Page 77 of Embers in Our Souls
“How many meatballs do you want?” I’m serving him a little bit of everything and I see his nose scrunch up as I put broccoli on his plate.
“You know the rules. We have to balance our plate with some veggies.” I give him a pointed look.
He shrugs. “Fine. And I want two meatballs please.”
Once I’m done putting his plate on the table, I make one for myself and join him.
“How was school today?” I ask him.
“It was good. We’re learning about volcanos.” His eyes grow wide.
“Wow. Exciting! Did you watch a video?”
“Yes. And Ms. Mendo says she’s going to let us do a project in class with baking soda and vinegar.” He continues talking about it, completely animated about how he’ll get to see a fake volcano in class.
“That sounds fun,” I tell him. I remember Bryce being enthralled by science in the same way. The older he got, the more complex his stories were regarding his classes. I have no doubt Noah will be the same way. At least right now, I can keep up with his science experiments, but I know at some point, this kid will outsmart me.
“We also learned about the temperature of a volcano and the lava!” He throws his hands up, and I laugh.
“Really? How hot does it get?” I can’t help the laugh that escapes.
“Super hot. And not even the firemen can put it out. It’sreallyhot, Mom,” he explains, his eyes doubling in size. “I wonder if Hunter has seen a volcano erupt.” He looks off in a distance.
My heart flutters at the thought of Tyler. I wonder how he’ll take the news of Tyler and I together, my nerves take off at the prospect. Will he welcome the idea of me with Ty or will he be upset?
I know he likes Tyler, but dating me might bring on a new set of feelings and I’m afraid of how he’ll react. He’s never seen me dating anyone. Maybe I’ve done this all wrong all these years by shielding him and now he’ll be hostile if I bring Tyler around.
I reach for my water and take a sip. Anxiety is taking over as I think about all the scenarios playing out in my head. I’ve really messed up and Noah could be greatly affected by my actions here if things with Tyler go sideways.
I let Noah continue on about his science class, his enthusiasm masking my anxiety attack. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice it, along with my lack of appetite.
Once dinner is finished and cleared, we move through the bedtime routine. I let him read a book aloud. He’s starting to do well with his books, needing little help from me in the last few weeks.
After I say goodnight, I walk out of his room, and pull out my phone. I quickly send a text off to Tyler:
Hey. I hope your shift is going well. When you’re done tomorrow, maybe we can find some time to talk.
I expect to get a text back at some point, but to my surprise, my phone starts ringing within a few minutes.
“What’s wrong, Indy?” Tyler seems panicked.
“Nothing’s wrong per se…” I start.
“Your text sounds like you’re having doubts about something. So, talk to me,” he urges.
“Well, I was thinking about Noah, and I’m just worried about how he’ll react to us is all.” I’m walking out to the kitchen and hoping I’m talking low enough that my voice doesn’t carry.
“You think Noah would be mad to know you and I are together?” Ty sounds concerned.
“I don’t think so, but I’ve never introduced him to anyone I’ve dated. I honestly don’t know.”
“Well, there’s really no way to know how this will go without telling him, Indy.” It’s really quiet wherever he is.
“Aren’t you at the firehouse right now?” I ask him, changing subjects.
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s so quiet. Are you allowed to be on a call with me?”
