The Friends We Keep

“Could you come over to look after Tyler for an hour or so? I know it’s short notice, but I—” She paused. What on earth was she supposed to say?

“I’ll be right there,” Cecelia told her. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

“Th-thank you.”

By the time the teen arrived, Nicole had managed to get control. She washed her face a couple of times and smiled at her reflection. She was still a wreck but hopefully she could get out of the house without breaking down in front of Tyler.

When Cecelia arrived, Tyler yelled with excitement. He showed her the Brad the Dragon coloring book he was working on and how he’d put stickers around the pictures.

Cecelia looked at her. “Take as much time as you need.”

“Thanks.” Nicole knelt down to hug her son. “I won’t be long. You be good, okay? Oh, and show Cece your mural. It’s looking really cool.”

“I will, Mommy.” He hugged her, then grabbed Cecelia’s hand and tugged her toward the hallway. “You have to see this!”

Nicole got into her car. Once there she wasn’t sure who to call. Gabby was still recovering from being sick. Shannon would make herself available, as would Hayley. Pam was out of town. She hesitated only a second before scrolling through her contact list.

Jairus picked up on the first ring. “Hey, this is unexpected,” he said.

At the sound of his low, steady voice, her tears returned. She clutched the phone tightly as she asked, “Can I come talk to you?”

“Of course. What’s up and how can I help?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

*

Nicole held the mug of herbal tea. She’d tried sipping the hot liquid, but her throat was too tight. She wasn’t sure she was ever going to stop crying.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “I don’t care about him hurting me. He can do that forever. I don’t care that he made me a fool in his movie. But this is his son. His child. My God, how can he walk away?”

She sat on the sofa in Jairus’s living room. He was in front of her, on the coffee table, facing her. He stroked her free hand.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t understand, either. Tyler’s a great kid. He’s fun to be around. Easy. Eric’s an idiot.”

Probably true, she thought, but not an explanation. “You don’t know, either, then.”

“I don’t. I’m sorry. I wish I could say it’s a guy thing, but it isn’t. It makes me angry, but I can almost understand my ex not wanting to deal with my sister. But this is different. This is his blood.”

“Do you think I should take him to court? Force him to have visitation with Tyler?”

“How does that help?”

An excellent question and the entire point of the matter. Only Tyler mattered. Would his life be better if he saw his father because Eric was forced by the court? Or was it best to simply let the man walk away?

“A boy needs his father,” she said. “That’s what everyone says.”

“Does Tyler miss Eric?”

“No. He rarely talks about him. You know that. Remember when he said his dad was gone? Like he was dead or something? I’ve talked to him about his father. It’s clear that Tyler stopped missing him long before we were separated. They never had anything to do with each other.”

Jairus nodded without speaking. Nicole knew he wasn’t going to give his opinion. Not on something like this. She had to decide. She was Tyler’s mother.

“I should probably talk to someone,” she said at last. “A child psychologist or something like that. To make sure I’m not hurting him or doing something wrong.”

“You love him. You’re always going to make the right decision.”

That made her almost smile. “I wish that were true, but it’s not. I can easily screw him up.”

“You won’t.”

“I appreciate your faith in me.”

He leaned in and kissed her. The touch was light. Reassuring. He was offering comfort, not making a move. Funny how she hadn’t known him all that long, but she was sure of so many things.

“I love you,” she said unexpectedly. The words had come from nowhere, but having spoken them, she found she didn’t want to call them back.

The corners of his mouth turned up. “I love you, too.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

She smiled. “Now that you’ve won me, whatever will you do with me?”

His humor faded as he took both her hands in his. “Whatever you want.”

*

Oh, to be young again, Gabby thought as she walked into the kitchen to make lunch. The twins were back in school. They’d been sick for two days, then had recovered seemingly overnight. She’d kept them home an extra day, just to be sure, but this morning, they’d begged to return to class.

In contrast, Makayla had asked for another day and Gabby had agreed. Tomorrow they would both return to their regularly scheduled lives. Gabby wondered if the teen was dreading it as much as she was.