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“No idea, but Leslie said there’s going to be a big pizza party to explain what’s going to happen.”
I pulled into the driveway and considered what my son had said. If they already had a date set for the party, that meant they at least had an idea of who could step in and take over. Cole exited the car while I hung back and took inventory of my yard.
When I had left to run errands that morning, gold and orange leaves were scattered everywhere with no end in sight. Cole and I had both delayed grabbing a rake to start the cleanup because we knew it was going to take a few hours. With sports, school, and Bella’s dance classes, there just wasn’t much time to attack it, but now a patchy green floor was showing with only a few leaves scattered here and there.
Someone had raked my yard while I was out. I spun in a circle with my stare narrowed on the lush grass beneath. It wasn’t cut or anything else that would indicate that a landscaping company had accidently gotten my house mixed up with someone else’s, just neatly raked, the leaves eradicated from my property.
Stomping toward the house, I left the yard and its confusion behind. I had enough to deal with. If someone wanted to secret-Santa me a clean yard, they could have at it. Once I was inside, I texted Shay to ask if she’d been the one to clean it. I did the same with Gloria, asking if Gary had been by.
Both of them texted back saying they hadn’t.
I let it go; there were other things to consume my mind.
“Cole, we need to get Bell in an hour, so do your homework.” I toed off my shoes and headed toward the kitchen to start dinner. I got lost in food prep, thinking over this new coach situation and how on earth we were going to adjust to whoever it was who’d be taking over. My poor son was going through so much change lately; I just wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and protect him forever.
“Hey Cole, do you think you’d want to go to a sleepover at Gary and Gloria’s this weekend? They invited us to stargaze with them.”
Cole popped his head into the kitchen, his smile a mile wide.
“Yeah, that would be awesome! Maybe Ryan will call while we’re there.”
Or maybe I’d grow up and finally tell my children what was really going on. Maybe Gloria and Gary had some tips on how I could break the news to the kids without them feeling too abandoned. I hated that Ryan hadn’t considered how horrible this separation was going to be for the kids. I understood that he didn’t have kids and didn’t understand entirely how they worked, but any decent human would realize how painful this whole thing must be, right?
“Maybe.” I smiled, finishing the dinner prep and heading toward the door. “Let’s go get Bell.”
* * *
“Look straight up,”Gary said, tilting the telescope.
“I still don’t see it.” Cole was attempting to spot a specific constellation.
Gary had done everything to help him, but my son just wasn’t seeing the constellation Cetus. Throw blankets were tossed around like confetti along with large pillows, and even a few of the outdoor patio chairs had been brought over. Gloria was snuggled under a few blankets with Belle while the boys took turns watching the sky. I was content to lie on my back, my ankles crossed, watching the diamond-white specks blink against the velvet dome.
I felt safe whenever I was with Gloria and Gary, as if I’d been the one to grow up under their roof, having them check my homework and sit down at dinner with me each night. I knew it was stupid, but sometimes I’d even imagine what it would have been like to have a father walk me down the staircase when my prom date showed up. Those thoughts always volleyed back to Ryan somehow; I’d wonder if he’d had a prom date and what she had looked like. I’d think over what his parents had been like to his previous girlfriends, and my stomach would sour.
“I think it might be time to head inside. It’s getting too chilly for Baby Belle.” Gloria rubbed the lump of blankets next to her. “We all need a round of hot cocoa.” She didn’t have to tell me twice. I craved a nice fire to warm my freezing digits, but the light would have messed with being able to see the stars.
I bent down, grabbing bundles of cuddly softness while my kids prattled on about stars and marshmallows. I couldn’t see much as I ambled toward the French doors leading into the living room, so when I ran into something solid, I tripped back a few steps.
“Whoa.” A set of hands were gripping my elbows to steady me, but that voice had already sent me over a metaphorical cliff. “Need some help?” Ryan gently asked, laughter lining his voice. I knew without seeing his face he’d be smiling that heart-stopping grin that always made my stomach flip.
“No, I’m okay,” I said, letting the cushions muffle my voice. I didn’t want him to remove an inch of our blockade, so I sidestepped him and continued toward the living room. I could hear Gloria asking questions and Cole squealing for joy in the background. My heart hammered in my chest, wishing I could teleport my children out of here so they wouldn’t be dealt any more heartache, but we were stuck.
Arranging and folding the blankets only delayed the arrival of everyone spilling into the living room by a few minutes. I kept my face stoic, totally frozen while I ignored the man I felt was barging in somewhere he wasn’t welcome. Sure, it was his parents’ home, and yes, he had technically bought it for them, but Gary and Gloria were ours too.
“What on earth are you doing here?” I heard Gloria gasp from her spot near the door. I refused to turn around and see that Ryan had scooped Bella up in his arms, or that Cole was near him, beaming brightly. I couldn’t do it.
“Sorry to just intrude…I drove down and wanted to see you,” Ryan explained easily.
“What about your new movie in Brazil?” Cole asked, and I found myself needing to see Ryan’s response to his question.
Ryan’s face paled. I was right about him having Bella in his arms, and Cole was smiling eagerly near his hip while Gary frowned off to the side. I flicked my irritable gaze toward Gloria and found her eyes downcast, her lips thinned. It made me feel marginally better that they hadn’t know about Ryan showing up here. If they had and hadn’t given us any warning, it would have been difficult on our relationship.
“Well…”
“Isn’t that where you’ve been? How come you and Mom haven’t hugged yet?” Cole turned toward me with a raised eyebrow, his left eye going low.
Oh shit.
