Chapter 56 Lexi
LEXI
Over the next few weeks, Jonah planned a private yacht cruise for us, VIP tickets to The Lion King for Evie, and courtside seats at a Knicks game. I was happier than I’d ever been, and even Evie seemed to notice it.
One evening, as I read through some children’s books that Jonah had bought for her, she observed, “Mama looks happy.”
I smiled even more, realizing that in the past, Evie hadn’t had a cheerful Mom. Deciding that I needed to give credit where it was due, I asked her how she felt about Jonah.
She considered it. “I like him,” she said easily. “He’s nice to me and you.”
I felt happy to hear that and hugged her, thinking that there might be a future for the three of us sometime, a year or so from now.
“I like him too,” I said. “And the two of you make me happy.”
A few days later, when the three of us were eating at Chick-fil-A, I asked her a question. “Evie, what do you think of Mommy having a boyfriend?”
Evie gave me a curious look. “Who?”
“Well …” I tilted my head toward the cash register, where a young, moderately handsome guy—probably no older than nineteen—was ringing up orders. “What do you think of him?”
Both Evie and Jonah turned to look at the cashier before snapping their gazes back to me, their expressions vastly different.
“No,” they both said emphatically. Jonah was louder than Evie.
I grinned. “Maybe Jonah has a suggestion then?”
Jonah surprised me. “I want to hear Evie’s opinion. Is there someone else you think should be Mommy’s boyfriend?”
Evie shook her head. “What do boyfriends do?” she asked conversationally, chewing on a piece of chicken nugget.
I hesitated, my mind flashing back to all the things Jonah and I had done together. “We hold hands,” I said lamely.
Jonah, grinning, slid his hand under the table and took mine. I squeezed it back.
“And kiss,” he added.
Evie scrunched up her nose. “Eww! I don’t want you to kiss anyone but me.”
Ouch.
I swallowed a laugh and glanced at her carefully. “What do you think of Jonah being my boyfriend?”
She considered this for a moment before shrugging. “I like Jonah. As a friend for you.”
I hesitated.
Jonah, picking up on my mood, offered me an encouraging smile. “She doesn’t hate me,” he said lightly.
I understood what he meant. Evie needed time to adjust, and Jonah was willing to be patient, to let her see us together, to let her come to her own conclusions.
“And sometimes,” he added, “your mom’s boyfriend can take you to really fun places. Like an indoor play area, or on a boat, or—”
Evie’s eyes lit up. “A boat? I’d like to find a real-life mermaid!”
I opened my mouth, already planning to suggest something more practical. “Maybe an indoor play area would be better.”
“Done,” Jonah interrupted smoothly. “A trip on my yacht to search for mermaids.”
I groaned. “There’s no way you’re getting her more involved in this mermaid business.”
Evie, however, was already high-fiving Jonah like they’d just struck gold.
“Also,” Evie continued, looking serious, “you need to learn how to braid hair and do voices for bedtime stories. Especially the unicorn.”
“I can be a unicorn,” Jonah said, puffing out his chest. “I just didn’t know it was part of the job description.”
“It is now. Also, you cannot kiss Mom unless I give permission.”
“I respect that.”
Evie giggled and brought her arms around my neck and kissed me. She turned and hooked one arm around Jonah’s shoulder. “You’re funny,” she announced to him, and I could see in Jonah’s smile that he understood this was Evie’s way of welcoming him into our little world.