Page 52 of Challenged By You
For just a moment I think my words penetrate, but she squares her shoulders much in the same way Annie does before she says something to hurt me. God, how insane is it I realize my daughter picked up that mannerism from my mother. “Well, add this to the things to hold against me, then. Find someone else to watch your kids. I no longer want a thing to do with them or you.” She turns to stalk off toward her apartment.
I want to scream at her we don’t need her, but memories of last night with Jonas flash through my mind. Instead, I call to her retreating back, “I feel sorry for you, Mom.”
That halts her progress. Even though she doesn’t face me, I continue almost conversationally. “I understand better now how difficult it must have been for you after Dad left. You worked hard. I didn’t appreciate it then. I’m sorry for that, but only that. You know why? Because despite all of that, when I did reach out, you didn’t care. And if you really cared about my children, you might give a damn about the well-being of their mother. But that’s neither here nor there.”
“Don’t tell me I don’t care for those babies,” she snaps, facing me again.
“You said your piece, and you said you’re done. Now, I’ll say mine.” I edge a little closer. “I’m sorry for you because their minds are young. In a few years, they’ll forget about you. They’ll have school plays you won’t be invited to, Halloween costumes you’ll never see, Christmases you’ll never be a part of—no matter how big or small. And every one of those events will be special.”
“Because of that man in there?” she sneers.
“No, because the three of us will make it that way for whomever is with us on those days.” Now, I turn around and walk back to my door. “Did you just make my life difficult again in the short term? Certainly. But in the long term, I have two magnificent children who will know every day they are loved—something I wondered every day if I was. What will you have?” On that parting shot, I push open my door. Closing it behind me, I lean back against it before sliding down so my ass rests against my heels. “God, what am I going to do?”
A shadow crosses in front of my feet. A male hand reaches down for me just as big feet bump against mine. “Why don’t we figure it out together?” Jonas suggests quietly.
My head snaps back and raps into the door behind me. “Ow. I think I just put a hole in my head,” I gripe.
“Not a shock, Lorraine.” Jonas’s voice is tender as he teases me around to our conversation just before my mother transferred a dumpster’s worth of resentment my way. “It just adds more light to your alreadyholeyimage.” He reaches a hand down.
My lips quirk a bit at his pun. “When I first met you, I never would have thought the staid Jonas Rice has a thing for puns,” I wonder aloud as I take his hand.
He pulls me to my feet and brushes his lips across mine. “That’s a special secret between us, okay? It’s something I only share with people who are special.”
Even though I’m tempted to break down in maniacal laughter, I touch his face gently and whisper, “Deal.”
“Now, back to what I was asking. How about letting me…”
I’m about to ask him what he means by “help” when with a mother’s hearing, I hear Annie’s slight whimper. “Back in a few. Duty calls.”
As I shift away, I hear a low “I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
I can’t say that doesn’t give me a bit of a tingle low in my stomach as I cross the threshold to the bedroom to hear Annie’s anxious “Mama?”
* * *
“Nono!”Chris exclaims. Crawling next to his sister on the couch, his exuberance leads to a sloppy baby kiss on the side of Jonas’s cheek that Annie hasn’t already claimed to gnaw on.
“Hey, buddy. Sleep well?” Just before Chris can begin babbling, Annie’s teeth take a bite a little too sharply. Instead of jerking back, Jonas merely chuckles, “I think that’s your mama’s job, sweetling.”
“Mama, Mama,” Annie agrees. Lurching away from Jonas, she dives for the end of the sofa. Simultaneously we reach for her, Jonas swooping her up and down onto the floor so she can safely take off in my direction. When she reaches me, she holds her arms up. “Hungry. Want eggs. Pweese?”
I reach down and pick her up, balancing her on one hip. Chris is perfectly content snuggled next to Jonas. “What about you, buddy? Eggs?”
My son, still sleepy, nods.
“Do you want me to grab her?” Jonas offers.
“Nah. Annie likes to cook with me in the morning. Don’t you, love bug?” She nods exuberantly in response. I grin at Jonas, and my heart stutters when the warmth pouring out from him swamps over both of us.
What started out being one of the most intense nights of my life changed to one of the most devastating mornings. Now, we’re bouncing back all within a matter of hours. And it’s in part to do with the man sitting on the couch.
“Why are you here?” I blurt out.
And just that quickly, the ease of the moment begins to evaporate. Annie buries her head against my shoulder. Chris is curled into Jonas, but if he were awake, I’m sure he’d notice the tension building in the room. “Excuse me?” Jonas enunciates precisely.
“You didn’t have to stay. I could give a thousand reasons why you should be gone—”
Standing, he lifts my son into his arms as naturally as if he’d been doing it his whole life instead of a few weeks. “And I can give you three why I did.” I open my mouth to protest, but Jonas lifts his finger to silence me. “I’m here, Trina, and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
