Chapter Five
KATIE
It’s officially been eight days since Noah returned and knocked on my door, and even less since he strolled into the bank.
When I saw Gemma at the boutique and told her what happened, I let it be known that he better be glad he left in one piece.
I’m harboring a decade full of emotions, so my reactions when he’s around are more than valid.
After Owen and I finish eating lunch, he helps me clean up, then goes to his room.
As I wash the dishes and wipe down the counter, my mind wanders back to the past several years and how strong I’ve had to be.
Juggling work, my son, and paying for everything.
Anything I need, I do my damn self. Sometimes I resent Gabe for cheating and leaving me to do everything on my own, but then I feel guilty as hell about it because of the way he died.
Grief is weird and makes you second-guess your feelings. I loved Gabe, but once I got pregnant, things shifted between us. He didn’t look at me with the same twinkle in his eye. Instead of dealing with it, I ignored it. I’d made up my mind I’d figure it out after the baby was born.
I honestly feel as if I’m broken, and I’m meant to be single for the rest of my life.
Most days, I’m okay with it. At thirty-one, I live in a small town where everyone knows my business and am in the process of remodeling an old house, all while trying to give Owen the best life that I possibly can.
It makes dating nearly impossible, so I gave up on it years ago.
After the kitchen’s cleaned, I vacuum and try to pick up the house before tomorrow. Heading to Owen’s room, I find him lying on his bed listening to music.
“Laundry time,” I tell him, and he huffs.
I lift a brow in warning because this is our Sunday tradition. He sets his tablet on the bed and opens his closet door. Clothes are halfway off the hangers, socks litter the floor, and shoes are stacked on top of each other. Owen grabs a few shirts he had stuffed in the corner.
“This is it?” I ask as he hands me hardly anything. “What about everything you wore all week to school? Your basketball uniforms?”
“Mom,” he whines, and I step around him, looking for myself.
I give him a smile. “I’m gonna put these in the wash, and I need you to bring me the rest. Got it?”
He nods, and I walk away. I’m certain he’s back to stuffing things under his bed because he knows how I feel about things being on the floor.
I might not be able to give him everything, but the least I can do is teach him how to clean up after himself.
I’m raising a gentleman who will eventually make some woman happy and treat her like a queen.
As I’m in the laundry room, Owen enters with a full basket, grinning sheepishly. “I found them.”
“Mm-hmm, interesting. Where were they?”
He laughs before he walks away. Raising a boy has been…an experience.
As soon as I start the washer, my cell phone rings, and I see it’s Loretta.
“Hey, sweetie! Happy Valentine's Day!”
“Same to you.”
Even though it’s Sunday and I typically work at the house, I spend every Valentine’s Day with Owen no matter what. It’s been our tradition since he was born.
“I was wondering if we could stop by this afternoon. We got Owen some Valentine’s gifts.”
I blow out a laugh. “How much candy?”
“Honey, you know how it is. Just have to spoil my grandson.”
“Loretta,” I say, smiling. “We’ll be here. Feel free to stop by anytime you’d like. Not too late, though, because he’ll be bouncing off the walls after eating the sugar.”
“Great! We’ll be there within the hour. See you soon.”
I end the call, and Owen walks into the living room. “Was that Mimi and Pawpaw?”
“Yes, it was. They’re gonna stop by and see you today.”
“Yay!” he squeals. He loves Gabe’s parents so much, and I’m lucky they’ve stayed a part of Owen’s life. They faithfully support me, and I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without them, my parents, or my friends.
Within thirty minutes, there’s a knock on the door. Owen hurries and answers it. As soon as he sees his grandparents, he squeezes Loretta tight. Elliot enters behind her, carrying a red bag with a heart on it.
Owen’s hopping from foot to foot as Loretta hugs me.
“Looks so nice in here,” she says.
I try my best to keep it tidy since it’s the one thing I have control over in my life.
“Owen helped.” I flash a wink. He’s old enough to have responsibilities, and he gets excited when others notice.
“Good to see you.” Elliot smiles, then wraps his arms around Owen.
I offer them some sweet tea while they give Owen his gift bag. As I’m in the kitchen putting ice in glasses, I hear Owen’s excitement. When I return, he’s still pulling out velvet hearts full of candy in all different sizes, and I know I’ll be dealing with a hyper kid tonight.
Owen’s pile on the floor consists of a remote-control car, endless candy, and some small holiday-themed games.
“Oh, you two…” I sigh. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
He gives them kisses and thank-yous and positions himself between them on the couch.
You’d think he hasn’t seen them in months by the way he’s acting, but he sees them several times a week.
They love having him around, but so do my parents, so they take turns picking him up after school and watching him until I get off work around five.
My mom and Loretta alternate on the weekends when I’m working at the new house.
“Can I have a sleepover at Mimi and Pawpaw’s tonight?” Owen asks with a grin.
I shake my head. “Not on a school night, bud.”
He flashes me his big puppy dog eyes, the same eyes his dad used to give me when he wanted to get his way. “Owen,” I warn.
Loretta laughs and pats his back. “You know the rules, honey. Maybe if you’re good this week, you can next Saturday.”
Owen rips open one of the velvet boxes and pops a piece of chocolate in his mouth. He talks and chews. “I’ll be good!” he declares.
“Manners, Owen. Don’t speak with food in your mouth,” I remind him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, covering his mouth. “Want one?” He holds the box out toward Loretta and Elliot, but they shake their heads.
“I’ve had so much sugar this weekend I’m surprised I’m not a candy heart right now,” Loretta laughs as she tells Owen.
“Candy hearts are nasty, Mimi.”
“They’re my favorite,” she gushes.
“They are gross,” Elliot agrees with Owen, then looks at Loretta with a devilish grin.
“More for me then!” she exclaims, taking a sip of her tea.
After Owen puts batteries in his remote-control car and drives it all over the house, Elliot and Loretta say their goodbyes.
“He really can come stay next weekend if you’d like to get some uninterrupted work done on the house,” Elliot tells me as we walk them to the door.
“I’d appreciate that. I’m sure he’d love that too!”
Owen runs up and gives them another hug. “Love you!”
“Love you too,” they say. “Be good for your mom. Don’t eat too much chocolate, even if it is Valentine’s Day.”
“You know…” She lowers her voice, inching toward me. “It’s been years since you’ve had a serious relationship, Katie. You should get back out there and date again.”
All I can do is laugh. “With all my spare time? They say you find love when you’re not looking for it. And well, I ain’t lookin’.”
“You’re right, but it’d be okay if you did,” she says genuinely. “Bye, Owen! Mimi and Pawpaw love you!” Loretta blows a kiss as they walk to their car.
“See you this week!” Owen flashes a toothy grin.
“Thank you again,” I tell them as we wave.
Once they’re out of sight, I shut the front door. Owen’s already bouncing around the house, but I can’t even be mad about it.
“Want some, Mom?” He holds up one of the chocolates.
I snag a piece and pop it in my mouth, then scrunch up my nose. “Eww!” I hurry and swallow it. “What flavor was that?”
Owen thinks it’s the funniest thing as I try to wash down the disgusting taste. He grabs the key and tries to match it with the one I had.
“It was coconut raspberry,” he explains, then finds another one in the batch and eats it. “Mmm, it’s good, Mom!”
I laugh at how he’s struggling to eat it just like I had. “Mm-hmm. I can tell by the look on your face.”
He quickly realizes how gross it is and runs to the kitchen. I hear him being dramatic as he spits it in the trash. Owen returns and pretends to scrape his tongue. “You’re right. That was disgusting!”
“I always loved these chocolates and never looked to see what kind they were. I wanted to be surprised. But I’d learned to take a small bite before eating the whole thing because I didn’t wanna commit to the ones I ended up not liking. Your grandma would find half-eaten chocolate every year.”
Owen giggles. “You’re funny.”
“You are,” I say, reaching over and poking his side.
He flinches, and I wiggle my fingers in a tickling motion.
“Noooooo,” he screeches, moving away from me.
I motion with my eyes to clean up his mess, and he reluctantly does.
“Thank you,” I say, grabbing the empty glasses to take to the kitchen. After a while, I tell Owen to take a bath as I cook dinner.
When he’s out of the tub, I make our plates, and we sit at the table. “All your homework is done, right?” I ask, just as I do every Sunday night.
Instead of checking for myself, I give him the responsibility to make sure it is.
I’ve tried to teach him that his grades are his and not mine, so he has no one to blame but himself if he does poorly.
Of course, I’ll always help if he asks for it, but for the most part, he’s good about finishing his assignments and turning them in on time.
“Yes, ma’am.” He grins before taking a bite of his cheeseburger.
As we eat, he tells me about his latest school project. Then asks how long until summer because he wants to go to Disney World like a few of his friends have gotten to.
“We’d have to plan that months in advance, sweetie. Maybe next year,” I say, though a trip like that would cost me most of what’s left in my savings. I’ve always wanted to surprise him, but right now, all my extra money is going into the new house.
Once our plates are cleared and the kitchen is clean, Owen and I watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.
He snuggles in close to me, and I soak in these little moments with him since he won’t want to for much longer.
Eventually, he’ll grow up and move out, then I’ll have to adopt a few dogs and cats to keep me company in that big ole house I bought.
I squeeze him just a little tighter, knowing his teenage years are right around the corner.
Owen laughs at Lucy and Charlie Brown as I’m lost in my thoughts.
Gabe would’ve loved spending time with Owen.
Though years have passed, it’ll never erase the pain of my son not having a father to bond with and have these special times with him.
Though he doesn’t have a dad in his life, I try hard to make sure he doesn’t feel any less loved.
When the movie ends, Owen brushes his teeth, then I walk him to his room. After he climbs into bed, I sit on the edge and admire the features he shares with his dad.
“Love you, sweetie,” I say as I cover him up, then hand him his stuffed bear my mom got him for Christmas last year.
“Love you too, Mom.”
“Sweet dreams. Good night, my love.” I kiss his forehead, then turn on his night-light.
On the way to my bedroom, I realize how secluded it feels to sleep alone. It’s been my life for so long now, so I should be used to it, but Valentine’s Day only reminds me that I’m still single.