Page 56 of Forever Flirting

Three days later…a package arrived for Everly at her office from Amazon, and that surprised her, because she hadn’t placed an order. She had forgotten, leaving the office quickly and forgot to open it, simply because of the large package that was left on her front porch on the Ring camera for anyone to see.

Mallory had gone to the store to get some groceries and asked Everly to watch Caleb for a bit. It was strange, almost odd, feeling like she was playing ‘house’ with the little boy, and knowing that this wasn’t the case.

“Hey Caleb, your Daddy wrote you a letter and I think this is for you,” she said quietly, opening the box and pulling out the Little Tykes airplane.

“Pwane?”

“Yes, sir. Your Daddy sent you a plane so you can fly whenever you want to,” she said softly – and then grabbed her phone to film a little video and take photos for Alex. “See? There’s a pilot and that is what your Daddy does when he flies a plane. Maybe someday you can fly with him?”

Caleb immediately began talking in gibberish at the plane, holding up the clunky characters, and then rolling it around on the floor. She took several photos, told him to smile and hold up the plane, and emailed the photographs to Alex. The video she couldn’t get to go through; it kept saying the file was too big.

The front door opened, and Mallory was carrying several bags of groceries.

“Do you need some help?” Everly offered immediately.

“Mama… pwane!”

“Where’d that come from?” Mallory smiled easily, putting the grocery bags on the table as Everly got up to help get some of the things from her car.

“Alex sent it to Caleb,” she said, almost mentally bracing herself for Mallory to get upset, make some sort of comment, or roll her eyes. She knew that just hearing about Alex bothered her… but it was a sweet, thoughtful gift.

Instead, the other woman’s expression was unreadable – the smile still there as she turned to get the rest of the stuff from the car before Everly could help

“That’s nice.”

That only incensed Everly…

Itwasnice.

It was sweet.

It was something fatherly that a man would do for his son.

The fact that it was a plane, and he flew for a living, wasn’t lost on her, nor was the fact that Alex and Caleb had played this together. Alex wanted his son to think of him, have memories of him, and this was his way of doing it… and it was ‘nice’?

Everly followed Mallory into the kitchen when she returned with the groceries, staring at the woman in frustration, and feeling like she was being pushed up against a wall by the one person that had been there for her since her parents had left for their travels.

“What’s going on?” Everly said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Everly retorted tightly, trying to keep her voice calm. “It’s in the past. Being focused on that won’t change anything, but Alex is trying to be halfway decent to you and reaching out to Caleb – and I don’t know why it’s bothering you.”

“Because he gets to swoop in, be the hero, and I’m stuck being Mommy the disciplinarian… the one that makes him brush his teeth, is trying to potty train him, and kissing the boo-boos. I’m the one that now feels like a hassle, while Saint Alex doesn’t have to do any of the tough stuff,” Mallory hissed angrily, her eyes glistening. “You think I can’t see how this will be when he’s older? ‘Mean ol’ mom said ‘no’ but if I wait long enough then my Dad will give in’… and Alex would, because he feels guilty – but that’s not parenting!”

“You’re right,” Everly said quietly, looking at her. “You are absolutely right. One parent cannot make all the rules and the other gets to break them – but you also have to understand that if he could be here to enforce those rules… wouldn’t he?”

“Chocolate milk?” Mallory said pointedly – and Everly flinched. She hadn’t said a thing about Alex giving Caleb chocolate milk to Mallory, so Caleb must have asked for it… and Mallory was right.

“Then don’t ignore Alex or treat him like a leper – you’ll need to tell him the reasoning why, because I promise he doesn’t understand. He can’t, because he isn’t here ninety percent of the time.”

“So, I have to bend over backwards for some part-time parent?”

“It’s called co-parenting with someone you thought enough of to make Caleb,” Everly said bitterly, still feeling that sting.

“Look,” Mallory began, her voice exhausted. “I don’t want to fight with you. We are best friends and live together. I get it – you have a thing for Alex… but I worry about you. I don’t want you to end up like me – tired, stressed, dependent on others, and full of regret…”

“Mallory, why don’t you talk to someone if you are struggling?”

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