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She was thrilled that Max finally had a father in his life, but did he have to be so excited about spending the night with him? Glancing at him, she couldn’t help but smile. Max was practically vibrating with excitement. Jeff was going to have his hands full tonight.
“Yes, you’re staying all night just like we agreed.” She rubbed the top of his head. “Now have a seat and eat your snack, otherwise your dad will think he has a hyena staying with him instead of a little boy.”
Max giggled. “Oh Mom.” He slid onto the chair and pulled his plate of apple slices and cheese string closer to him. The apple crunched as he took a bite. “Do you think he’s excited for me to come over?”
“Swallow before you talk, bud. No one wants to see your food.”
“But do ya?”
“Yes, sweetie, I think he’s super excited to have you sleep over.”
He threw another chunk of apple into his mouth and chewed rapidly. “When’s he comin’?”
How many times had he asked this question today already? “He should be here in less than half an hour. So just enough time for you to eat your snack and brush your teeth.”
Max ripped open his cheese string and instead of pulling it apart like he normally did, he took a huge bite.
“Max, relax, you’ve got time. You don’t need to inhale your food. If you aren’t ready when he gets here, he’ll wait.”
“But I gotta be ready. You said it’s rude to make people wait. If you make plans, you should care enough to be on time.” He shoved another bite of cheese into his mouth.
Well crap. That little life lesson had seemed like a good idea and now it was biting her in the ass. “That’s true, but he’s your dad, so it’s a bit different. It’s like when I say put your shoes on and you want to finish what you’re doing. You still do it fast, but sometimes I have to wait a minute before you get your butt in gear.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Kay, but I shouldn’t make him wait cuz it’s still rude, right?”
“Yeah, it’s still rude.”
Max placed two slices of apple together into one big piece and bit them both in half. He grinned at her, and a piece of apple poked out of the hole where his teeth were missing. He smiled wider and pushed the piece back in his mouth through the hole. His eyes sparkled mischievously.
“Max, seriously, manners, dude.”
He giggled and pushed the last two bites of apple into his mouth.
The doorbell rang, and Max let out an ungodly squeal. “I’m not ready.” He jumped off his chair and raced toward the bathroom. “I gotta brush my teeth.”
“Max, relax, he’ll wait.” Kia shook her head as she walked toward the front door. With her hand on the doorknob, she took one steadying breath, then pulled it open.
“Hey.” Jeff smiled. “What was all the commotion?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re early, and Max isn’t quite ready. So I was given specific instructions to make sure you wait for him.”
Jeff laughed. “Where else am I gonna go?”
“Who knows?” She gestured for him to come inside. “He’s super excited about this sleepover.”
“Me too.” Jeff stuck one hand in the pockets of his jeans, his other held a small paper bag. “I’m glad he’s excited. I was a little nervous he’d change his mind.”
“God, no. He’s been talking about this nonstop.” She glanced down the hallway when she saw a streak as Max dashed from the bathroom to his bedroom.
“Wow, he can really move.”
Kia sucked in a breath when she looked at him. The way his eyes sparkled with amusement looked exactly the same as Max’s did. Before this moment, she hadn’t realized just how similar they looked. Previously, she’d always seen herself in everything Max did.
“You okay?” Jeff stepped toward her.
“Yeah, of course.” She waved him off. “What’s in the bag?”
Jeff glanced down at his hand and held out the bag to her. “It’s for you. I don’t know. I figured tonight might be hard for you and I wanted to let you know I’d be thinking of you so—”
