A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, #3)

“Good for you,” her son said. “What a smart guy.”

Pam held in a smile. Steven was good with Jack. If things worked out with Zoe, he could have a couple of little ones of his own, and wouldn’t that be nice? She wanted more grandchildren—a point she made whenever it seemed appropriate. She didn’t want to push, but she wanted to make sure her children understood that she had needs.

“How’s Jen holding up?” Steven asked.

“She’s upset. It could have been Kirk.”

Something any wife would be panicked about, Pam thought, although Jen seemed to worry more than most. Ever since she’d had Jack, she’d been living on the edge. Not that Pam was going to discuss that with her now.

“You said she wants to go back and sit with Lucas after Jack’s in bed?” he asked. “I could come stay with him.”

Pam raised her eyebrows. “Have you babysat him before?”

“No, but he’ll be asleep. I’m pretty sure I can handle that. If he wakes up, I’ll call her.”

“You’re a good man.”

“I have my moments.”

Jack reached for another puzzle piece. She glanced at her son. “Speaking of moments, how are things going with Zoe?”

“Good.”

She waited. “That’s all I get?”

“Pretty much. I like her. I’m enjoying spending time with her. I’m going to stop by in a little bit and see her.”

Which meant what? They were just friends? They were falling in love? She desperately wanted to ask, but knew the danger of getting too involved. She’d set things in motion and now she had to sit back and wait. It wasn’t fair, but it was the right thing to do.

Steven handed Jack another puzzle piece. “Speaking of dating, how’s Miguel?”

She pressed her lips together. “That is none of your business.”

“Oh, you get to ask about my love life but I can’t talk about yours?” His voice was teasing, but she wasn’t sure how he felt. He’d already warned her off Miguel once.

“I’m your mother. It’s for the best if we don’t discuss me and other men.”

His humor faded. “There are other men?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how did you mean it?” He turned until he was facing her. “Mom, this is a big deal. I worry about you. You were with Dad for your entire adult life. Dating has changed.”

Was he serious? “How on earth has it changed?”

“I’ve been doing some research. Did you know that the fastest growing demographic for STDs is people over fifty-five? It’s because you didn’t grow up using condoms. When you were young, all you had to worry about was getting pregnant. It’s different now. There are all kinds of diseases to think about.”

She couldn’t decide if he was incredibly sweet or if she should box his ears.

“You’re lecturing me?”

He winced. “I’m trying to prepare you for what you’re facing.”

“Diseased men?”

“Maybe. Miguel has been dating a lot longer than you. There have been a lot of women. When you sleep with him, you’re sleeping with them, too.”

She could see the flush of color on his cheeks and the tension in his jaw. Having this conversation wasn’t easy for him, which should have made her feel compassionate and yet did not.

“And here I thought a threesome would be adventurous,” she murmured.

Steven muttered something under his breath. “Mom, I’m serious.”

“Maybe I am, too.” He flinched and she decided to take pity on him. “All right. Thank you for that odd and slightly gross bit of information. I will keep it in mind, should that ever become an issue. And while you don’t deserve to know this, I will share it anyway. You can relax. I’m years away from getting that involved with anyone.”

Her son looked at her intently. “Mom, you don’t know that. Things happen. You could be swept away.”

Pam was saved from commenting on that by Jen’s arrival. Jack stood and ran over to her, his arms outstretched. She scooped him up. “How’s my best boy?” she asked, then looked at Pam and smiled. “Thank you for helping.”

Pam stood. “I was happy to be here. How’s Lucas?”

“Out of surgery. It went much faster than they first thought, which is great. He’s going to be in recovery a few hours, then they’ll take him up to his room. The surgeon said everything went really smoothly. He’s going to have a long road until he’s back to normal, but he should get there.”

Steven joined them. “Mom said you’ll want to go back to the hospital tonight. I can look after Jack once he’s in bed, if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’ll be sleeping. I can handle it.”

She nodded, obviously exhausted. “I appreciate it.” She set Jack down and glanced at the clock. “Can you be back around nine?”

“I’ll be here.”

Pam allowed herself a moment of pride in her children. John would have loved this moment. She wasn’t sure what he would have thought about Steven giving her dating advice, though. Of course if he was around to voice an opinion, she wouldn’t have needed it, and wouldn’t that have been nice.

“Mom, you okay?” Jen asked.

“Yes. Just mulling over your brother’s worries about me getting involved with other men.”

She waited for her daughter to shriek, but Jen only set Jack in his small kitchen chair and started preparing dinner for him.

“You should listen. You were with Dad forever. The world is different now.”

Which was annoyingly what her son had said. “I’m perfectly fine.”

Jen pulled chicken out of the refrigerator. “Mom, if our situations were reversed, you’d be giving us advice. We only want to make sure you stay safe.”

There were a thousand things she could say. She could get angry, be sensible or she could shut them down. The latter seemed the best choice for her.

She smiled. “I gave birth to both of you. I pushed you each out of my vagina. When you can say the same about me, I’ll listen.”

With that, she picked up her bag and left.

*

Steven arrived right on time, but the second Zoe let him in the house, she could tell something was wrong. He looked tense and more than a little trapped.