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“That’s not what I was saying at all,” I argue. “You’ve always been good to me; it’s just… I don’t know, in high school, you were kind of a cocky player. I don’t remember you being this super sweet guy. I mean, you had your moments, but they were small snippets and never lasted very long before that conceited football star reappeared.”
“Well, I couldn’t let everyone know that I’m a big softy now, could I?” he quips, a playful grin still etched across his handsome face. “I had a reputation to uphold.” He reaches up and scratches the scruff on his jaw.
“Is that it?” I chuckle, loving how adorable he looks right now.
“It is.” He nods, pushing away from the counter and turning toward the fridge.
We spend the remainder of the morning in easy conversation. Ant doesn’t mention the dream or the state he found me in, in the middle of the night, and for that, I am extremely grateful. It’s honestly something I don’t think I could explain even if I wanted to. In return, I make it a point not to bring up his father or anything else that I learned yesterday.
Jack finally woke up just after eight, and Ant made us all breakfast while my son and I watched cartoons on the couch. It’s honestly been one of the best mornings I can ever remember. There’s no pressure, no worries, no need to pretend. It’s just Jack, Ant, and me lounging around on a lazy Saturday morning like we’ve done it a million times before.
We’re all three still snuggled up on the couch watchingCars, Jackson’s favorite movie, when Tess calls just after two in the afternoon. As much as I want to ignore it and stay in this little bubble for just a little longer, I know that if I don’t answer she will just call back in ten minutes anyway.
“Hello.” I slide off the couch just as I answer the phone, holding a finger up to Ant to let him know I’ll be right back.
He nods before turning his attention back to the movie. I swear he seems more interested in it then Jack does; then again, he’s never seen it, which I feel like is unheard of. That movie has been out for years.
“Hey.” Tess’s voice sounds in my ear seconds later. “What are you doing?”
“Watching a movie with Jack,” I say, leaving Ant out of it for reasons I’m not sure I understand.
“Oh, fun. Is Ant there too or is he out apartment searching?” I don’t miss the way she asks the question or the way it grates on me.
“No, he’s here. He’s got an application in on one apartment and doesn’t want to move forward until he knows if he got it or not. Apparently, he really liked the place,” I say, hating the feeling of dread that forms in my stomach at the thought of him leaving soon.
Truth be told, I’m secretly hoping this place falls through and he has to go back to square one, as bad as that is to say.
“That’s awesome. I’m sure you’re ready to have your space back.”
“Yeah,” I agree, even though I don’t actually mean it.
“How’s the new job going? I haven’t talked to you much since you started. Do you like it so far?”
“I’ve mainly just been sitting behind a desk for two weeks,” I say, entering my bedroom and crossing the room to take a seat on the edge of the bed. “They’ve got me doing online training pretty much every day. I never realized how much went into working for children’s services.”
“I bet,” she agrees. “I can’t imagine the rules and regulations.”
“It’s overwhelming.”
“So when do you get to start in the field?”
“Hopefully next week. Trish, the lady who’s training me, has a home inspection scheduled for Tuesday, and I guess we’re gonna start there. I’ll be taking over some of her workload because they’ve been pretty understaffed, given how many open cases they have. She’s gonna work me in a little at a time, and then eventually I’ll be assigned some of her cases permanently.”
“Are you nervous? I mean, do you think you’ll be okay with this? There’s no telling what type of situation you may find a child in. I’m just worried if something hits close to home how that will affect you.”
“I’ll be fine.” I brush it off, not wanting to let the conversation go there given how fresh certain things are in my mind after the dream I had last night. “I think it will be good for me, knowing I have the power to save a child from the same fate.”
“I’m proud of you, ya know.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t say it, but it means a lot to me that she can see how far I’ve come and what I’ve been able to accomplish even with the odds stacked against me.
“So anyway, the reason that I called.” She quickly changes gears. “Sebastian and I wanted to see if you and Ant would like to join us for dinner tonight. Figured since we were all in the same place, maybe we could start getting together more often. Besides, what’s the benefit of living an hour from my best friend if I still never see her.”
“I’d like that. Jack is supposed to stay at my grandparents tonight, so it would just be me. They want to take him to church in the morning.”
“Well boo. I was hoping to see my little buddy.” She pouts, and I can actually see the bottom lip she probably has sticking out.
