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“Yeah, we’ll get something to eat, but I’m sure Clay has to get going,” I say without looking him in the eye.
“Pizza sounds great,” Clay replies, and I glance up to meet his gaze for a moment.
“You really don’t have to—”
“Why don’t you order some food, and I’ll take him to redeem his tickets?”
I glance over to the prize center, clear on the opposite side of the large room where the food counter is. Anxiety crawls up my spine at the idea of being unable to see Jack.
Then Clay touches my arm. “I’ll watch him. He’ll be fine,” he says as if reading my mind.
“Stay by Clay,” I tell my son as I stand up.
He’s barely even listening as he gathers up his tickets and nods at the man standing next to him. “Let’s go!”
I shoot Clay one more expression of gratitude before heading in the opposite direction.
A few minutes later, I return to the table with a soda cup for Jack and a pitcher of beer for me and Clay. The two of them are sorting through the candy Jack won, and when I catch him trying to hide the already-emptied wrappers, I glare at Clay.
“Normally, we eat dinner before we have candy.”
“Oops,” Clay replies with a mouthful of chocolate, which makes Jack giggle like crazy.
While Jack fills his soda cup at the drink station, I pour two glasses of beer for Clay and me.
“Thanks,” he mutters as he takes one.
“So…” I say to fill the awkward silence. “How have you been?”
When he lifts his gaze to my face, I can tell it is the wrong thing to ask. “Better,” he mumbles in a low, angry tone.
I glance down at my beer and let the shame wash over me.Betterimplies there was a time when he was bad.
“Well, I hope you understand why I couldn’t tell you about him.”
“And yet, here I am,” he mutters over the rim of his glass.
“If you want me to apologize for putting my son first, I won’t.”
“I never asked to be first,” he replies spitefully.
“You have no idea what we’ve been through, Clay,” I reply angrily.
“You’re right. I don’t. Because you wouldn’t tell me, Eden.” He bites out my name like an insult.
“I was the one who tried—”
“I got Dr Pepper!” Jack chirps as he sets down his soda and climbs onto the bench beside me. I quickly close my mouth and pray that he didn’t overhear anything.
“Good choice,” Clay says with a smile, putting his fist out for Jack to bump it.
A moment later, one of the employees brings our pizza and some plates. The three of us dig in, and the two of them spend the entire meal chatting. Jack tells Clay about school, and then he gets him on the topic of theGalaxy Warriors, and Jack doesn’t stop. I must admit Clay does a great job showing enthusiasm throughout the entire conversation. He never treats Jack like a kid but talks to him like an equal, and I love that.
Before the pizza is gone, I already know this isn’t going to be a one-time thing. Jack is already getting attached to the idea of Clay, a grown man who shows him attention and interest in the things he cares about. Where else does my son get that aside from me? Ronan is too busy with his own family, and even before, he wasn’t really the video game,Galaxy Warriorstype of guy. Even though I know he’d be whatever Jack wanted him to be.
“You’re on a baseball team?” Clay asks.
Jack nods, with his lips around the straw of his soda. “Yep! I play first base.”
