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“Are you and Mom back together?” he asks, taking the guesswork off our shoulders on how to approach that.
“We are. Is that okay?” I take over the conversation worried that he might be upset about this. I mean, sure, it was a thought, but nothing huge or astronomical.
“That’s good. My friend Ricky told me his mom and dad act like you two did when we were at the pool. They aren’t married either, but that doesn’t stop them from kissing all the time.” Von scrunches his nose like the thought of seeing that happen would make him grossed out.
“Well, bud, if things go the way your mom and I hope, we’d like to be married again,” Mace tells Von, who does nothing but shrug his shoulders, head tipping down, and not giving us his eyes.
“Von, baby, come here,” I say softly. He gets off the floor, body slumping forward. A look crosses Mace’s face, as if he thinks he might be messing up again. He may know me better than I know myself at times, but his facial expressions tell me everything, which is weird since he’s a lawyer. At home is when that professional shield gives way, the hard-ass man who always makes sure his clients get the best deal doesn’t live in our house. I was always thankful for Mace in that way, even when things were falling by the wayside and he locked himself in the office for hours on end. That’s where he was the lawyer, not the husband or father. Those were reserved for us, even on the rarest of occasions.
“You’re breaking my heart, kiddo,” Mace tells him once he’s close, picking him up to sit on his lap. Von’s arms instantly go around his neck, hugging him tight like he’s a life saver in choppy waters.
“I just… I just want my mommy and daddy.” A sob takes hold of his little body, tears pouring out of his eyes. Mace brings me closer so we’re both being held by his muscled arms and warm body. “And to be back together and happy.”
“That’s what we’re going to be, Von, I promise you,” Mace vows as he kisses his head. Von’s hold gets tighter around his neck.
“Hey, is there some room in there for me?” I ask, wiggling into their bodies so I’m closer to Von’s and letting him see the tears streaming down my face. Our boy, who’s so strong, is struggling with so many emotions, I want to let him know it’s okay to cry, it’s alright to have a moment to worry, to have hopes and dreams.
“Yes.” His voice croaks from the tears. I snuggle in further. Mace still hasn’t let us go; if anything, he’s holding us tightly to his chest while we get it out.
“You know we love you so very much. Daddy and I love each other, too. We’ve been working on this together. Daddy isn’t working as much, he’s around more, and Mommy is talking to Daddy more. We want us to be a family again. I know this is a lot right now.” I take a deep breath, my fingers curling around his that are holding on to Mace’s shirt. “You’re allowed to be happy and sad at the same time, okay?”
“Okay. Does this mean we’re going to keep having separate apartments?” he asks. Mace and I didn’t talk about logistics like this, so I have no idea how to handle that.
“Nope, I’m going to move in here. Think you can help me pack up our clothes?” Von and I pull away from Mace’s chest. I cock my head to the side, silently asking where and how the hell this is going to work. His smile says it all. It doesn’t matter as long as we come out together in the end.
“Tonight?” Von has calmed down, the emotion flipped easily, this time to contentment.
“Nah, I think tonight we’ll hang out on the couch, watch a movie, eat our weight in ice cream, and relax. Does that sound like a good idea or what?” Rules to having a child when you want to do what you want to do: don’t give them a question to answer, make it sound fun, and that’s all it takes.
“The best. Thanks, Mom and Dad.” He wraps one arm around Mace’s neck and the other around mine. It’s been so long since this feeling of completeness has surrounded our family. A sigh of relief leaves me knowing we made it to the other side.
THIRTY-ONE
Tyra
“Von,move your tush. Daddy’s at work, and they need food.” I woke up this morning to an empty bed, but I knew the reason why. It still didn’t stop me from reaching for Mace, hoping like hell that he was still there beside me. My hand came up empty of his warm body, but the text he left on my phone was all I needed when I didn’t even know I did.
Mace: Good morning, siren. You didn’t move this morning when I left. Same with Von. You two could sleep through anything. I should be home by noon. Don’t have too much fun without me.
Me: It would have been a better morning if you’d woken up with me. Next time.
Mace: I love you, siren. Tell Von I’ll be home as soon as I can and it’s a swim date.
Me: Get to work, slacker. We’ll see you soon <3
It’s the day after we told Von that we’re back to being a family, this time forever. I talked to Mace. We were all wrung out after that emotional overload, and he suggested that Von take a day off school. He’d work for a little while this morning and then head back home seeing as I have today off as well. That text came earlier this morning. The one I just got was telling me things were running late. The furniture delivery was supposed to be at the law firm at nine o’clock this morning; it’s now closer to eleven, and he’s still stuck there. That’s when a plan formed.
“I’m coming! I was getting my shoes on,” Von bellows back. I’m ready, keys, purse, and phone in hand, placing an order that will surely feed Mace plus all his employees.
“Chop, chop! If the food gets there before we do, the surprise will be ruined.” I explained to Von that Mace had to work longer than he originally expected and that he may not be home to go swimming this afternoon. Truth be told, we were both bummed until I suggested we do something for the man who has done so much for us. He’s bent over backwards, proving that work won’t come between our family again, dealing with my rollercoaster of emotions as well as Vons. And don’t think I didn’t notice the dark circles underneath Mace’s eyes. The time has come for me to pony up. If that means bringing them lunch and helping unpack boxes on our day of Von playing hooky, along with my day off, so freaking be it.
“Okay, I’m ready. Is it okay if I bring my iPad?” Von already has it in his hand. I was going to tell him to just in case he gets bored anyways; not like he wouldn’t put that cute bottom lip of his to work either. The boy has master manipulation down to a science. Thankfully, it’s not a devious way, or we’d be stopping that shit in its tracks.
“You can. Lunch first, help out where you can, and then it’s all yours. Hopefully, if we help Daddy, he can get back faster. That way, we can go swimming,” I barter, like any good mom does.
“Okay, I’m ready, then. I’m bringing Daddy the drawing I did this morning. Think he’ll like it?” Von asks, showing me what he drew. Wouldn’t you know it? It’s a dinosaur, three to be accurate.
“I know he’ll love it. If you’ll remind me the next time we go to the home store, we’ll get a frame so he can display it.” I ruffle his hair. Something I’ve noticed since yesterday is that he’s dropped theMomandDad. We’ve beenMommyandDaddyfor the past twenty-four hours. I’m not sure if it’s because he feels more secure in our family fold than he has in the past year, but I’m going to take it.
