Page 82 of Single Mom's Guide to Love

She playfully bumps me with her shoulder. “So did I. And this is perfect.”

“Take that!” Jayce yells as he starts to figure out the mechanics of the game.

“I remember when this first came out,” Maeve said. “I don’t think my brother played anything else for months.”

“Did you play it when you were little, Logan?”

“A bit…” I don’t want to admit that it wasn’t as popular when I started playing games because of how long before it had come out. Luckily for me, my wife makes the crack instead.

“He was too young,” Maeve said, giving me a wink.

“Really?” Jayce says without taking his eyes off the game. “How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-nine,” I say while simultaneously wondering how good Jayce is at math and figuring out that his mum has a few years on me.

“You’re younger than Mom,” he says immediately. “But you’re older than Vivian. She’s twenty-four. I asked when we were on our trip, but I think she was lying. She looks old.”

Both Maeve and I do everything in our power not to snort laugh.

“What do you think old is?” I ask, now needing to know more of what’s going on in this kid’s head.

“Hmmm,” he thinks about it for a second, but doesn’t stop playing the game. “Thirty.”

“Jayce!” Maeve gasps. “You know I’m thirty-six, right?”

“Yeah,” he says. “But all moms are old so it doesn’t count.”

I laugh as Maeve just shakes her head.

“Thanks, I guess,” she says. “Hey! Watch out for the bad guys!”

“Let me help you out,” I say, moving to stand behind him as I put my hands over his, making sure to show him what I’m going to do. “Keep pushing this button. Faster! Now…power up! Yes! Brilliant!”

Before I know it, I’ve moved on to another set of controls, Jayce and I playing in tandem with one of the most classic arcade games ever made.

God, what I would’ve done for this as a kid. I mean, an arcade would’ve been great, but there were none around me. And no money, even so. But just to have a friend to play games with, it would’ve been the best escape. Not just sitting in my room alone, trying to drown out the noise with headphones, pretending that I was anywhere but there.

“Logan! We did it! We won!”

Holy shit, we did. “Heck yeah, buddy!”

I was barely prepared as Jayce somehow jumps into my hold, his tiny arms squeezing my neck. I hug him back, and that’s when I see Maeve. She’s standing next to the game, leaning against it, biting her lower lip, and if I wasn’t mistaken, her eyes are maybe a bit watery. Is she crying?

“Are you okay?” I whisper.

She nods. “Thank you.”

I don’t know what exactly she’s thanking me for, but I want to thank her too. Because I want another day like this.

I want a hundred days like this.

With them.

The family that’s able to find the calm in the chaos.

guide to love rule #90

Flowers are nice. Jewelry is fine. But a man who sends you dinner? He’s a keeper.

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