Chuckling, I sit on the floor and pull a box toward me that’s marked,living room. I open it and pull out a handful of framed pictures. Most of them are of Roman, spanning from when he was born until just recently. There’s also one of my parents. They moved to England with my dad’s job just before I married Dexter. They come back to the US as often as they can, but I miss them. They’re pretty settled in England, though, and I’m not sure they’ll ever come back permanently.
There’s not much else in the box other than a few candles and a clock I had on the wall at my old place. When the box is empty, I stand and pick up a few of the framed photographs of Roman. I arrange them on the mantel and stand back to look at them. I can’t help but feel a little melancholy, especially when one of Roman as a newborn in my arms just after he was born catches my eye. That day was the happiest I’d ever been, but it didn’t take me long to realize that Dexter and I wanted very different things. Dexter was a good dad when he was home. He just wasn’t home enough, and we weren’t a priority. I wanted more. More for me and more for Roman. I glance around the tired house. I can’t help but wonder if wanting more makes me selfish. I’ve taken Roman from everything he knows and brought him to… this.
“Everything okay?” Lucas asks from the sofa behind me, and I nod, turning to face him.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just reminiscing. It’s hard to believe Roman was ever this small,” I say, turning back to the mantel and pointing to the picture of him as a baby.
Lucas gets up off the sofa and comes to stand next to me, looking closer at the photo. “Hewastiny.”
I smile. “I think I’m about done here. I’m just going to finish off upstairs if you’re still okay here?”
“Sure. We’re having fun, aren’t we, Roman?” he asks him as he makes his way back to the sofa. I laugh as Roman ignores him, completely engrossed in the movie.
“I think a herd of elephants could come through here and he wouldn’t notice if this movie was on.”
He chuckles. “Well, we’re good.”
“I won’t be long, and then I’ll get dinner ready. You like steak, right?”
“I do.”
“How do you like it cooked?”
“Medium rare. What about you?”
“Same.”
He smiles at me, and I smile back before heading upstairs. I sigh as I push heavily on my bedroom door. It keeps sticking, and I had to really put my weight behind it to get it open earlier. It seems I need to add my bedroom door to the long list of things I need to get fixed. Once I’m finally inside, I let out a groan. It looks like a tornado blew through, and my stuff is everywhere. There are two large suitcases that hold all my clothes, and I make a start with them. At least if my clothes are away in the closet, I can put the suitcases in the attic and clear some space. I spend some time sorting through everything, hanging things in the small walk-in closet. It had taken me hours to clean both my and Roman’s bedrooms. Both rooms were disgusting, but thankfully, after a lot of hard work, they’re looking better now.
I remake my bed, the comforter and sheet upended when the mattress was moved upstairs. I look longingly at the pale pink comforter. I’m looking forward to climbing into bed tonight. I love Roman with every part of me, but having him sleep with me last night meant I was awake all night. He’s such a fidget, and if he wasn’t kicking me in the stomach with his feet, he was smacking me in the face with his hands. At one point, he was lying lengthwise above my head. I’ve no idea how he manages to move so much and still stay asleep. I’ll be glad to have my bed all to myself tonight.
I still have some boxes to unpack, but they’re mainly books, and I need to get a unit before I can unpack them. The bookcases they were in at the previous house were built in, so I couldn’t bring them with me. I’m just moving the boxes inside the closet so the room looks somewhat tidy when the smell of something incredible invades my senses. I leave the bedroom and follow the smell, my eyes widening when I see Lucas in the kitchen at the stove.
“What are you doing?” I ask, walking up behind him and looking over his shoulder. Two steaks sit sizzling in a griddle pan, and mac and cheese bubbles in a saucepan at the back of the stove.
“I’m cooking us dinner. I figured you had enough to do. I felt bad watching a movie while you raced around unpacking.”
“But the dinner was me thanking you for everything you’ve done for us.”
He shrugs and winks. “You can cook next time.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Next time?”
He chuckles. “I’m hoping there’ll be a next time, but for now, I’m cooking. You haven’t stopped all day.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve replaced the smoke detector in the entryway. I just need to make sure there’s one in the hallway upstairs and in both your bedrooms. Why don’t you go and watch the end of the movie with Roman while I finish up?”
“No. I can help. It really should be me cooking after everything you’ve done for us.”
“Sit down, Melody. I’ve got this.”
I stare at him as he turns his back on me and flips the steaks. Is this guy for real? Not only does he go above and beyond to help me with moving all my stuff, he fixes up my shitty kitchen, replaces my ancient smoke detectors,andcooks me dinner. There has to be a catch, right? I sit next to Roman on the sofa, my eyes going back to Lucas in the kitchen. I’m not normally a cynical person. Maybe the divorce made me that way.
“It all smells great, Lucas,” I call out a few minutes later. “I wish you’d let me help.”
“I’m good with the food, but I’m not sure where the plates are.”