Page 117 of The Fix-Up

“Finally.” I sat down next to him on the bench we’d uncovered in the backyard. After a good cleaning and fixing a few loose screws, it had become a favorite place for Gil and me to sit after Oliver went to bed. “He wanted me to explain how Lulu got in Aunt Mae’s tummy.”

“What did you tell him?”

“The truth, obviously.” I leaned back and waved a hand at the inky-black sky. “Aliens.”

Laughing, he patted my leg. “You’re a good mom.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. “I don’t feel like it most of the time.”

“You are all the time. That’s the first thing I liked about you.”

“That I was a mom?”

“That you were a good mom. I could tell from that meeting with the lawyer when you wouldn’t let me stay in the house because you didn’t want strangers around Oliver.”

I lifted my head and looked at him coyly. “What’s the second thing you liked about me?”

Absently, his hand on my knee wandered up to my thigh. My heart skittered at the delicious weight of it resting there. “Everything.”

“I like you, too,” I said. “Even when you wear your toolbelt.”

“I think especially when I wear my toolbelt. I feel faintly objectified when I wear it around you.”

I gasped. “I do not objectify you.”

“Good thing I like it.” He kissed the side of my head. “Why do you think I keep wearing it?”

Jokingly, I elbowed him in the ribs only to snuggle into his side right after. “About the Fourth of the July Festival, listen, I can get you out of that. When Ali goes into high gear, she steamrolls people into agreeing.”

“I can see how she’s good at her job,” he said dryly.

I picked at the frayed edge of my jean shorts. “But also, if you wanted to bring Mikey here for the weekend, I think it would be nice to meet him.”

“I don’t know. He likes his routine and being in familiar places. It might be way too much for him.”

“Or you could try it and see what happens.”

“I don’t know if I want to experiment on him.”

“Not an experiment. How are you going to know how he’ll do in a new situation if you don’t let him try? When’s the last time you took him somewhere new?”

Gil frowned. “I guess it’s been a while. I’ve been a little busy the past few months.”

“Exactly. Bring him here. Maybe just for the day. You can take him back home after. But I want to meet him.” I turned and tucked a leg under me. “He’s important to you. You’ve met all my important people.”

Tilting his head to the side, he looked at me for a long moment. “I just figured something out.”

“What?”

“You can talk me into things, too.”

“Does this mean you’ll bring him?” When he nodded, I clapped my hands. “What does he like to eat? Is he a dessert guy? Please tell me he likes dessert? Cookies or cake? Pie, maybe? Brownies? Oooh, muffins?”

He grinned. “Mikey is gonna love you.”

“You think?”

“How could he not?” His smile slipped. With the back of his hand, he touched my cheek.

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