Page 48 of Return on Love

“She really is,” comes Ryan’s voice. He’s standing by the door, almost occupying the entire space, a smile of pride on his face. “And mostly she’s done it on her own. Truly wonderful, the mind of child is.”

I smile at Yoda’s quote. I wonder he hasn’t introduced Star Wars to Jen so far.

“I’m also making a game on ROBLOX,” Jen says. “It’s still not done, but maybe next time you come, I’ll be able to show you part of it.”

Next time? It hits me again that I’m leaving Boston in a week. Going to the other side of the continent, back to LA. That’s where I live. That’s where my life is.

Ryan and I exchange a glance, and I can sense that he’s thinking exactly the same thing. Not that I kissed him because I thought we were going to have some kind of relationship. I mean, a few weeks ago, we hated each other. Things don’t move so fast, do they? But it still hurts to think of leaving Boston.

“Can I go to the park? Eva can buy me an ice-cream on our way back then. I told you about Ryan, so I get one, right?”

The girl doesn’t forget. I nod.

“Yay!” and she’s already bounding down the stairs and is out of the house, standing next to Ryan’s car, by the time we both make it out the door.

We sit on the bench while she plays in the park.

“This is nice, isn’t it?” asks Ryan. “Kids bring so much joy into your life.”

“Yeah, but it’s not a life for me. I’ll never have kids or even marry.”

Ryan continues to look straight at Jen. “Opinions and thoughts change. That’s life. That’s how we grow. As they say, never say never.”

“So your grandma was a chef?” I ask, attempting to change the topic.

“She was the best. Since Dad was never available and Mom wasn’t well, she tried to teach both Emily and me to cook a little. Emily hated it, but I was a natural. I started cooking because, well, someone had to cook if we were to eat, but I developed a love for it as I grew older.”

“Where are your parents now?”

“Well, Mom is in Danbury. She lives with her brother. We visit when we can. Dad died in an accident when I was in grad school. You must’ve heard about it, I guess.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“That’s why I dropped out of college. I thought everyone knew. He died and left a ton of debt. Emily was in med school and I didn’t want her to drop out, so I dropped out, sold Grandma’s shop that she had left to me, and took up some job to pay for part of her college.” He pauses, and I hold his hand, rubbing them a little. He looks so vulnerable.

“I used to code every night, working on Piggies. Boris and Clyde gave up on the game after I dropped out. But I gave them full credit when the game became a hit. Then when it started earning, I left my job and founded MooreGames. I met Gabriel. He comes from a lot of wealth, so he didn’t need any salary then but helped me with the finances. We both are equity partners. He took me to this conference, where I met Bernard. He invested in MooreGames, and you know the story since then.”

“Wow!” that’s all I can say. And I’d thought he’d had a wonderful childhood, amazing parents, and a shielded life. My respect for him has only increased and I feel silly thinking that I had the worst childhood because of Dad.

There’s an awkward silence. I’m pretty bad at such conversation, talking about emotions and stuff. Thankfully, Jen runs over to us and jumps straight on my lap.

“Time for you to treat me, Eva,” she shrieks. “I’m tired. Can you carry me?” I don’t wanna say no to the child, but I’ve never carried a child on my lap before. I don’t want to drop her midway.

Thankfully, Ryan stands up and lifts her on his shoulders, as if she was a feather. “I can do that for you, pumpkin, so you can see and talk to Eva easily, okay?”

We all have ice-creams and then head back home. Emily is back in the evening while we all are sitting in the living room, playing Uno.

“I’m sorry, Eva, for spoiling your Saturday. How can I make it up to you? Shall I cook dinner?”

Both Ryan and Jen shout “No,” together.

I can’t suppress my laughter as Emily runs after Jen, pretending to be angry, but still laughing.

“But seriously, I can order in,” she says, once she catches Jen and gives her a playful flick on her head.

“You’re tired,” I say. “And honestly, it’s been one of the best weekends I’ve spent in a long time. Usually, I just work through it. And Jen is such a lovely child. I’m glad I came over.” And I mean every word.

“But you have to promise me to come again, not to babysit, but for lunch or dinner. I insist.”

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