Page 50 of The Ex Next Door
Declan:
Don’t you dare. I like you just the way you are.
“Either way, I put the picture in his head. And I got him all revved up for you,” Bianca said. “You are welcome.”
“Thank you,” Amy said. “You’re right. His reaction is exactly what I wanted to know.”
It wasn’t what Bianca assumed, however. Amy wanted to know whether Declan still remembered her.
And he did.
* * *
Late that afternoon, Mom and Lou arrived to babysit.
“Grandma!” Both kids ran to greet them.
“I brought a movie!” Lou held up a DVD.
“Oh,” Amy said. “I don’t have a player. But I bet you can get that movie on the streaming network.”
“I tried to tell you,” Mom said.
“What are we supposed to do with all these movies,” Lou said. “Nobody wants them.”
“Donate them to the library,” Amy said.
She strolled into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup when her cell phone rang. It was Rob.
“Can I have the kids this weekend? I know it’s not my weekend but since I had to cut our week short, I thought maybe you’d be okay with it.”
Normally this might upset Amy, because Rob always expected her to rearrange everything to suit his schedule. Since separating, he frequently reminded her that heworkedso they would have to adjust to his schedule. Her plans, then, weren’t as important because they were easily rearranged. It was disrespectful of her time as if because she didn’t earn a wage it meant she didn’t do anything significant. But on the other hand, if she wanted to encourage him to show up on time and have a relationship with the kids, she should work with him when possible. This was one of the many items they’d gone over with the mediator.
“You may not love each other anymore,” the mediator had said, “but you both love the same two children. Takeyourself out of the equation. If it’s good for the child, be big enough to allow it. Children’s needs are first, make yours second whenever possible.”
“That’s okay with me.”
“Thanks, Ames! You’re the best.” Rob’s voice lowered. “And I know we said we’d talk about this…um, when the time came. I wanted you to know that they’re going to meet someone this weekend.”
“M-meet someone?”
“Yeah, someone I’ve been dating for a while now. I think it’s time. Don’t worry, it’s just a few hours at a park and a picnic. Something low-key. She thought it might be best to introduce them that way.”
Shethought it best. So, this other woman would be making decisions for her children, such as the best time for them to meet and how. In a way, this was her biggest nightmare. Someone else, someone she didn’t know or trust, having contact withherchildren. She trusted Rob. She didn’t trust the women he might date because she didn’t know them. This would be a third-party kind of trust. An extension by way of Rob.
“Amy?” Rob said. “You still there?”
“Yes.”
Amy swallowed hard, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
This was a woman who hadn’t planned on sharing her children with a possible future stepmother. This was a woman who had other plans.
“We knew it would come to this eventually,” Rob said softly. “It’s been almost a year since we first separated.”
She just didn’t think Rob would be first to want the kids to meet someone special. That should have been her. He was supposed to be in his happy bachelor era.
“And this is someone you’re dating exclusively?”
