Chapter 15
MIKE
Feckin’ hell. I love this woman. Standing on her porch, staring into her eyes the other night, I knew.
It was quick thinking on my part to role-play so I didn’t admit too much and scare her off, but it took everything in me not to confess my feelings right then and there. Now I worry she’s pulling away again.
It takes a few days to get Lucy to agree to another date. At least this time I came prepared with chicken nuggets.
She throws open the door, and I immediately know something is wrong.
“I’m so sorry to do this, but I completely forgot about the monthly PTO meeting tonight and I’m the teacher liaison, so I have to be there…
in fifteen minutes. I need to help set up and all the girls are going too so they can’t watch the boys.
I’m probably going to have to bring them with me, and they’re going to destroy half the school because Levi is a sneaky little ninja and never stays in the gym with the rest of the kids, and then Micah wanders off looking for him, and they always end up getting into something they’re not supposed to.
And they haven’t eaten yet, which means we’ll have to stop for food and that’ll make me even later.
And it’s a school night, and this meeting is going to run long because we have to figure out all the details for the St. Patrick’s Day program and the Easter egg hunt.
And then they’ll get to bed late, and Micah is a bear in the mornings when he doesn’t get enough sleep—”
“Go,” I say, cutting off her spiraling. “I’ve got them. We’ll be grand here.”
She’s stunned speechless for several seconds, blinking at me before she speaks. “Are you sure?”
“Course. I’ve watched Micah before, that’s how we met. And I brought nuggets.” I hold up the grocery bag in reassurance.
“Are they dino-shaped?” she asks, putting on her coat.
“Does the shape matter?”
“Does the shape matter?” she scoffs.
I can tell she’s still warring with the decision to stay so I decide to take matters into my own hands.
“Mikachu! Levisaur!” I call out toward the living room, getting their attention. “Want to have a boys-only night?”
“Yeah!” They both cheer in unison, and I tilt my head and shrug, giving Lucy a “Well, that’s settled” look. “Guess you’re going to have to go to your meeting after all. It’s a girl-free zone tonight.”
“No girls allowed!” Levi yells.
“You heard the lad,” I say as I help her finish pulling her coat on before leaning into her ear. “We’ve got this.”
She searches my eyes for permission one more time and then grabs her purse and keys, running over to kiss the boys. “You be good for Mr. Mike, okay?”
“Yes, Mama,” Micah says.
“Make sure they’re in bed by eight,” she says as she answers her phone. “I know, I know. I’m on my way.” She looks at me one more time, but I usher her out the door and close it behind her.
I take the bag of groceries to the kitchen and set them down on the counter right as Micah walks over.
“How’s the arm doing?”
“It feels okay, but it’s itchy.”
“Casts can get quite itchy and stinky. Are ya getting it off soon?” I ask as I pull items out of the bag.
“I think so? What’s all that?”
“It’s dinner. Want to help?”
“Yeah!”
Micah is the perfect sous chef, grabbing everything I need as soon as I ask for it.
He follows directions well. Levi runs in and out of the kitchen helping us with parts until he gets bored.
I was worried they wouldn’t like what I’d prepared, especially after Lucy’s dino nugget comment, but my fears ease each time I catch Levi sneak in and steal an item off the tray.
“This is so cool,” Micah says, placing the last bowl of dip down to complete our masterpiece. I snap a quick pic and then grab plates.
I’ve turned my back for less than ten seconds, and when I turn back around, I swear half of the nuggets are gone and there’s dip everywhere.
It’s a huge mess I’ll have to clean up later, but I don’t say anything as I slide the plates to the side.
If they’re going to eat straight off the tray, so am I.
I’m also a tiny bit terrified that they’ll stop eating if I make any sudden movements, so we eat in near silence as Paw Patrol plays in the background.
Once we’ve nearly demolished the platter of food, I pull out my phone and text Lucy.
Here’s a pic of our dinner. You’ll be happy to know they cleaned their plates. Actually we ate straight off the tray, so less dishes to clean.
[pic of nuggets, fruits, veggies, and dips arranged in the shape of a rainbow.]
omg
What’s in the rainbow?
Strawberries, carrots, bananas, broccoli, blueberries, and blackberries.
And the clouds?
Dips. A sweet cream cheese one for the fruits, and ranch for the veggies.
And the nuggets are the gold at the end of the rainbow?
Aye
And they ate all of it, even the veggies?
There were a handful left behind, but they ate most of it.
Levi was covered in dip
[pic of Levi with a ranch mustache and beard]
That’s my new lock screen photo.
Sorry I have to get back to this mtg.
Thank you.
It’s my pleasure.
I tuck my phone back in my pocket and finish wiping down the counter.
“Can we color? Mama said we aren’t allowed to have any screens for an hour before bed,” Micah says.
“Sure. You want to get all the supplies?”
He runs over to the cabinet in the living room and pulls out several coloring books and crayons. When he returns to the kitchen, he climbs up the stool and lays everything out.
My eyes flick over to where Levi is sitting upside down, head hanging off the couch as he watches a dalmatian ride around in a fire truck. “Should we turn the TV off, then?”
“Yeah, but he’s gonna scream.”
I ponder what to do for a second and then realize I already know how to motivate Levi. Micah starts coloring a Spider-Man page, and I grab one of the coloring books he set in the pile.
“That looks so good, Micah. I wish there was someone that could help me color as well as you.” I raise my voice so I can be heard over the TV and see Levi’s little head pop up over the back of the couch out of my periphery.
Seconds later, he turns off the TV and scrambles over the back of the couch and joins us at the kitchen island.
Levi climbs onto the counter and sits cross-legged while he colors. He slowly inches his way toward me as I stand across from Micah’s stool.
“Look, he’s pooping.” Levi giggles as he holds up a drawing that he’s scribbled on, not staying in the lines at all.
But it’s what’s underneath the crouching Spider-Man that has him all excited as he points to a giant pile of poo.
He’s literally colored it so it would appear the superhero is taking a giant poop in the street.
I burst out into laughter, and he follows suit.
When I look over at Micah, he’s frowning. “Levi, Mama said you can’t say that word unless you’re in the potty.”
Shite, I forgot about that rule.
“It’s okay,” I say to Micah. “I’ll tell her I forgot. Let’s just not say it anymore, okay?” I direct the last part at Levi.
We color in silence for several minutes when I feel Micah staring at me and I look up from my drawing.
“Your eyes look like Levi’s eyes,” Micah muses.
“Cuz we both have blue eyes?” I ask, holding Levi’s face next to mine so Micah can compare. Levi squirms in my arms as I tickle him.
“Yep. Except yours are a little darker than his. Mommy’s eyes are green like mine.”
I release Levi as he refocuses on his Green Goblin. This one is getting what looks like a fart cloud behind him.
“My grandpa has green eyes too. But he yells a lot.”
“Oh?” I continue working on my coloring, hoping he’ll share more. Lucy had mentioned her dad before, and I wonder if this is where Micah’s distrust in men comes from. When he doesn’t elaborate, I ask, “What color are your dad’s eyes?”
“I dunno.”
His words are like a punch to the gut. Lucy hasn’t told me much about her ex—practically nothing, now that I think about it. I wait for Micah to share more, but he keeps coloring. Who the fuck would create these amazing kids and choose not to be a part of their lives?
“That’s okay if you can’t remember. Is there anything you do remember about him?”
“I never met him,” he says, so casually, like he didn’t just drop the biggest feckin’ bomb.
My blood is roiling thinking through all the possible scenarios Lucy must have gone through with their dad.
Did he leave her before Levi was born and Micah just doesn’t remember him?
Did he tell her he didn’t want to have anything to do with them?
Did he sign away his rights? Do they even share the same father?
Surely, they must. They look so much like each other and their mom.
I’m overcome with the need to ask her all my questions, but it’s been like pulling teeth getting her to open up so far.
I don’t know what else to say, so I sit in silence, coloring with the boys, hoping that one day their mom will share more of herself with me.
After coloring, Micah explains that they have to get ready for bed, so we put everything away and head upstairs.
I don’t know what the protocol is for me helping with their bath, so I make them put on swimsuits.
It takes them way too long to find them, and then I have to hustle them through washing.
Levi keeps asking me to swipe a card, but I have no clue what he’s talking about, and every time I open a drawer or cabinet to look for a card, they both start giggling.
It’s difficult to keep water from spilling out of the tub, and I’m thankful I had the foresight to wrap Micah’s cast in a garbage bag, because with the way Levi sloshes water around, the cast would’ve been soaked. Hell, I’m soaked.
Once I get the boys dressed and their teeth brushed, I’m exhausted. How does Lucy do this every night?