Page 33 of Room 1003

20

Ben

ShaneandIwaitedby the door for Kit to get ready. The child was struggling to tie his shoes, but he insisted he could do it, and he declared it with such confidence that I had no doubt he could. I figured we were in no hurry, so I left him to it, willing to help if he asked. He stuck his tongue out between his teeth as he concentrated. “Make a loop… the bunny goes around the tree and through the hole…”

Finally, he had something resembling a bow, and he straightened up, a bright smile on his face, so proud of his hard work. “Great job,” I praised, offering him a fist bump.

“Have you decided where we’re going for dinner?” Shane asked his son, holding out Kit’s jacket for him. We had decided that it was time to tell him the good news, so we were making a night of it.

“Pizza,” he said before quickly changing his mind. “No, mac and cheese. No, sushi!”

Shane and I shared a knowing look, before Shane said, “I didn’t know you’ve tried sushi before.”

“I haven’t, but I heard Danny at school talking about it. Papa, what’s sushi?”

“Well, there’s rice…” Shane began, and Kit was nodding.

“I like rice,” he said.

“And there’s fish…” Kit’s bobbling head slowed a little, a pinch between his eyebrows forming. “And seaweed.”

The nodding had stopped entirely and shifted to a side-to-side motion instead. “Never mind. Pizza.”

“Good choice,” I told him. “That’s what I would’ve picked too.” I had nothing against sushi, but who could say no to bread, cheese, and pepperoni?

Zack appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a suit. “Wow, that’s awfully fancy for Tony’s Pizza,” Shane said as his dad came down to join us in the entryway.

Zack wore an expression I’d never seen before, something like smug embarrassment, blushing and avoiding making eye contact. “That’s because I’m not coming to Tony’s with you,” he said simply.

“You’re not?” Shane frowned. This was clearly the first he’d heard of it.

I was surprised he was opting out of this evening’s celebration, since he knew what it was for. We had already told Zack the news last week, and he was beyond excited.

“You guys go on without me, enjoy your family meal,” he said, including me in the family with ease, making my heart ache in gratitude. Then he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “I actually have a date.”

Shane’s jaw dropped. “A date?!”

“Yes. His name is Jonathan, and he’s a retired engineer. We met at the flea market a couple months ago, and he is taking me to eat dinner at The Scarlet Hotel tonight.”

Shane crossed his arms over his chest, looking far too protective of his father. Before he could give his dad the third degree, I draped an arm across Shane’s shoulders, tucking him in against my side, and said, “Have a great time, Zack.”

His lips twitched in a smile, and he gave me a nod of gratitude. “Thank you, I will.”

Zack slid past us and out the door, and Shane called after him, “Don’t think I won’t make you tell me all about this so-called date when you get home, mister. And I expect you back before midnight!” His eyes followed Zack as he pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Shane seemed a little unsettled about his dad getting back in the dating game, and I rubbed a hand over his back.

“Are you okay?” I asked him softly as we locked up the house and made our way to the car.

He nodded and smiled sadly. “Yeah, of course, I’m happy for him. It’s just… Life marches on, you know? And I know that’s a good thing. I’m glad my dad is moving on. It’s just a bit weird, is all.”

Shane was quiet on the drive to the restaurant, but it wasn’t a bad thing. He just had a lot on his mind, and I would be here when he was ready to talk about it. His whole world was changing, after all. He rubbed his stomach lovingly, and when he looked across at me, his smile said everything. We let Kit fill in the silence with his bubbly chatter, and soon, we were parking down the street from the family-friendly restaurant.

Tony’s was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, with red-and-white checkered plastic tablecloths and paper menus that came with crayons for the kids (or parents) to draw on. Shane had informed me that Tony was no longer around, but the restaurant was now run by his grandson, Duke. As soon as we opened the door, the air washed over me, scented with a warm, yeasty aroma that made my stomach grumble.

We were led to a corner booth, and Kit bounced in, immediately grabbing the blue crayon and starting on the maze on the back of the menu. We ordered drinks, and since Shane’s family came all the time, they ordered “the usual,” while I ordered myself that pepperoni pizza I’d been dreaming of all day. Before we came in, I could’ve sworn I was starving, but now, my stomach was doing flips, and I wasn’t sure how much of it was hunger and how much was nerves.

Sitting here with Shane and Kit, it made me feel like a part of something. We were building something amazing, and it warmed me all the way through. I clasped Shane’s hand, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze, and his palm was damp with sweat. We were both nervous about this next step. I didn’t think Kit minded me being around, but a new baby? It would probably be okay, but what if it wasn’t? If Kit didn’t accept me, what then? The possibility made my stomach plummet in a freefall.

“So, Kit, we actually have a special reason for taking you out for dinner tonight,” Shane began. His leg was bouncing under the table, so I placed a hand on his knee to steady him. He loosed a breath and stilled, tightening his grip on my hand. “We wanted to tell you that… well, that Ben and I are…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed again and again, before he finally reached for his water glass. “Gods, this is harder than I thought it would be.”

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