Page 94 of The Legend Next Door
“Ah,” says Ben, trying not to smile. “I see.”
He swings Luca off his feet and hugs him to his chest. When he puts him down, he says, “Sweetheart, you know how Jelly has been spending a lot of time with us lately?”
“Yeah, he’s here all the time.”
“Do you know why that is?”
Oh shit.
Oh yes.
Oh no.
Ben’s going to tell him. Ben’s going to tell Luca what’s happening between us.
Oh God, please, please let him be okay with it.
“’Cause he’s your best friend.”
“He is my best friend, but he’s also more than that. He’s my boyfriend.”
Luca’s head bobs thoughtfully. He’s interested but not shocked and definitely not upset. Thank God.
“Oh, you mean like Jonah’s dads?”
“Yeah, exactly like that.”
“That’s neat, Daddy.” His gaze wanders over to me and a trickle of concern scoots his brows upward. “But, like, I can still have candy, though, right? ’Cause candy doesn’t give me the zoomies. Look, I haven’t had any today, and I still have the zoomies.”
He proves his point by tearing around the kitchen island twice and then making a mad dash into the living room to do a figure eight around the sofas.
“Jonah was a boy in Luca’s class last year who had two dads. One of them was trying to limit his sugar intake,” Ben explains helpfully.
“Ah, I see.”
When Luca returns, several things happen at once. Ben starts blowing up balloons and tying them off, Luca sets out plates for breakfast, and orange juices and coffees are poured.
When all that’s done, Luca and Ben bring the pillar candles from the dining room and place them on the kitchen island.
“D’you know what this is, Jelly?” asks Luca as Ben begins to light the candles.
“Hmm, let me think. We have candles and a birthday, so it’s…a birthday party, right?”
“Yes! It’s a birthday party for you!” It’s so cute how happy he is. His eyes are sparkling, and he’s talking louder and faster than usual. “Is it present time yet, Dad?”
“You know it. Wait here, Jelly. I’ll go and get it.”
“Don’t forget the hat,” Luca calls after Ben as he ducks into the study.
The hat looks like something Luca may have made in preschool. It’s green and conical with foam stickers and glitter glue dotted on it at random intervals. It’s placed firmly on my head by Ben, with an elastic band secured under my chin just tight enough to pinch a little.
I’m so disgustingly happy it’s using every ounce of my strength not to burst into tears.
I’m presented with a small gift bag with a smaller box inside it. The box is wrapped in pale blue tissue paper held together with washi tape. As I carefully peel away the tape, Luca bounces on the spot, little hands darting out to help when I don’t unwrap as fast as he’d like. Behind him, Ben smiles, shrugs, and mouths, “Hockey hands.”
“What can it be?” I say as I try to work out how to open the box in my hands.
I have no clue what it might be. Ben and I haven’t spoken about gifts or anything like that, and other than the fact that I like books, questionable T-shirts, and dildos that aren’t lifelike, I have no idea what he’d think I might like.
