Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Maggie
I hold my breath as Jack searches his phone for movie options, turning when he shows me the screen. “I’m not sure what kinds of movies you’d approve of as the mom.”
Liam rolls his eyes, but I appreciate Jack’s thoughtfulness, especially in the face of my child’s rudeness. I know that he’s mad about having his weekend with his dad cut short. And I know that somehow Liam blames me for the situation. Or, at the very least, he’s taking his anger out on me.
That’s how it goes now. His dad fucks up, and I bear the brunt of everyone’s ire. Kyle’s mad that I point out he’s a douchebag. Liam’s mad his dad’s abandoning him yet again. And somehow I become the bad guy when really it’s Kyle.
Except Jack. Jack’s here offering comfort and making an effort to cheer Liam and me up. Liam and I had already talked about ordering a pizza, but going to the movies is a rare and special treat.
“Oh, there’s a showing of that new movie you wanted to see,” I say to Liam. “Remember?” I show him the picture of the movie poster. “If we’re going to go, we need to leave now, though. The movie starts in half an hour.”
Liam pauses, his lips pursed, and something flickers through his eyes. For a split second, I just know he’s going to say no. That he’d rather stay home, and I’ll be trapped with my moody, brokenhearted tween yet again.
But then he surprises me. “Okay. Let’s do it. I need to go pee first, though.” And he darts back inside, leaving Jack and me alone once more.
Turning to Jack, I take advantage of the few short minutes my son’s giving us and give him a kiss. “Thank you again,” I whisper, trying to convey how much his actions mean to me with those few small words.
He kisses me back, keeping it chaste and quick. “Seriously, Maggie. It’s not a problem. I’m happy to do it. I told you I want to make your life better.”
“I know,” I whisper, but there’s no way I can make him understand what a big deal it is for him to say he wants that and then to also do things that prove his words true.
When you’ve spent too many years being told the things you want to hear but never seeing those words become reality, it’s easy to dismiss words as nothing more than hot air.
Liam comes back out, and I step back from Jack, glancing at Liam to see if he noticed anything. If he did, he gives no sign. “Ready?” I ask Liam. At his nod, I gesture for him to go down the stairs first.
Jack gives me a sly, almost guilty look as I follow Liam down, but by the time we get to the car, everyone appears to be acting normally. Which, in Liam’s case, is a huge improvement.
He chatters away in the car, bouncing between telling us about something that happened at camp this week, telling Jack about how he got a hit at his last baseball game, and how he’s been hoping to see this movie in theaters.
“Can we get popcorn?” he asks as we pull into the parking lot.
“Of course!” Jack chimes in before I can answer. “What’s a movie without popcorn?” Then he glances at me, giving me a small grimace. “If that’s okay with your mom, I mean.”
Laughing, I put the car in park and turn it off. “That sounds good to me.”
“What about candy?” Liam asks, tossing it out as Jack and I are climbing out of the car, that tone in his voice like he’s hoping to pull a fast one, though there’s nothing particularly sneaky about asking for candy.
“I’m happy to buy whatever snacks we’re all craving.” At my questioning look, Jack nods. “I told you it’s my treat. The point of a treat is for it to be special and not something you do all the time, right?”
I suppose he has a point. I hold out a hand to Liam.
At ten, he’s not as readily affectionate in public as he was when he was younger, but he’ll still hold my hand in parking lots, which makes me feel better about him being safe.
“Just because Jack says he’ll buy whatever you want,” I tell Liam, “that doesn’t mean you get to get everything you like.
You can have one candy to go with the popcorn and soda. ”
“Okay!” Liam chirps, skipping a little beside me, not at all upset about that very mild restriction.
On the rare occasion we go to the movies, it’s usually popcorn or candy. Not both.
Liam seems back to his normal self as we get tickets and wait in line at concessions, wiggling and bouncing and looking around at the different movie posters, full of his usual energy and curiosity.
It’s a relief that he’s bounced back so quickly from his disappointment.
Most likely I’ll still have to deal with some residual fallout over the next couple of days, but at least we’re not moping at home tonight.
Jack orders a big bucket of popcorn for him and I to share and a small bag for Liam to have all to himself—which Liam thinks is the best thing ever since I usually buy a big one that we share—and we all pick out candy.
I get Milk Duds instead of my usual Red Vines since they only have Twizzlers here, Jack gets Sour Patch Kids, and Liam gets M&Ms.
We get into the theater just as the lights dim for the previews to start and find our seats, me in the middle between Jack on my left and Liam on my right. Jack offers me the popcorn, and I take a handful with a smile of thanks.
I wouldn’t have intentionally introduced someone I’m dating to my son this early, but despite the rough start and the terrible circumstances, things seem to be going well. Liam’s happy, we’re out doing something fun all together, and I feel surprisingly good.
Jack leans forward to look at Liam, and when he sees that Liam’s engrossed in the movie preview, he puts up the armrest between us, resting his hand in the space next to my leg and rubbing the back of his fingers against my skin.
Smiling at him, I let my hand rest on his, and he flips his hand over to thread his fingers through mine.
Doing this in the dark in the theater makes me feel the same sort of thrill as when I first held hands with my crush as a teenager. Like it’s a little bit forbidden—even if it’s not really—a little bit secret. Something just for us that we’re not ready to share with the world yet.
Though, really, the world knows already.
It’s just Liam who doesn’t. And since I haven’t dated at all since his dad and I split up, I’m not really sure how to handle this with him.
I introduced Jack as my friend on the fly because I didn’t want to explain the fact that we’re dating to my already overwrought child.
I’ll probably have to tell him the full truth eventually, but it’s not bad for him to get to know Jack first and form his own opinion before finding out that Jack is more than just my friend, right?
And just because I’ve introduced them and we’re going out to a movie doesn’t mean that Jack’s going to be coming over every day.
While I hadn’t given it a lot of specific thought, I’d always sort of figured dating someone for six months was the minimum amount of time before introducing him to my son.
Should I wait another few months before having Jack around Liam again?
The previews finally end and the movie starts, so I decide to think more about that problem later and just enjoy this day for what it is.
“How’s Liam doing?” Jack asks over the phone when we’re talking a couple nights after our impromptu night at the movies. Liam’s in bed, and I’m hanging up laundry that I didn’t put away yesterday after I washed my clothes while I talk to Jack on speakerphone.
“Pretty good. He was a little grumpier than normal yesterday, which I expected, but seemed back to his usual self today.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Jack says, sounding thoughtful.
I wait to see if he’ll add anything else, and my patience is rewarded.
“Did he have any opinion about me being there?”
“He was happy you bought him his own popcorn. He said, and I quote, ‘Jack is really nice. I like him.’”
Jack chuckles. “Well, good. I’m glad to know your son can be bribed into liking me.”
My laugh isn’t very enthusiastic. I know he’s joking but, “It only goes so far, though, just so you know. His dad tries to buy his affection, too, and while it works to some degree …”
Jack grunts. “Yeah. Okay. Got it. That wasn’t my goal, though. You know that, right? I was just trying to cheer you both up.”
“I know,” I say softly. “And you did. It was exactly what we needed.”
“Good.” He takes a deep breath, and once again I wait to see what he has to say. “So, um,” he clears his throat, and I have to smile. He sounds nervous, which is entirely unlike Jack.
“Yes?” I prompt, hoping I sound encouraging and not like I’m on the verge of laughing, which I am.
“My captain, Nick Abernathy, is hosting a barbecue for anyone that’s in town later this week.”
“That sounds fun.” I put a shirt on a hanger and hang it up in my closet.
“Yeah. It’s usually a good time. It’s open to team members and their families. Or, you know, significant others or whatever. Nick’s got two kids, and a few of the other guys have families too. It’s usually a big chunk of the guys who come.”
I pause, hanger in one hand, shirt in the other, and step closer to the phone where it rests on my dresser next to my closet. Is this an invitation? “Okay,” I say slowly.
“So, uh, it’s actually on Friday. And I know we normally go out on Fridays, but would you be interested in going?
Like I said, it’s usually a good time, and there’ll be other kids there if you want to bring Liam.
I know you said that he goes to camps and stuff and he’s playing baseball so he’s around other kids plenty, but it might be good for him, too.
And when else does a kid get to hang out with a bunch of professional athletes and their families?
” He lets out a nervous chuckle after the last sentence, and I can’t help grinning at how awkward the smooth and confident Jack Bouchard sounds right now.
I’m glad we’re on the phone so I don’t have to hide my smile.
“I’m happy to go with you to the barbecue.
I wouldn’t mind meeting your teammates. That sounds like fun.
Can I get back to you about Liam, though?
I’d rather let him choose since he normally goes to my parents’ house on Friday nights.
Since he was at his dad’s this past Friday, he might not want to miss twice in a row.
” Furrowing my brow, I consider the issue.
I could offer to let him go on Saturday evening if he wants to be able to do both.
Or maybe after the barbecue on Friday? “Or, well, what time is the barbecue? And how late does it go?”
“It’s dinner. The official start time is five, and it usually goes until eight or nine. Like I said, Abernathy’s got two little kids, and Tina, his wife, won’t want people there until all hours.”
“Okay. Like I said, I’ll go with you for sure, but I’ll ask Liam tomorrow if he wants to go. A barbecue with a bunch of hockey players might sound fun. But if he’s feeling shy, he might prefer to just hang out with his grandparents instead.”
“That seems reasonable,” Jack says, sounding like his normal self again. “Let him know they have a whole playground in their downstairs, a really huge jungle gym outside, and a bunch of fun yard games.”
Laughing, I resume putting my clothes away. I’m down to the last few things now. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Who knows? That indoor playground might be the deciding factor.”