Page 26 of Loved By You

“Hi, I'm Jack. I'm friends with your mommy. Is she here?”

In the distance I can hear Ria shouting as she comes towards the door “Lexi, what have I told you about opening the door? Iwas just getting your sister in the highchair…” She stops, eyes wide. “Jack? What are you doing here?”

I rise up, still holding the tiny dog, and smile. “I just wanted to check in and see how you were.” I hesitate, wondering if I’ve done the right thing. “Is now a bad time?”

Before she can answer, Lexi speaks, “No, it's a great time. We are going to watchCinderella. Mommy got popcorn and M&M's and she never lets me have M&M's, but she's got me some today. Do you want some?” She rambles without taking a breath. Looking up at me with big ocean blue eyes that are just like Ria’s, there's no way I can say no to her.

“Sure, if that's okay with your mom.” My eyes avert to Ria, who is worrying her bottom lip in that adorable way she does when she’s thinking.

“Erm, sure, come in.” She runs a hand across her forehead. “Please excuse the mess.”

I smile, stepping into her narrow hall, shutting the door before I kick my shoes off and set Nugget down. He follows Lexi into a room and I follow Ria.

We round a corner into the kitchen. Farmhouse-style cabinets give the small space a cozy, homely vibe. I notice a vase of yellow roses in the window, her favorite flower if I remember correctly, and a fruity scent fills the air. I hear a little squeal and turn my head to a baby in a highchair, clapping her hands as Ria smiles at her.

“Sorry, I'm just giving Elle a snack before she has a nap. I'll feed her and then get you a coffee.” She takes out a pink bowl from the microwave, stirring and blowing on the food. It smells like apples and berries. Elle’s eyes light up, waving her chubby little arms around and licking her lips.

“It's too hot, baby. One sec,” Ria says gently.

She pulls up a stool in front of the highchair and checks the temperature of the food before giving it to Elle. I can't help butscan her body and notice the way her black leggings hug her petite legs as she leans over to spoon-feed Elle. This is a side of Ria I haven't seen. Ria as a mom. Her hair is in a messy bun, with stray hairs falling, framing her delicate features. She’s make-up free, but she has never looked more beautiful and I can't help but look at her and smile.

An unfamiliar feeling erupts in my stomach, taking me off guard.Are those butterflies?

“I can make the coffee, just show me where everything is,” I tell her. She looks surprised by my offer but points to her coffee machine and the drawer underneath.

I find what I need and work out how the machine works to make us both a caramel latte and by the time I've placed them on the kitchen counter, Elle has finished her bowl of whatever mashed food Ria fed her and is now nibbling away on a rice cake.

“Thanks.” She yawns, taking the coffee from my hand. “Sorry, the girls had me up early today. I'm gonna need another three of these to make it to bedtime.”

“No problem.” I pause, unsure how to explain why I’m here. “I'm sorry for just turning up, but I figured after what happened, you would find a reason not to let me come over if I asked.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she says with a smirk as she sips her coffee.

I pull up a stool so I'm on the opposite side of her small kitchen island and set down my cup. Nerves flood my body as I prepare to say what I came here to say. “Ri, I don't want to make things weird between us. I know you have a ton of stuff going on right now, so I understand your priority is all of this and your girls.” I gesture with my hands around the room.

She gives me a small smile.

“So maybe, for now, we could be friends. Just friends. I want to be there for you, Ri, in any way you’ll let me. You need milk, you call me. You got a flat tire, I'll come change it. You want takeout and a game of Scrabble, I'm your guy.” I point to my chest.

She laughs, tilting her head. “You play Scrabble?”

“I do. As a matter of fact, I’ll have you know that on our tour of Afghanistan in 2011, I was the Scrabble champion of Camp Bastion.” Folding my arms across my chest, making my arm muscles flex, I don’t miss how she tracks the movement. I might be agreeing to just be friends, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun too; still be playful like we have always been.

“So, do we have a deal? What happened at the club is forgotten?”

Should you ever want to explore whatever that was that happened back there, you let me know,is what I want to say, but, instead I tell her, “I'm your friend before anything else, okay?”

She looks at me like I've just said everything she needs to hear. “Deal.” She nods, reaching out to clink her coffee mug with mine, and the way her entire face lights up has me transfixed.

The moment of silence is broken by Lexi shouting. “Mommy, can we watch the movie?”

“No rest for the wicked,” she sighs. “Yes, baby, but I need to put Elle down for her nap then we can, okay?”

“Ugh, okay.” Lexi’s disappointment is apparent, despite her being in another room.

Ri laughs, getting up to pick Elle out of her highchair, kissing the top of her head. “You’re welcome to stay and watch the movie with us, but I get it if that's not your thing—”

Without hesitation, I answer, “Yeah, I'd love to stay,” because truthfully, I’d watch all the princess movies if it meant spending time with her.

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