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Mandy opened her mouth, apparently readying to say more, but we suddenly heard the front door open.
“Hello, hello!” Jason called out. “Anybody home?”
“We’re in the dining room, hon!” Mandy replied.
“Uncle Jason!” Henry squealed. I heard his little feet pound across the floor as he made his way to the front of the house. “I taught Rolo a trick! You want to see?”
“You did?” Jason exclaimed in exaggerated awe. “Of course I want to see it! Let me just go say hi to Mandy and your mom first, all right?”
“Okay!” Henry said.
I grinned. There was so much joy in that kid, I wasn’t sure how his little body could contain it. What if Ryan came in and stole that joy from him? What if he broke Henry’s heart like he’d broken mine?
I couldn’t let that happen. I had to protect my little boy, no matter what.
Jason rounded the corner of the open doorway and came to a stop just inside the room. He let out an impressed whistle as he scanned the table, which was full of perfectly prepared favors.
“Wow.” He grinned, his smile filled with pride. “You ladies have been busy. The table is almost useable again!”
Mandy rolled her eyes as she crossed the room to him. “You stop that now. These favors are important, and thanks to Sam, they’re perfect.”
“You’re the one with the vision,” I told her. “I’m just an extra pair of hands.”
Mandy and Jason shared a sweet kiss and a hello.
“How was your day?” she asked, turning back to join me at the table again.
Jason shrugged. “Quiet. Had a few case files to go over, but nothing too serious.”
“Uncle Jason!” Henry shouted from the next room over. “Come see Rolo’s trick!”
Jason grinned and winked at me. “Uncle-duty calls.”
He strolled back out of the dining room to find Henry, and a few moments later, I heard him applauding and praising Henry as my son laughed in delight.
For some reason, at that tender moment, I thought of Ryan.
What would he be like with Henry?
He’d always been the boy’s father, but I’d never really thought of him as a dad. Would he be strict and stoic, like the man Mandy had described, or would he be warm and funny, like the one I remembered?
Gulping, I shook my head, hoping that would dislodge the treacherous thoughts from my head.
“I’m going to order some pizzas,” Mandy said, yanking me out of my thoughts. “You and Henry are staying for dinner, right?”
It took me a moment to comprehend what she was asking, but after a few seconds, I nodded.
“Uh. yeah! We’re staying. Thanks.”
She smiled and nodded. “Great! I’ll go find my phone and call the order in. Be right back.”
I watched her go, and when I was alone in the dining room, I let out a deep breath.
I needed to pull it together, and I needed to stop thinking about Ryan.
I didn’t want to give him that power over me or my mind.
As I stood there, I grew determined not to think of him and to put all my focus on Henry and the wedding over the next few days.
