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“Thanks, Mom,” he says as he joins his brother back on the couch.
Mom.
No matter how many times I hear it from Archer’s mouth, it still causes my heart to skip a beat. While I can never claim to be the one to birth him, I’ll always be proud at being called his mom.
After the custody battle when Archer was eight, we haven’t heard from Jessica. Last thing I knew, she’d sold her house and moved out of state. I think everyone wished they knew what had been going through her mind when she abandoned her family, only to try and get some of it back.
But, as bad as it had been, it is what led to this life we have today. And for that, I can’t complain.
“How does two pepperoni pizzas sound?” I call out from the kitchen as I look around for the phone number to the pizzeria closest to us.
“Amazing,” Archer calls back.
Jared joins me in the kitchen while I’m digging through a drawer.
“Let me, gorgeous” he says as he comes up behind me, putting his hands on my waist and lightly moving me away. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“I’m pregnant, not handicapped,” I say, but still settle myself on a kitchen stool.
“You know how much I enjoy taking care of you,” he tells me earnestly, and I can’t help the flutter in my chest at how true that statement is.
“Maybe I should be taking care of you, Grandpa,” I tease, and I watch in amusement as Jared’s eyes darken.
In one stride, he’s standing in front of me, giving my stool a small turn, so he can position himself between my legs. He lets his head drop down as he grabs my face between his hands.
“Don’t you forget what this grandpa can do to you,” he says, emphasizing his point by letting one of his hands drop down to rest on my swollen stomach.
What I would do to be able to take him right now.
My voice, sounding breathy at how worked up I am, manages to say, “Why don’t you order that pizza before Archer starves?”
He continues looking at me a moment longer before pressing a quick kiss to my forehead and going back to looking for the phone number to the pizzeria, as if he hadn’t just caused a fire alarm in my panties.
While we wait for the food, Jared and I join Archer and Tyson on the couch. Jared doesn’t hesitate to pick up Tyson and set him in his lap.
“What if we all picked something to watch as a family?” he asks, earning an annoyed groan from Archer.
“I’m watching something already,” Archer says, gesturing to whatever action movie he has playing on the TV.
Jared looks over at me, and we share a knowing look. As much as it may be taxing at times, the both of us are highly amused by a teenage Archer. It seems like only yesterday that he’d have one hand clutching a toy and the other in his father’s.
“What about it, Tyson? How does a family movie sound?” Jared asks, nuzzling his nose against the side of the boy’s head.
“Movie?” Tyson asks, a brief look of confusion on his face before he breaks out into laughter, clapping his hands together.
“At least let me finish this one,” Archer grumbles, settling deeper into the cushions.
By the time the movie is ending, the doorbell rings, signaling the pizza’s here.
“I got it,” Jared says, gently setting Tyson back onto the couch as he gets up to grab our dinner.
Once he’s brought it inside, Archer wastes no time shooting up from the couch to go eat. I carry Tyson over to the dinner table with me, where Jared has set the pizza and plates.
“Dig in,” Jared says, but Archer is already pulling two slices from a box before Jared can even get the words out.
Dinner with my family has been an important part of my life. Keeping that up with my own little family always puts a smile on my face. Sitting at the dinner table and hearing about everyone’s day is the perfect way to wind down.
“Well, that was delicious,” Archer says as he stands from the table with his plate.
