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He levels me with a look and chooses to be the bigger person, “Right. Anyway, the six-month relationship stipulation will be up soon, and I’d like to actually have a conversation with him before he formally meets my daughter.”
I can’t help the way my head tips back in shock. Even though he’s been better since our conversation a week ago, it's hard to reconcile this man with the one who was hurling insults my way only a month ago. The hot and cold attitude has dissipated a lot. It felt like once he shared his therapy appointments with me, he released a lot of the pressure off himself. MaybeIshould be paying his therapist. “Okay,” I say slowly, waiting for the catch.
He’s right that the six-month stipulation is coming to an end soon, but I thought he’d drag it out until the last day. I clarify, “This isn’t like a ‘gotcha’ thing is it?”
He laughs through his nose, “No. I promise. I know I’ve been acting out since we split up, and I’m sorry about that. I think when I realized you were serious, it shocked me, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I really want to try to be better for Emma. Since you’re serious about this guy, I need to be cordial with him,” He shifts on his feet and scratches the back of his neck, “And, I want to apologize for how I treated you. The things I’ve said to you. It’s not okay. After Ryan decked me, I stewed on his words and he was right, which just made me more angry. I can’t disrespect you like that. You don’t deserve it, and none of the things I said about you were true. I’m just—I’m really sorry, okay?” He finally meets my eyes again, his sincerity softening them.
“Thank you for apologizing. If you keep showing an effort to be civil, we can definitely move forward. I’m not saying we all have to be best friends, but I’d like for us to be in the same room without hurling insults.”
“Or fists?” A corner of his mouth kicks up in a rueful smile.
I laugh this time, “Yeah, or fists.”
“I’m trying to get over us and move forward. I want to be happy too.”
“I hope you find that, Jared. I really do.” A beat passes and then I look at him with wide eyes and say, “Oh shit, Emma.”
We both say, “Dammit,” and rush towards the bathroom. She’s been in there a suspiciously long time. Jared gets to the door first and yanks it open. We find Emma and her most favorite Barbie coated in hair gel and cosmetic glitter.
“I did a makeover,” she exclaims happily while gobs of clear hair gel slowly slide down the sides of her head.
“Emma,” Jared and I groan simultaneously. We quickly learned that unsupervised bathroom time lasting longer than a few minutes is always cause for concern. One time, she flushed Legos down the toilet.Thatwas a fun call to the plumber. Another time she wrote on the mirror with a tinted chapstick and it took me several rounds of Windex and a whole roll of paper towels to clean it. This time, it's gobs of gel and glitter.
Jared sighs and says, “I’ll start the shower and you grab her new clothes?” I nod and go to get her a change of clothes.
I grab Emma a sun dress and underwear and head back to the bathroom to see Jared hosing her down with the shower head in his hand. Glitter coats the front of his soaked shirt and courses down Emma’s body in sparkly rivulets. I laugh at the absurdity of it all and cover my smile with a hand when Jared turns a glare on me.
I am always the one to laugh when Emma does something wild. It’s either laugh, cry, or scream, and laughing seemed like the most appealing option. I clap my other hand over my mouth and leave the room so Emma won’t see me laughing.
When I see Steph tonight, she is going to lose her mind when I tell her what Jared just suggested. I’m glad that Ifinally get a chance to see her before the school year craziness starts. She’s been doing prep work for the last couple weeks and hasn’t been able to get away. We’re hanging at her place this time since being alone at mine still gives me the heebie-jeebies. She might even call Jared herself to make sure he hasn’t been replaced with a body snatcher.
CHAPTER 38
Ryan
When Summer first approached me about having dinner with Jared this week, I have to admit that my first reaction wasn’t exactly kind. I know she’s quick to forgive, and I love that about her, but I tend to hold a grudge whether I like it or not.
One time in the eighth grade, while waiting in the lunch line, my friend came up to talk to me. I let him go in front of me when he asked and he ended up getting the last slice of pizza. I had to eat the questionable Cobb salad. I was starving. Later on, I learned he did it on purpose to mess with me. I didn’t speak to him for a week. Over cafeteria pizza. While I like to think I’ve grown since then, getting chummy with my girlfriend’s ex who put her through hell might be pushing it too far.
Today is the day, and I’m feeling pretty apprehensive about the whole thing. Jared hasn’t proven to be the most even-keeled, so I’m hoping tonight goes okay for Summer’s sake. Jared’s mom is watching Emma, so it will just be the adults.
I fill a glass of water from Summer’s tap and drain it. I set it in the sink when Summer pads into the kitchen on bare feet. She’s wearing a brightly patterned sundress that falls just below herknees with the hair around her face pulled back. Stunning as per usual.
She presses up on her toes to peck me on the cheek before going behind me and wrapping her arms around my middle in a hug that allows me to keep doing what I’m doing. “Hey,” she says, pressing her cheek between my shoulder blades. Even though I’m nervous about tonight, having her near gives me a sense of instant calm.
“Hey, yourself. Are you ready for tonight?” I ask as I turn to face her in the circle of her arms.
“As ready as I can be, I guess. Go get changed so we can leave.” She releases me and steps up to the counter, gently pushing me aside.
“You got it,” I say, leaning in and stealing a lingering kiss on her lips.
I throw on a casual t-shirt and shorts, reapply some deodorant, splash my face with water, and then assess myself in the mirror, hoping my apprehension isn’t as clear as it feels. To my horror, it is. I attempt to school my expression into one that says, “I know I punched you in the face a few months ago, and I know you’re kind of an asshole, but we can get along, right?” I grunt at my reflection when my face doesn’t do what I want and turn from the mirror.
We pull up outside a local diner called Pete’s Place. I take a deep breath and will myself to relax my shoulders which have crept up to my ears. Summer gives me a small smile and pops open her door. I follow her into the mostly-empty restaurant. Other than a few people sitting at the counter, the rest of the homey diner is deserted.
The walls are dark and wood-paneled, making it feel more like a cabin than a diner. Lots of fishing bits decorate the walls,old-fashioned fishing baskets hang next to quaint artwork of the local fishing hole. Each of the pendant lights above the booths have fishing lures dangling from them, creating a rustic chandelier.
“Hey, man,” Jared says when we approach, standing from the booth in the far corner and sticking his hand out. I give it a firm, but civil shake and let go. “Hey, Summer,” he says, giving her a small smile.
