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James cupped his little hands over his mouth. “Oh, no! I forgot!”
“Well, go get ’em.” I lightly smacked his behind to nudge him toward the stairs. “Get your socks, too. I’ll help you put them on.”
He scrambled up the stairs, calling, “I can do it by myself!” as he hurried to his room.
I waited in silence until I heard the hard thumps of small feet coming back down, this time with a pair of socks on and two shoes in his hands. James parked himself on the last step and shoved each foot into a shoe, tugging at the Velcro straps until they were halfway on the other side of the Velcro. It definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was done all right.
“Nice job, bud. Want me to fix that for you?”
James shook his head. “I can do it.”
“Yeah, you can. Good job. Can I get a high five?”
James ran over to the couch and leaped up to slap my hand despite it being not far from eye level. When he crouched and clutched his hands into fists triumphantly, I laughed and tousled his hair.
“You’re goofy.”
James retained his pinched face but loosened up his fists. “No, you’re goofy.”
“What?” I feigned a hurt look. “Well, I made you, so that means you’re goofy, too.”
“Nu-uh!”
“All right.” Darlene’s voice echoed from the top of the stairs. “That’s enough.” When she made it back down, she was wearing a light-pink blouse with dark jeans. I always used to admire how good she looked, even after having a kid, so it surprised me that I didn’t think much about it now.
“Nice shirt,” I said. “You look nice.”
She smiled warmly and accepted her coffee from the coaster. “Thanks.” When she took a sip, she cringed and almost recoiled from the cup, but even at arm’s length, it went with her back into the kitchen.
The microwave hummed in the background, and after a few moments, Darlene returned with a steaming cup of reheated coffee. I finished mine and waited until she finished hers before she rushed me and James out the door.
Darlene set up the car seat in the rear seat of my truck, and James buckled himself in. I got into the driver’s seat and realized how independent he was already becoming. It was crazy to me how easily I’d overlooked his growth, his changes, and part of that reality hurt.
“Did you eat breakfast?” I asked him, realizing I hadn’t had anything either.
“They eat it at school,” Darlene said.
I looked over my shoulder and had to crane my neck to see James behind me. “What do they give you at school?”
“I dunno,” he said, his attention on the goings-on out the window. I wondered what he could even see from his vantage point. I doubted he saw the road or anyone walking, but it didn’t feel worth it to ask.
“I meant what I said,” Darlene said with a glance at me. I didn’t know how to respond, but she seemed to sense my unspoken question. “Last night. I wanted you to stay so you could see James. Because I do want to make it work. I don’t want to put up walls anymore.”
I nodded in understanding. “Me too. And thank you.” The car fell silent again. “I didn’t see Duke this morning.”
“He left early this morning. I think things will be okay. But he said he’s looking at a few job prospects today.”
“He works?”
Darlene smacked my arm. “Ha. Ha.I’ll let you know when I think that’s funny.”
I shifted so the seat belt wasn’t up against my neck. “Well, I hope he finds what he’s looking for. Let me know if I can do anything.”
Her smile warmed my heart. “Thank you, Ryan.”
We talked a little about how long it would take me to close on a house, what I’d need to move in, and how we’d manage custody until then. Before I knew it, he’d be grown and ready to work. Maybe I’d teach him some landscaping, but I didn’t broach that topic. Too much, too soon.
I pulled up next to Darlene’s car, and James and I shared a long hug goodbye before he got in with her. When he started to cry, for the first time, I had an answer to his fears.
