Page 40 of The Santa Rules
“I think you make her happier. And I like it when she’s happy,” he admits.
“Because you’re hoping she’ll let you watch rated-R movies?”
He laughs. “Think I could get you to plead my case?”
“Already trying to pit us against each other.” I shake my head in mock frustration.
“Gotta keep all my options open.” He smiles as the music stops and points to the screen. “All you have to do is pull up your streaming service here, and it will project the whole screen onto the wall. Just click this to make it full screen and that’s it.”
“Seems easy enough.”
“We could watch something now, before she gets back.” His voice is teasing, but there’s a hint of hope there.
“Nice try.” I move the mouse around, following the steps he gave as I get another movie to play.
“See, you got it. I guess old people can learn new tricks.”
“That’s not how the saying goes.”
“Close enough.”
We sit there in awkward silence as the opening sequence toThe Polar Expressplays.
“You would be okay if I did date your mom?” I ask cautiously, his earlier words floating in my head about his dad’s new girlfriend stealing his focus away. The last thing I want to do is make this kid feel like he’s got no one in his corner.
“Yeah. I think she likes you. I hear her talk about you a lot to her friends.”
That warms my heart more than it should.
“I want you to know that you come first to your mom. No matter what, you are her priority.”
“I know I am, but I don’t need her hovering all the time. So, if you want to take her out on dates, I’m cool with that.”
“I know we’ve been hanging out a lot the last month withall this Santa stuff, but I don’t want you to feel like she doesn’t have time for you, though. I know you just said you feel that way at your dad’s. I won’t tell her about that, but I also don’t want to put you in that same position.”
“Totally not the same.”
I wait for him to say more, but when he doesn’t, I lift a brow at him.
“My dad has always been like that. I’ve always had to fight for his attention. Not Mom. In fact, I could use a little less of hers sometimes. I have a life too, and I want to hang out with my friends. But I know she loves me.”
“He may have a shitty way of showing it, but I’m sure your dad loves you too.”
He shrugs again. “He loves the idea of having a kid and having someone to hand his business to one day. It’s not the same.”
My stomach twists at his words, and I try to school the expression on my face. Concern for him, but also worry over Avery looking at our relationship like that one day.
“I wish I had a dad like you.”
My head whips in his direction.
“Look at everything you’re doing for Avery. My dad would never go through all of this for me. But my mom would. And if you’d do all this for Avery, you’d do all this for my mom, and she deserves someone like that.”
——————
Later that night, Avery is tucked against me as we lay on the blankets and pillows on the living room floor. There’s popcorn and crumbs everywhere. She spilled two sodas before I put it in an old sippy cup I found buried in the cabinets. And I spend more time watching her than I do the movie.
Once the credits roll, we gather up the blankets and take them outside to shake off the crumbs on the porch before Ithrow them in the washer. Avery’s just finished brushing her teeth when she walks into her room and climbs into her bed where I’m waiting for her.
