Page 98 of Three Not-So-Little Words

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“Your dad has some of his old friends staying with us for a couple of weeks, so you know what that means.”

“You’re going to be working at the bar more than usual?”

“Bingo!”

“Sorry, I’m late,” I tell Drew as I take off my jacket and shoes. “My mom stopped by for a few.”

“No worries. Dinner will be a few more minutes.”

“What are we having?”

“Spaghetti and meatballs.”

“Sounds great.”

“I just have a couple more things to do. You can hang out in the living room with Colton if you want.”

I stare at him for a second. “Without you?”

He smiles. “I mean, I’ll be right here. Ten feet away.”

Half an hour ago, I was telling my mom that I was comfortable with dating a father. Now, I’m freaking out to be alone with his kid for a few minutes?

I’m a walking contradiction.

Sounds about right.

I take a deep breath and walk toward the couch where Colton is hanging upside down off of it, watching TV.

“Hey, Colton,” I greet.

He looks up at me. “Hi.”

“Remember me?” I ask.

He nods.

“What are you watching?”

“Spiderman.”

“He’s a pretty cool superhero,” I say. “Does it look cooler upside down like that?”

He shrugs. “I guess.”

I may know next to nothing about kids, but I do know how to be silly and have fun. So, I take a seat next to him and hang upside down the same way that he is.

I’m suddenly very grateful that I opted for jeans today rather than a dress.

“Hmm. You’re right,” I tell him. “Upside down makes everything look way more interesting.”

He looks at me and gets the biggest grin.

I ask, “Do you think Spiderman sits like this?”

“Yeah,” he says. “He probably hangs with his webs.”

“Oh, like from the ceiling? Good point.”

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