Page 117 of Love You Madly

“Where are we going tomorrow?” he asks as I place his dinner in front of him. He scoops the grilled cheese into the tomato soup and sloshes a bunch of it over the side of the bowl all over the counter, making me chuckle.

“Well,” I start, grabbing a napkin to wipe up the mess, “I thought we’d go visit a friend of mine. Her name is Callie, and she has a little girl named Sara who’s about a year and a half younger than you. They have a nice house with a backyard where you two can play.”

As I wipe up the rest of the spilled soup, I notice the way Barrett’s little hands try to mimic mine, his face scrunched in concentration as he uses his shirt sleeve to clean up a few new drops that landed in front of him. I chuckle as I give him a napkin, which he quickly tucks into his collar like a bib.

Barrett pauses mid-bite, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes. “Can we play on the swings?”

I grin, glad to see him so excited. “Maybe. We’ll see if there’s a park nearby. But I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun.”

Barrett’s questions continue one after another—this curiosity of his always reminds me of myself as a kid. Little moments like this hit me harder than he could ever know and remind me that I’ll never truly be ready for him to grow up.

“Is Callie nice?” he asks, as if he’s carefully weighing this new information.

“She’s very nice,” I say, nodding. “I think you’ll really like her and Sara. They’re fun to be around.”

Barrett’s face lights up with a smile, and he goes back to his dinner with renewed energy, as if the promise of tomorrow’s adventure has given him a second wind. “I can’t wait, Daddy! I’m gonna show Sara how fast I can run.”

“I’m sure she’ll be impressed,” I say, watching him with a mix of pride and affection. This is what it’s all about—seeing him excited, knowing that he’s going to have a good time, and feeling like we’re moving forward, step by step, toward something better.

As Barrett finishes up his dinner, I can tell his mind is already racing ahead to tomorrow. His little legs swing even faster from the stool, and he chatters on about all the things he wants to show Sara—how high he can jump, how he can make funny faces, and how he can do a somersault, which he promptly demonstrates right there in the kitchen, making me laugh.

“Careful, buddy,” I say, still smiling as I help him back onto the stool. “Save some of that energy for tomorrow.”

Barrett grins up at me, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I will, Daddy. I promise.”

As I put him to bed for the night, I can’t shake the faint thread of nerves. Introducing Barrett to Callie represents a significant milestone in our relationship. I can only hope my instincts are correct and that this is the right move.

fifty-one

THE BOY IS MINE - BRANDY & MONICA

CALLIE - AUGUST 2, 2013

Ipull into the restaurant parking lot to meet Mom, Taylor and my niece Ava for dinner. It’s one of Mom’s favorite places to eat and we are celebrating her birthday a couple of weeks late. It’s been forever since we had a girl’s night like this. Despite the chaos of getting Sara out the door, there’s a warm and comfortable familiarity to the restaurant.

Inside, the restaurant is just as cozy as I remember. The familiar scent of garlic and fresh bread in the air. It’s honestly surprising to me that my mother loves this restaurant as much as she scolds Taylor and I for overeating. We are greeted by the hostess who leads us to a booth near the back.

Mom takes the girls to the bathroom to wash up and Taylor and I have a seat at the table. As soon as she’s out of earshot, Taylor turns to me with a serious look that instantly puts me on edge.

“Callie… How well do you really know Owen?” she asks, her voice low, almost hesitant.

I blink, caught off guard. “What do you mean? I know him pretty well. Why?”

Taylor reaches into her bag and pulls out her phone, her expression unreadable. “I got a message today from a woman named Karissa. She says she’s Owen’s ex.”

A gnawing unease settles in the pit of my stomach, refusing to let go.What the fuck? Why is this woman messaging my sister?

“What did she say?” I ask, my chest tightening.

My sister hesitates before handing me her phone. “Read it for yourself.”

I take the phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I scroll through the message:

Hi Taylor,

I know this message is super random, but I didn’t know who else to contact. I tried contacting Callie, but her privacy settings won’t let me message her directly. I saw that you’re her sister, and I’m really worried about her. This is going to be a lot, so please bear with me. She’s dating my ex-boyfriend, Owen. We were together for a while, and I thought everything was going well, but he broke up with me out of the blue. And I just found out I’m pregnant with his child.

I’m concerned that he might do the same thing to Callie, especially since she’s pregnant with his baby, too. I know how hard it is to be left alone, and I don’t want her to go through that. Owen has a tendency to ghost people, and I’m scared he’ll hurt Callie like he hurt me. Please, just tell her to be careful.

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