Page 224 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“I just had this conversation with Mom,” I told her. “Things are good, but both of us are taking it slow. Me, for obvious reasons, and she had a long-term relationship that ended last year. She was actually engaged to her childhood best friend.”
“What happened there?” Sarah asked. I put the salad on the dressing and began to mix it in.
“He cheated on her,” I told her. “He ended the relationship and moved away with his new girlfriend.”
“Wow,” Sarah said. “That’s a rough one. I don’t blame her for wanting to take things slow.”
I nodded.
“It might sound fucked up, but I’m actually glad that she wants to take things slow,” I admitted to Sarah. “Most girls want to rush right into relationships, but I think if I did that, it would crash and burn.”
“Plus, Austin is involved,” Sarah said.
“And there’s that, too,” I said. “I have a good feeling about it, though. You’ll have to meet her soon.”
Before Sarah could reply, Austin and his cousins ran into the kitchen.
“Daddy!” Austin complained. “Colton got the purple dinosaur for Christmas. You told me that Santa couldn’t find it.”
Fuck. Austin had brought it up earlier. I thought I was a great dad for finding the green dinosaur, but apparently the dinosaurs weren’t as cool without each other.
“He must have gotten Colton the last one,” my sister interjected. “But Colton didn’t get the green dinosaur. You can play with yours together and share.”
The little boys looked at each other. Neither was pleased with my sister’s answer. They both wanted one of each dinosaurs for themselves.
“Maybe I can get it for your birthday, buddy,” I told Austin. I really didn’t want him melting down on Christmas.
“Okay,” he said, sounding dejected. He walked off with his cousins.
“Dammit, Cayden, how did you get the green one?” Sarah asked me. “I looked everywhere for it.”
“Online at an auction,” I told her. “I couldn’t find the damn purple one, though. I thought I did a good job just finding one of them.”
“You did,” Sarah reassured me. “You know how little boys are. They want everything that the TV tells them they need.”
Sarah was right. I felt as if the TV had been filled with toy commercials since before Halloween. I hoped that the dinosaur craze would die down before Austin’s birthday and I could find the purple one at the normal price.
Sarah and I continued to finish working on lunch. My mother was darting all over the house, checking on us, checking on the kids. Soon, we were all eating at the table. I looked around at everyone and smiled. Although I missed Layla, it was starting to feel normal without her there. It did feel lonely to be there as the only single adult, though. Sarah had her husband, my parents had each other, and then there was me. Maybe next Christmas, Tiffany would be next to me.
After lunch, I cleaned up the kitchen with my mom.
“You look exhausted,” my mom said.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
She laughed.
“I was just commenting,” she said. “Maybe you should take a nap before you head to Tiffany’s parents’ house. I would hate for you to fall asleep at the dinner table.”
My mom was right. A nap did sound pretty damn good. I finished cleaning the dishes and turned to her.
“I think I will take a nap,” I announced. She smiled.
“We’ll see you in a bit,” she said. I crept upstairs, not wanting to be seen by anyone. As I got into my bed, I picked up my phone and called Tiffany. I laid down in bed, closing my eyes. The phone rang three times before she picked up.
“Hey there,” she answered.
“Hi,” I said, stifling a yawn. “You wore me out last night.”
