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"What do you say to pizza for dinner?" I asked once we strolled out.
"I love pizza. Is Mom coming too?"
"No, just the two of us. I need to talk to you about something."
He eyed me cautiously. "Am I in trouble?"
"No, not at all." I ruffled his hair, but he didn't seem to relax.
"Okay. I love p
izza."
"Me too, buddy."
I led him to an Italian restaurant one block away from the club. It was one of my favorites. They used wood for their pizza oven, and the smoky smell was thick in the air. They made the crust thin and crispy. The wall paneling imitated natural stone, which made for a relaxing ambience.
Since it was relatively early for dinner, there were few patrons. I was a regular here, so the owner, Enzo, came to greet us. He was thin with olive skin and black hair on which he'd painted green strands.
"Graham, finally getting to bring your little one here too." He patted Milo's shoulder. I liked the sound of that. Your little one.
"Yeah. I'll bring Lori around soon too. I promise." I turned to Milo. "What do you want to eat?"
Milo tore his gaze away from Enzo's hair. "Can I have lots of pepperoni on my pizza? And onions?"
"One pizza with pepperoni and onions for him, and one with cheese for me," I said to Enzo.
After he left, Milo looked at me expectantly. He was still nervous about what I had to say. I'd planned to wait until dessert to lay it all out for him, but I decided to switch things up.
"Here's what I wanted to talk to you about, buddy. Your mom and I have been together for a while now, and I love her very much. I love both of you, in fact."
He swallowed hard and fidgeted in his seat, but he didn't say anything.
"I want to marry your mother, and I wanted to first talk to you, man-to-man, ask if you're okay with it."
Milo cast his eyes downward to the tablecloth, fiddling with the fork between his hands. Something was clearly eating at him, but I couldn't figure out why. I could only wait for him to open up.
Eventually, he looked up, and asked, "So you will always be with mom and me?"
"Yes I will."
"You won't leave?"
Punch straight to the gut. He'd become tiny while he'd asked the question, hunching his small shoulders. I chose my next words carefully.
"No, Milo. I won't leave. I promise. I love you both, and I'd like to be part of your family."
He played with the fork in his hand some more. I could tell he had other questions, and I waited patiently.
"If you marry mom, will you be my dad?"
"Yes, I will be."
"So I can call you dad?"
My smile seemed to encourage Milo to smile too. "Of course. I'd love that.”
"That's so cool. I never had anyone to call dad before."
