a few words to my family in years.

Theo runs in with a plastic dinosaur tucked under his arm. “Mama, time to eat?” he asks, climbing into his chair.

“Yeah, baby.” I say, setting his plate in front of him.

I pass Simon a plate, then take my own seat across from them.

Theo speaks with his mouth full. “I got chocolate donut. And sprinkles. And Papa said I could have two.”

“That sounds like something Papa would say,” I reply.

Simon huffs out a small laugh. “He did try to hand him a third.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not surprised.”