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Axl gave him a whiny grunt in answer.
“Words, pal.”
“Cake.”
Michael looked up at her questioningly.
“I made cupcakes for later.”
“We don’t get cake until after dinner. Mom’s rules. Even I don’t get one, right?” Michael gave her a hopeful glance.
“No. No cupcakes for anyone.”
“See?”
Axl started his humming scream. Michael had about eleven seconds before he was back into screaming mode.
“So, I got Mama something for Valentine’s. Think you can help me?”
Axl tipped his head to the side. “Mama.”
“Right.” He looked over his shoulder. “See that big box?”
Axl struggled to get up and wobbled his way over to the box. He peered over the top, then back at Michael. He lifted his arms. “Up.”
“The unfairness might require that I kill you in your sleep tonight.”
Michael laughed and got to his feet. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up?”
She flinched.
“You look amazing as always, but I bet you’d love to get that stream of snot off your neck.”
Well, that was romantic. “You seem to keep saving the day.”
“Nah. He still doesn’t know what to make of me.” Michael kissed her forehead, then turned back to Axl. He lifted him up and set him in the box.
She frowned. “Did you bring home an empty box?”
“Many empty boxes.”
“Do I want to know?” She shook her head. “You know what? He’s not screaming, so I don’t even care.”
Michael grinned at her. “Go on.”
“Dinner is ruined by the way,” she said as she walked away.
“We’ll have hot dogs.”
That was exactly what she wanted for the most romantic night of the year. She left them to their laughter and boy antics. She took the monitor into the bathroom with her just to make sure the meltdown was truly over.
Frustration and an Axl tantrum knotted her up like nothing else. She turned the steam on in the shower and stood there for ten full minutes as every muscle unlocked. The last month had been amazing, and having help was more than she could have ever wished for.
It still smarted that Axl had taken to Michael so easily. It had just been them for so long. Sure her dad helped out, but the two of them had a system. They’d grown together for God’s sake. But she couldn’t deny how amazing Michael was with her son.
She stepped under the streaming water and let it beat down on her shoulders. She was so careful not to share him with anyone—to make sure that she was enough for Axl because she had to be. She could only rely on herself. Her father had come a long way since she’d gotten pregnant, but she remembered too many years where she’d been left alone.
When she’d had to parent herself because hers didn’t know the meaning of the word.
