Page 92 of Crashing into Love

“Um… It’s awkward.”

“What’s awkward?”

“We’re together now.”

“Okay…”

“I don’t have a ton of experience with relationships, but in my previous one, I didn’t let him meet Gia. We were only together for six months. He was a great guy, and he wanted to meet her, and he understood that I was a mom first, but every time he asked, I said no.”

“Why?”

“It just didn’t feel right. I don’t know that it ever really did with me, and that’s probably why I resisted letting him meet her, but I’m usually very cautious with my kid. She’s my child, yes, but she’s also really special. She’s emotionally very sensitive and only nine years old, even though she thinks she’s forty.”

The elevator arrived, and they got inside. Drew wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but she had a slight idea and was a little worried.

“You’ve already met her, though, and she adores you,” Selma continued. “She asks if she can call you all the time. And you’re so great with her, Drew.”

“But you only let us talk once between the last trip and today,” Drew said with a nod. “You want me to cool it with her?”

“Not exactly. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”

Drew turned to her and said, “I’ll respect whatever you want, Selma. I know Gia is your daughter; I’ll follow your rules. I know you’re worried because it was different when we were just friends, but Gia doesn’t need to know we’re dating until you’re ready to tell her. Everything can be how it was before for her. I’m okay with that. And if you want me to not talk to her as often, I won’t, but I…”

“You really like my kid, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Drew replied as the elevator doors opened. “Don’t take this the wrong way – I definitely miss the two of you very differently – but I do miss her, too. She’s just like this little you. I love talking to her, drawing with her, or hanging out with her.”

“She’s not a little me.” Selma chuckled as they made their way down the hall.

“What are you talking about? She looks just like you. She also taps her foot and crosses her arms just like you, and she’s smart and funny like you, too.”

“She is not smart like me. She’s smart like the people in MENSA. I am not in MENSA.”

“Babe, people can be smart differently. Even though you joke that you don’t know where she got it from, she had to get it from you, if her sperm donor is basically a dunce.”

“Sperm donor?”

“I can’t really call him a father or a dad, can I?” Drew unlocked the room door. “I will if you want me to, and I’d never say that around Gia, but he’s not a father if he’s not around and not helping you raise her.”

“I agree,” Selma said.

Drew motioned for her to go into the room first, and she followed Selma in, closing the door behind them.

“All I’m saying is that you have nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not possible. I’m a parent, Drew.”

Drew put Selma’s board next to her own.

“Wow! This room is…” Selma looked around.

“I’m not going anywhere, Selma.”

Selma turned to face her and said, “We just started dating. You can’t know that.”

“What I mean is that as long as you’re okay with me being in her life, I will be. Even if you and I don’t work out, I’ll still be there for her. And yes, I can’t know what’s going to happen with us, but I know what I hope will happen.”

“What’s that?”

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