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Mental note to lock the door.
I lock up and head towards the parking lot, my daughter’s hand firmly in mine. “Meet us at Checker’s?” I ask as we approach my car. Payton’s is parked a few slots over.
“Are you sure? I’m fine to go home. I don’t want to intrude on your family time.”
“No way!” Bri exclaims. “Checker’s has the bestest pizza ever! You gotta go!”
“Bestest isn’t a word; it’s just best. And she’s right. It is the best pizza. You really should join us.” I watch as she seems to mentally weight her odds, and I pray they remain in our favor.
“Okay.” Mental fist pump! “I’ll meet you there.”
When we get situated in my car, Payton follows us to the pizzeria in the heart of Jupiter Bay. You can smell the salty air mixed with the scent of tomato, basil, and garlic. The early night is breezy and the waves can be heard off in the distance crashing on the shore. It’s the perfect winter night as the stars shine brightly above our heads. Together, we all make our way into the restaurant.
Once seated at a booth, Bri already begins begging to play some of the arcade games they have set up in a small room off to the side. The dining room has a few other adults seated at tables while their kids are off playing in the game room. It can get loud in here at times, but the atmosphere is fun and relaxed, not to mention delicious pizza that’s not overpriced, which is exactly why so many families come to Checker’s for dinner.
“Can I go play?”
“Wait until after we order. You can play for a few minutes until the pizza is ready, but then you have to come back to the table. No arguing. Got it?” I ask, helping take her jacket off.
“Got it!”
After we order a large thick crust pizza with extra cheese and sausage, garlic breadsticks, and a couple of drinks, Bri takes off into the game room with a handful of quarters.
“She’s a huge fan of the pinball game, even though she can barely reach both sides of the flippers at the same time.” I can’t help but picturing how frustrated she gets when she can’t flip both sides, but refuses to let anyone help her by manning one side of the game.
“She’s adorable.” Payton takes a sip of her diet pop and glances over at the little brunette in the other room.
“She’s ornery. But, she’s also sweet and caring and has me completely enamored with her.” I’m rewarded with a small smile that makes her green eyes shine like brilliant emeralds.
“Tell me about her.” Those words are an invitation to let her in, and I completely relent to the idea.
“Well, I was working at an accounting firm in Ridgewood when I met Brooke. She was a client. We dated for a while, about six months, and everything was fine. Brooke found out she was pregnant, and everything changed. I could feel her slipping away and didn’t have the slightest clue what to do to fix it. She became emotional and completely withdrawn. I was working crazy hours as the newest accountant. They gave me all the late shifts and the most difficult clients. Things weren’t good at home, but I didn’t know what to do.
“When Brielle was just a couple of months old, Brooke left. I saw the writing on the wall when she barely wanted to hold her, refused to breastfeed, and hated to change her diaper. It was so stressful that when she walked out, I felt like I was finally able to breathe.”
“She just left? What kind of woman does that?” Payton’s eyes are wide with shock.
“A woman who isn’t fit to be a mother. And that’s okay. At least I was there to pick up where she left off. Bri will always be loved by me, even if I’m the only parent in the picture.”
“That’s very admirable of you. I’m sure it was difficult.”
“It was downright excruciating at times. Lack of sleep and food will do crazy things to a person. But that stage doesn’t last long. A few months more and she was starting to sleep longer through the night. My mom helped a lot with Bri and making sure I ate and didn’t keel over dead from exhaustion.”
She smiles at me again. God, that smile slays me. “That must be where you get your rule from.”
Nodding my head, I grab my drink and take a sip.
“But, you’re breaking it now,” she hedges.
“I am.” No hesitation.
“Why?” Her eyes are filled with question, and I’m pretty sure she’s holding her breath.
“Because I finally found someone worth breaking the rule for,” I say with the slightest shrug of my shoulder, as if it’s no big deal to throw away every statute I set into place after my failed relationship with Brooke.
After a few moments, she finally says, “I’ve never dated anyone with a kid before.” It’s as if she doesn’t know what to do about this development.
“Does that bother you? That I have a kid?”
