Reed
“Weed, can we have awealoctopus?”Evan asks me, a genuinely serious expression on his face. Fuck, why are kids so cute? Also, why am I sincerely considering buying him a damn octopus. I bet it would make him smile. This is why they say parents are pushovers because if the kid asked me for a unicorn, I’d do whatever I could to make it happen.
“Bud, octopuses aren’t really meant to live in houses with people. They live in the ocean. That’s their home.”
His brow is furrowed as he thinks about what I’ve said. “But… what about the aquare-um?”
“Well, that’s the exception.”
“What’s an egg-sep-shun?”
I take a deep breath. “You know, buddy, what if we start with a fish? A little guy like you, and we can name him Pickles two point oh? Maybe one day we can get a real octopus, but for now, I think Pickles will have to do.”
“Can it be green?”
I nod. “It can be whatever color you want. We can go pick it out soon, but right now, we have to go because you have a playdate with Ari and Kennedy, and I’m helping Uncle Liam put together some baby thing.”
Evan crinkles his nose. “I need to potty.”
Here we go. It’s go-time. I’ve been reading book after book about potty training and the different techniques and I’ve learned enough shit that I know we can do this.
Every child is different, and it’s all about what works for them. That I get.
I grab the box of Cheerios from off the top of the pantry and sprint to the bathroom after Evan. He climbs on top of his stool and drops his pants, and before it’s go-time, I toss a few Cheerios in the floating water of the toilet bowl then put my fist out.
“You can do it, bud,” I say, and his little fist hits mine in a bump.
We’re a team, and I’ll be damned if we don’t tackle this potty journey together.
I turn my back to give him some privacy, and by the heavens above, the sky opens up and low and behold, I hear the sound of a steady stream followed by a cheer.
“I did it, Weed, I did it!”
He jumps up and down and almost falls clean off the stool, but I catch him last minute.
“Bud, I knew you could do it. You realize you’re an official big boy now, right?”
The grin on his face is infectious, and I find myself smirking right along with him. It’s the first time since he’s come to live with me that I feel confident that maybe I can do this. Maybe, somehow, we can figure it out together.
Life is a hell of a lot different than it used to be, but I don’t find myself missing those things. I still see Asher, Hudson, Briggs and Graham at practice and, occasionally, we have a beer somewhere, or do a BBQ at someone’s house, but fuck, I do not miss wasting my life in a bar. Or chasing after bunnies I have no intention of every seeing again after a one-night stand that left me numb. That’s the truth, before Evan… before Holland, I was numb. Numbing myself with girls, partying, drinking, and now, the shit in my life is good, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.
My life’s different and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
After we pack a quick bag and grab Pickles, we head to Liam’s and walk into complete chaos. The second I shut the door behind us, Juliet is running into the foyer. “Hi Reed. Bye Reed!” She runs past me so fast, she slides across the hardwood in her socks.
“Uh, what’s going on?” I ask, but she’s gone, leaving me and Evan looking at each other like what the hell just happened.
Then Ari and Kennedy come barreling down the hallway, squealing, with Liam on their tales.
“Nerf gun war!” Ari screams, running straight past me, narrowly missing the wall.
Oh. Shit.
We take Nerf warsveryseriously around here.
“Alright, Ev, we’ve walked into a battle. Time to prepare.” I grab his hand and tug him toward the girls’ room, where I snag two guns off the wall. Liam’s got Ari and Ken set up with an entire Nerf wall. Shit, I wish I had one of these growing up.
“We don’t split up. They’re more likely to ambush us if we do. Follow me.”