40
A iva sat at the two top, sipping her water as she watched people pass by on the sidewalk. It was almost one-thirty, and she was waiting for the other party to arrive. She’d stated one o’clock in her text message but should have known they’d be purposely late. It was another five minutes before she saw them walk through the front door.
“What do you want?” they asked when they arrived at the table.
“Hello to you too, Mia.” Aiva leaned back in her seat. “Are you going to sit or continue to stand there?”
Mia rolled her eyes before having a seat, and Aiva switched modes from Knox’s girlfriend to lawyer because, as his girlfriend, she was tempted to pull Mia’s eyes from her sockets. As a lawyer; she would refrain.
Aiva was fine going the rest of her life, not seeing or talking to Mia, as impossible as that would have been when she was dating her ex-husband, but that desire had changed to one where she wanted to have a sit-down.
It happened when she spoke to Knox yesterday about Yasmine wanting to change the day of her birthday party, when she found out Aiva wouldn’t be there. He’d been honest with her and told her she wouldn’t be able to come when she excitedly asked him if he thought Aiva would want to wear matching colors. He hadn’t told her it was because of her mother when she asked why she wouldn’t be there, and naturally, Yasmine had thought the day was the reason and suggested they move the party. When Knox told her that wouldn’t work, she’d cried.
It broke Aiva’s heart when he’d told her about it, and she decided that, again, she would be the bigger woman out of the two and reach out to Mia for a sit-down. She’d gotten her number from their documents and sent a text telling her who it was, the restaurant’s name, and the time. Either Mia would show up, or she wouldn’t. She chose a public place because she hoped the other woman would be less likely to show her ass, which meant Aiva would be less likely to beat it.
“What do you want?” Mia repeated when Aiva didn’t immediately say anything upon her sitting.
“Knox tells me you’re refusing to attend Yas’ birthday party if I’m there.”
“I am,” she responded, almost as if she were proud.
“Is there a particular reason?”
“I’m her mother, and I don’t want you there. I don’t need another reason.”
“But your daughter wants me there.”
“Then I won’t be.”
Aiva raised a brow at her. “You’re willing to disappoint and upset your child by not coming to a party that you and I can both stay away from each other at because I’m there.”
“She’s a kid. She’ll get over it.”
It was sad that Mia thought that. Sure, kids were resilient, and they bounced back, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t remember. Yasmine was also emotionally aware and would notice and feel what was happening. She had come into this conversation hoping they’d be able to speak like adults, but she’d been practicing law long enough to know that you never went into any situation without a contingency.
“I’m going to Yasmine’s party. Regardless of how you feel about it. If I were you, I wouldn’t read the tabloids the following days.”
“What? Why?” Mia asked, and Aiva could see genuine confusion on her face.
“Well, what do you think they’re going to say when they get wind of Yas’ birthday being celebrated without her mother in attendance? I hate to think how that would make you look.”
Aiva could see the thoughts running through Mia’s mind as if she were speaking them aloud. Got you. If there was one thing she’d learned about Mia, it was that she cared about how she was portrayed to others. Her not being at her daughter’s birthday party without a good reason would not make her look good.
“You wouldn’t,” Mia hissed after a moment.
“You’re right. I don’t subscribe to that petty shit, but just like people take random pictures and sell them, they’ll sell a story.”
Mia was quiet, and again, her conversation with herself was loud. She sighed, leaning back in her seat. “Fine. I’ll be there, but stay away from me.”
“That won’t be an issue unless Yas wants to do something with us together. At which time I expect you to suck up whatever your issue is for her sake.” Aiva stood from her seat. “See you next weekend.”
She found her waitress, tipping the young woman even though she only had water, and exited the restaurant. She waited for her phone to connect to her Bluetooth before dialing Knox’s number and pulling out of the parking lot.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey, babe. Tell Yas I’ll be at her party.”
“You will?”
“I will. Mia and I will both be there,” she informed.
Knox was silent briefly. “How’d you swing that?”
“We had a conversation, and I appealed to her…better nature.”
It wasn’t exactly false. Her self-image was the only thing she was readily thinking about. Aiva could admit it was low to walk her into a corner like that, but she’d do it as often as she needed to keep Yasmine from being the one affected.
“I’m not even going to ask any more questions, but I’m glad you worked it out somehow. She’s been bummed about it since yesterday.”
“On second thought, would you let me tell her? I have a client coming in at three, but I should leave the office by four-thirty. I could swing by.”
“Of course, baby.”
They ended the call, and Aiva headed back to her office. When she entered the building, the waiting room was empty, and Finx was on the phone. She waved at him as she headed to her office. She’d barely settled in when he and Meila walked in.
“You don’t look like you had to beat a bitch up,” Meila stated, sitting.
“Because I didn’t.”
“That’s too bad,” Meila responded.
“You need to talk to someone about that violent streak,” Finx stated, and Aiva nodded in agreement.
“Don’t act like you weren’t hoping she’d laid hands and not in the name of Jesus.” Meila rolled her eyes.
“We spoke, she saw reason, and things are fine,” Aiva gave them the cliff notes version.
“Well, I’m glad it worked out for Yasmine. Let me know a good weekend to have the three of you over for dinner if Knox is okay with it,” Meila stated, standing and leaving as fast as she came.
“I sent you a couple of emails and two potential client forms,” Finx said before following Meila out.
Aiva already had everything together for her three o’clock, so she looked at her emails and the forms before her client arrived. That way, she would get out on time.
K nox followed Yasmine into the condo as she skipped ahead of him excitedly. Since Aiva was coming over to give her the good news, he thought they could make homemade pizza and ice cream together for dinner and dessert. They’d gone out to get the ingredients, which seemed to lift Yasmine’s spirits. They were two of her favorite things to make, and she could be as creative as she wanted when making her pizza.
They put the shopping away, and Yasmine went to play in her room until it was time for them to make dinner. He hadn’t told her that Aiva was coming over because he wanted it to be a surprise, but he was glad she seemed in a better mood.
He hadn’t wanted to tell her that Aiva wouldn’t attend the party. At least not then, but he wanted to be honest with her, and he realized putting it off wouldn’t do him any good. So, he’d told her before she could get excited about other plans and things she wanted to do with her during the party.
She’d asked him if it was because Aiva had to work, and she’d immediately asked if they could change the day of her party so she could still come. He’d hated bursting her bubble and telling her that wouldn’t be possible. When she cried, all Knox could do was hug her and assure her they could celebrate another time with Aiva.
His irritation at Mia increased because Yasmine’s disappointment could have been avoided. She wouldn’t have spent the rest of yesterday in a sad daze. It was easier to let her think Aiva couldn’t come because she was working than to tell her the truth because, regardless of his relationship with Mia, he had no intention of speaking ill about her to their daughter. Though he was sure he couldn’t say the same for her.
Knox grabbed his tablet to review the mock layout the carnival coordinator sent him. He’d rented a private outdoor event space. The coordinator had viewed it the week he’d returned from the cruise to ensure it would fit everything Yasmine wanted. He liked they confirmed the booths could be accommodated in the area beforehand, so there was no scrambling at the last minute.
He also liked that the carnival company he hired would supply baskets for each child, including punch cards for concession vouchers and play cards for the games to be scanned at every booth. They both came with lanyards so the children wouldn’t lose them, and they could use the little baskets to hold the smaller prizes they won. Knox had opted for a package that would allow the kids to play each game several times and would allow them to get one of everything from the concessions if they wanted. He was sure they wouldn’t go through them all, but better safe than sorry.
A knock on the door pulled Knox from his thoughts, and glancing at the time told him it was Aiva. He answered the door, greeting her with a kiss as she entered, and placed her purse on the entry table.
“How was work?” he asked, leading her to the couch.
“It was a slower day. Just a few clients and some paperwork to get together for filings. What did you and Yas do today?”
“Nothing much. We went to the store to get ingredients for homemade pizza but mostly stayed in the house.”
“Does she feel better today?”
“The shopping trip helped lift her spirits. I didn’t tell her you were coming by. I thought it could be a surprise.” He paused for a second. “I know I said I wouldn’t ask any more questions, but I’m curious. How did you get Mia to agree to this?”
“I—”
“Aiva!” Yas exclaimed, and they both looked to see her running down the hall. She bounced onto the couch between them, hugging her, and Aiva pulled her into her lap.
“Hey, sweetie,” she greeted.
“I didn’t know you were coming to visit today.”
“I wanted to surprise you. Your dad told me you were a little sad, and I wanted to come by and see you,” Aiva responded.
“I’m still sad. I know you have to work, and Daddy says we can’t change the day of my party, but I wish you could be there.”
“I wanted to come too. So, I worked everything out, and now nothing is keeping me from being at your party.”
Knox watched Yasmine’s eyes widen before asking, “You’re coming to my party?” When Aiva nodded, his daughter squealed in excitement, which caused him and Aiva to laugh before Yasmine told Aiva that they should all wear the same colors and how much more exciting it would be.
He watched them talk about her party, how Aiva tickled her lightly when Yasmine joked they should dress up as unicorns, and he couldn’t help but smile at them. He enjoyed watching their interactions and the bond they were building. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought it, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.
“ Y ou appealed to her vanity,” he stated later that night, after putting Yasmine to bed. “Smart move. I didn’t think of that.”
“I knew she wouldn’t want to be painted as the bad guy, and I let her know that would happen if she didn’t attend her daughter’s party. It was manipulative of me, but I wasn’t above doing it if it meant Yas wouldn’t be disappointed on a day meant to celebrate her.”
Knox leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you, baby.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Contrary to the interactions I’ve had with Mia, as your girlfriend, I don’t necessarily dislike her. As your former counsel, that’s a different story. But I don’t think about her outside of her being Yas’ mother. So, I don’t mind being in the same spaces as her and being cordial for the sake of Yas because her happiness and safety are most important within this entire dynamic. Not whatever the three of us have going on.”
“You’re right, and I try to remember that when dealing with Mia, but sometimes she makes it so hard to rise above. I’m not blameless when it comes to us not always agreeing because I know I’ve said and done some things that have me on the same level as her. Like our call on vacation,” he stated with a smirk.
Aiva laughed. “Yeah, baby. You went to hell with that one.” She paused, shaking her head with a smile. “Oh, before I forget. Meila has invited you and Yas for dinner whenever you feel comfortable.”
“That was nice of her. I’ll let you know a good time?”
“Yeah, no rush.”
“To give you a heads up, my parents will be at the party. My mom has been very excited to meet you. She might talk your ear off.” Mia’s parents lived out of state and they usually only visited twice a year for the major holidays. They wouldn’t have to worry about them.
“I’m fine with that. It seems our mothers are at the same stage in our relationship because mine asked me when she’d meet you last week.”
“Whenever you’re ready to introduce me, I’m ready to go,” he responded.
She nodded, looking at her watch. “I should go.”
“You can stay.”
“I’d love to, but I have court in the morning at eight-thirty. I’ll stay Friday night if the offer is still open. That way, we can go on Saturday and get whatever Yas wants us to wear.”
Knox walked her to the door, kissing her as she got ready to leave. “Text me when you get home.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, baby.”
Knox looked out of his living room window. He could see the parking lot from it and wanted to ensure she got to her car safely. Usually, when she visited him and Yasmine was with his parents, he walked her down, but he didn’t want to leave Yasmine alone.
Once Aiva was pulling out of the parking lot, he turned off the lights in the living room, deciding to shower and wait for her text.