Chapter 57
Since Naomi caught me leaving his house late at night, there’s no reason to be so careful anymore. She knows he’s seeing another woman now. And she knows it’s me. Even though it wasn’t her intention, the discovery has pushed our relationship forward, so we don’t have to hide.
And now Jeremy wants me to meet Teddy.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” I say nervously when he springs this on me.
“Why wouldn’t he like you?”
He has a point. Children usually like me. I’ve done a fair amount of babysitting, and most children seem to gravitate toward me, so there’s no reason for Teddy to dislike me.
But at the same time, so much is riding on this.
Jeremy can see the anxiety in my face, so he says, “Get him a present. Bribery always works at that age.”
I recognize the wisdom of his words, so I go to the mall to search for the perfect present for Jeremy’s son. He told me that Teddy loves Legos, so I go to the Lego store, but nothing seems quite right.
Instead, I go home and dig through my drawers until I pull out that elephant toy that I bought for Dominic when he was first born.
I have spent years fantasizing about the day when I can finally give it back to my little boy.
But now, for the first time, it hits me that it’s extremely likely that I will never see him again.
I pick up the elephant, hugging it against my chest. I press my nose against the fake fur, which is still soft after all these years. The elephant still smells a bit like baby powder.
Dominic is gone. I have held out hope all these years, but now that there’s a new child in my life that I might grow to care about and even love, I have to face the fact that my son is never coming back.
And that’s when I decide to give the elephant to Teddy.
I wait at the house while Jeremy brings Teddy back from the apartment where Naomi is staying. I’m sitting on the sofa, my stomach filled with butterflies as I clutch the elephant to my chest.
Teddy will like me. He has to.
As the front door unlocks, the butterflies jump into action.
I stumble off the couch, still clinging to the elephant.
I can hear the commotion at the front door—Teddy kicking off his shoes and chattering about his day.
I don’t know whether to come out or not, so instead, I just stand there until Jeremy brings Teddy into the living room.
When he sees me, he suddenly falls completely silent. He looks up at me with his big brown eyes, and I can’t help but think once again that he looks so much like Clay.
“Teddy,” Jeremy says, “I’d like you to meet my very good friend, Veronica.”
He huddles closer to his father, clinging to his leg, as he stares at me with a wary expression on his face.
“You can call me Ronnie,” I say in my most nonthreatening voice. “And I brought you a present!”
I hold out the elephant, suddenly wishing I thought to gift wrap it. Children love wrapping paper. What was I thinking?
Teddy doesn’t reach for the elephant. He just stands there, pressed against Jeremy’s leg.
Jeremy makes a few attempts to coax Teddy in my direction, but nothing seems to work. Honestly, I feel horrible. I’ve never had a kid look at me the way that Teddy is looking at me. Like he finds me terrifying.
“Sorry, Ronnie,” he says to me in a low voice.
“He’s usually not shy like this. I don’t know what got into him.
” Finally, Jeremy crouches down in front of Teddy.
He puts his hands on the boy’s shoulders and looks him in the eye.
“What’s wrong, Teddy? Why don’t you like Ronnie? She was so excited to meet you.”
Teddy is quiet for a moment, like he’s not sure what to say. Finally, he says in a tiny voice, “Mommy says a witch named Veronica stole you from us.”
Jeremy’s mouth falls open. “She told you that?”
Tears fill his eyes as he nods slowly.
I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose. My cheeks still burn when I think of the hateful way Naomi glared at me when she caught me and Jeremy kissing at his house. But it’s still really hurtful.
“Teddy,” Jeremy says gently, “Ronnie isn’t a witch. I promise you. I’m not sure why your mom told you that, but it’s not true. Ronnie is a really great person, and I think you two will like each other a lot, and also, I…” He glances up at me, then back at his son. “I love her.”
It’s the first time he has said those words outside of the bedroom. It’s not that I didn’t believe he meant it before, but when he says it to his son, somehow that makes it more real.
“You believe me, right?” Jeremy says to Teddy. “I mean, she doesn’t look like a witch, does she?”
Teddy looks up at me, scrutinizing me for witchlike qualities. “Maybe,” he says thoughtfully, “she’s a good witch.”
I hold out the elephant again. “I want you to have this present, Teddy,” I tell him. “It belonged to somebody really, really special to me. And now I want you to have it.”
He hesitates for another split second, but then he reaches out and grabs the elephant from me. He studies it, much like the way he studied me. And then he hugs it to his chest like it’s a long-lost treasure.
He loves it.