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In her floral dress and with her hair in loose waves around her shoulders, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. As far as I was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman at the amusement park, and I had seen a few of the men glancing her way. Thankfully, whenever they did, I stared back until they glanced away.
I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of our day together.
“Can I go in the bouncy castle?” Jimmy stood up, his eyes darting around the amusement park, his eyes wide with excitement. “Please, mom. I’ll clean up my whole room by myself.”
Martha stood up and began to gather the empty cups and containers. “Sure, but you have to be careful, okay? And don’t jump too high. Remember when you fell down and cut your lip last time.”
Jimmy pulled a face. “It won’t happen again, mom. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Wordlessly, I helped Martha clear up the table and carried the empty boxes and containers to the nearest bin. Then I led them in the direction of the bouncy castle, already filled with kids shrieking with joy as they jumped up and down. Jimmy took off, and I came to stand on the other side of the enclosure next to Martha.
“He’s a really good kid. You did such a good job with him.”
Martha linked her fingers together, her eyes never leaving him. “Honestly? I’m not even sure how I did it sometimes. I still remember how hard it is.”
“I’m glad you had Anne.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.”
“I wish I could’ve been there.” I saw Jimmy jump onto the castle, his arms flailing on either side of him. His entire face was lit up in joy, and he was laughing along with the other kids. “I don’t want to miss out on anything else.”
Martha cast a quick glance in my direction. “I hope you don’t.”
“I don’t plan on it.” I brushed my hand against hers and waited. Martha sighed and brought her head to rest against my shoulders. “We should do this more often.”
“I’d like that.”
In silence, we watched our son, and I tried to remember when I last felt this happy. By the time Jimmy came back, red-faced and still bursting with energy, we were still standing next to each other. I turned to look at them, and clapped my hands together.
“You know, I just moved to this beautiful apartment, and I’ve got a lot of toys already. How would you feel about coming to my apartment to play?”
Jimmy’s face lit up further, and he grabbed his mom’s arm. “Can we go? Can we, please, mommy?”
Martha looked down at Jimmy and back up at me. She frowned and glanced back at Jimmy. “It’s getting kind of late, sweetheart, and I’m sure Albin has a lot of things he has to do.”
“I really don’t.”
“Some other time,” Martha insisted without looking at me. “Why don’t you go on one more ride before we leave?”
Jimmy’s expression deflated as he trudged away in the direction of a video game. Martha followed after him, studiously avoiding my gaze. Disappointment had settled into the pit of my stomach, but I tried to ignore it. I hadn’t meant to push hard, but inviting them over had seemed like the natural thing to do.
But I was disappointed that Martha was keeping me at arm’s length.
“I’m sorry,” Martha offered as we came to stand behind Jimmy to watch him play. “It’s too soon.”
I cleared my throat. “It’s okay. I can still take you guys to dinner, though, right?”
“We would love that.” Martha placed a hand on top of Jimmy’s head and smiled. “Wouldn’t we, sweetheart?”
“Can I choose where we get to eat?”
“You bet, buddy. Wherever you want.”
Chapter 21
Martha
“Why didn’t you agree if you’re upset about it?”
