Page 95 of Three Not-So-Little Words
“That yourfriendwas in your bed.” She smiles while I feel my face getting red.
“Oh.”
That’s it? That’s all I can come up with to say?
We both sit silently, trying to feel each other out.
Finally, Sandy breaks her stone facade and starts laughing. “Oh, calm down, Drew. You should see the look on your face.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why on Earth would I be mad?”
“Because I’m somehow disrespecting Natalie or something. I don’t know.”
“Drew, Natalie has been gone for over a year, and you weren’t a couple before that for quite some time. I don’t expect you to live like a monk the rest of your life.”
“Really?” I ask in disbelief.
“Of course. When Natalie’s father died, I eventually started dating again.”
I am even more shocked than I was fifteen seconds ago.
I must show it all over my face because she says, “Yes, I date. I’ve even had a couple of serious relationships.”
“How the hell did you balance dating with trying to be a good mom?” I blurt.
“Well, Natalie was already grown when her father passed. She was already raised.”
“Oh,” I say, trying not to sound disappointed by her answer.
“Are you having doubts about your abilities as a father? Or your newfound relationship?”
“A little bit of both.”
“I don’t presume to be an expert in these things, but I know a little bit. Being a parent is hard. Almost everything about it is hard. When I was younger, I thought kids should not onlycome first but be a parent’s only priority. It took me having my daughter growing up to realize that it’s okay to be a person too—not just a parent.”
“It’s all uncharted waters,” I tell her. “The woman I’m seeing is new to the thought of commitment, and having a kid adds to the shock of it all.”
She nods. “Got it.”
“I’m trying to take things slow…for everyone involved. I certainly didn’t expectthatto be the first time the two of them met.”
“I don’t think anyone would want that meeting.” She laughs.
“Do you think I’ve scarred him for life?”
“Well, when he told me about her, he started by saying she brought pizza for dinner. He didn’t bring up the other thing until later, so I think you’re fine.”
“I don’t want him to ever forget his mom or think I’m trying to replace her.”
“Just do your best to keep her memory alive. That’s really all you can do.”
Sandy and I talk a little while longer before she heads home for the evening. She may not be my mother or even my actual mother-in-law, but there’s something about her that’s oddly comforting. I’m glad she’s a permanent fixture in our lives now.
After a wrestling match with Colton, it’s time for a bath and then getting ready for bed.
As we watch a nature documentary, Colton asks me what I did while he was gone.
