“I think he is too.”
Malcolm wasn’t sidetracked for long. He again asked Stevie about making her mermaid tail grow so the two of them could go swimming together. Even if she really was a mermaid, there was no place for her and my son to go glide through some water.
“What are you and Malcolm doing after you leave here?” Stevie asked me.
“Going back home.”
“So, is it really just you two?”
I knew at once what she was indirectly asking. She wanted to know if Avery was really in Lubbock, so I nodded yes. Yes, my self-centered, self-righteous, narcissistic wife was in west Texas—far away from here. Once again, she had run away from reality and from her responsibilities to go seek undeserved solace in the arms of her family, her friends, and also her lover.
“Zac, I know of a place where I could take Malcolm swimming if you’re okay with me doing that,” Stevie went on to say.
“Which place are you talking about?”
A soft smile and then a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I have a pool. Remember?”
I was surprised by her. Although her invitation to take Malcolm swimming was purely intended on her part, I knew that if I took him over to her house, Stevie and I would be getting even more personal in our relationship. Being inside her home was only going to increase the probability of the two of us stepping over the line. At least it would for me. The temptation of her was never going away. Regardless—I accepted Stevie’s invitation by asking Malcolm if he wanted to go swimming with her in her pool. He immediately said yes while bouncing up and down on top of her lap. When it came down to it, he really wouldn’t care if she donned a mermaid tail or not. He’d just enjoy being with Stevie.
“So it’s a date then?” she asked me.
“It is.”
“It’s gonna be a really fun one, too.”
“I agree. I need to get your address, though.”
“Give me your cellphone number and I’ll share my contact info with you.”
I quietly drew in a deep breath because what we were about to do was yet another step that we were both willingly taking toward that forbidden line. After I gave Stevie my number, she texted me her contact info and I gave her the rest of mine. We had each other’s work andpersonal phone numbers now, as well as each other’s work and home addresses.
“I need to run by my house to get Malcolm’s swimsuit and floaties,” I said. “I’ll text you when we start to head your way.”
“Sounds good to me.”
As we were getting ready to leave Baskin-Robbins, Stevie hugged Malcolm again, stood up while holding onto him, and then set him down on the patio floor. He reached for Stevie’s hand and held it, and then he reached for mine, holding it too. It was the three of us linked together and the vision of it moved me. I didn’t care how wrong I was for feeling like we were a family standing here. I also didn’t care that taking Malcolm over to Stevie’s house wasn’t the best idea. Either way, he and I were going so that his wish of swimming with a mermaid could come true. I had my own wish, too, that would soon be coming true, and it was getting even closer to Stevie.
14
#aquatic
Stevie
SEEING ZAC ANDMalcolm at Baskin-Robbins was the last thing that I ever expected to happen but was happy it did. It thrilled my heart to see that sweet little boy again—and also his kind and handsome daddy.
I could tell that Zac had doctored the cut on his bottom lip along with the other places where Avery scratched him. The wet-looking glaze of Neosporin or whatever he’d used was evident on his mouth and skin. I was relieved to see that Zac had done what I wanted him to do and I was also relieved to see that all the places already looked better.
I was at my house now, getting everything ready for the company who was going to be here soon. I knew that because Zac texted me right before he and Malcolm left his house to come to mine. Another thing I knew was where Zac lived. Coincidentally, it was only about a ten-minute drive from my house. As I was going over his contact info after I got home, I touched his address and it took me straight to my maps app. When I saw how close we actually lived to one another, I could only shake my head and smile.
When Zac let me know that he and Malcolm were on their way, I quickly texted him back to let him know about something special that I was going to do for Malcolm when it came time to go swimming and to just follow my lead. He sent back a mermaid emoji along with a red heart beside her.
The “something special” that I had planned for Malcolm was to wear my fake mermaid tail. It was a full-sized blue one my mom and dad had bought for me several years ago. I could actually wear it while swimming and it would securely stay on my body from my waist down. And amazingly, it looked real.
When I heard my doorbell ring, I took a deep breath and then went to greet the two Buchanans who were standing on the other side of my front door. The moment I opened it, they smiled.
“Hey, you and you!” I said, looking back and forth at them, then I told them to come in.
After stepping inside my foyer, Zac turned around and looked at me. “Thank you for doing this, Stevie.”