Page 36 of Mister Mom

“See you, Via,” Vance says with a small wave.

She smiles over her mouthful of crackers and I follow Vance out of the kitchen.

“Thank you again. Payne had a good time, I can tell.”

He stops at the front door. “I had fun. You have a great kid.”

I’m not sure he means it, but Payne so rarely receives compliments that I’m glad someone sees the diamond inside of him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, trying not to let the note of sadness I’m feeling at his departure creep into my voice.

“See you.”

He turns and speeds down my walkway, no backward glances or lingering looks, which shouldn’t surprise me. I’m sure like everyone else he has a life he wants to get back to.

With a small smile I head back into the kitchen, to the two most important things in my own life, telling myself that one day I’ll find someone who shares that sentiment, but not really believing it to be true.

10

Layla

On day two of Manny Vance, I walk into the house with the baby and it’s a completely different scene than the night prior. The first thing I notice is that they’re not running around. Instead, Vance is sprawled out on the couch with his feet on my coffee table and Payne is cuddled under his arm fast asleep.

Vance smiles that panty-melting grin he seems to have been born with. As soon as we enter the room Via screams and wiggles out of my hold, running over to Vance and hitting him on the leg.

Vance tries to get up, but it’s clear from the way he’s trying to extricate himself that he’s afraid he’ll wake Payne, so I rush over, pick up Payne and hold him to my chest.

“He does this sometimes when he’s going through a growth spurt. Experience has shown me that it’s better to let him sleep through the night and double up on breakfast otherwise he can be a bear. I’ll be right back,” I whisper, casting a glance Via’s way. “Can you keep an eye on her for a sec?”

“I can take him,” he offers, standing up with his hands out.

“That’s okay. I’ve got it.”

Fear flashes across his face and I stifle a laugh so as not to wake up Payne. Apparently, Vance is okay with four-year-olds but not kids under two.

Tiptoeing upstairs, I lay Payne on his bed, slowly strip him of his jeans and tuck him in. I can’t help but stare at him while he’s sleeping. I swear until I had kids I didn’t even know this was an urge I’d ever have. He has his dad’s prominent nose and perfect lips and I know that one day he’ll be breaking hearts like him, but I know it’s going to be my job to teach Payne to respect women and the institution of marriage. I sit down on the edge of the bed and brush the blond strands from his eyes, recalling last night’s dinner and how he had a zillion stories about Vance and how cool he is. I was worried at first, but this manny idea has turned out to be great for him.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, Via’s giggle echoes into the foyer.

What could they be doing?

I round the corner finding Via pressing a button on the ball machine that’s been jammed for the past two months. I kept meaning to buy another one because she had loved it so much, but life and time haven’t really been on my side.

“You fixed it?” I ask, making my way through the room, picking up the Legos, the Ninja Turtles, and every other mismatched toy strewn on the floor.

“Yeah,” he answers, leaning back on the couch with his legs stretched out, snatching balls from the machine right after they pop out, making Via laugh even more.

“You hungry, Via?” I ask, dropping all the toys into the one mass bin they’re stored in. Long gone are my anal days when I’d spend an hour arranging each category of toy back into organized bins. Life no longer allows me such luxuries.

“Yum,” she says.

Unlike last night Vance doesn’t seem in a rush to get out of here, which, if I’m honest, secretly pleases me.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” I ask him, and before you get all judgy, know that I’m doing it because he’s been so great the last two days and dinner is the least I can do.

“You cook?” His right eyebrow quirks up.

“I thought you would have realized by now that I’m not some spoiled starlet.” I wink and then spin on my heel and head into the kitchen, not waiting for an answer.

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