Page 167 of Here and Now
I’m eternally happy for that.
Kai and I make it back to my office. All the extracurricular activities are over and we can finally leave.
“Are you ready to head home?”
He nods. “Let’s go.”
We gather our things and walk to the car. On the ride home, he tells me about his teacher and her new dog.
“I think we should get a dog,” he informs me.
“I think we can talk about it, but dogs are a lot of work.”
“I can handle it.”
There’s not a doubt that he can. “Maybe we can talk to your mom about it in a few days? Let’s let her get through the interview stuff, okay?”
“Okay,” Kai agrees easily.
I park in the driveway, leaving room for Penelope to park to the right, and Kai doesn’t immediately unbuckle like he always does. He sits there, seeming to contemplate something.
“You all right?” I ask.
“Are you going to marry my mom?”
Umm, definitely not what I thought was coming.
I’d planned in a few weeks to take Kai out for ice cream, maybe the candy store, or somewhere he could buy whatever he wanted. Once I had the bribery portion of the day in order, we would talk about this.
This is no buttered-up version, but at the same time, Kai is way too smart for his own good, and I want to build a relationship—a father-son one—based on trust and communication.
“How about we go inside and talk about this with a snack?” I ask.
“Can we have a brownie?”
I laugh once. “Sure, little man.”
Kai unbuckles and we head inside. Penelope made brownies, cupcakes, and a cake last night because, apparently, she’s a nervous baker. I’m not going to complain one bit, because all three of them are amazing.
Once I cut him a square, I put the plate down in front of himand sit across the table. Kai takes a bite and then puts it down. “So are you going to marry Mom?”
I fold my hands and lay them on the table, just like I plan to do with my heart. “Man to man?”
This impresses him and he nods.
I fight back the urge to smile. “Okay,” I begin. “Would you like me to marry your mom?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation. Not even a blink. “I would like to as well. I’d like to talk about what this means for us, though. You’re a big part of this too.”
Kai straightens in his seat. “I am?”
“Yes. Not only do I want to be your mom’s husband, but I’d really like to be your dad. This means that me asking her also means I ask you if you’d like to be a family. See, I love your mom very much, but I also love you. In a way, we’d be more than married, we’d be a family as well. I think that’s a decision that you have to be involved in too.”
I lay it all out, my heart pounding because all of it’s true, and also it’s fucking terrifying to leave some of this up to a six-year-old.
“You would be my dad?”
