Reaching out, I held his arms lightly. “I need you to wait for Mama from now on. You’re the man of this house right now, so you have to make sure she’s safe, okay? You gotta be like Superman. Can you do that?”
“Yep!” He exclaimed with a voice louder than absolutely necessary.
“Okay, good. That’s what I wanted to hear. I know you can do it, bud.”
I’d stopped at the toy store before going on my walk earlier to pick up a new Hot Wheels car for Benjamin’s collection. Luckily, it fit into my pocket so it was still hidden.
Grabbing my hand, he pulled me into the house, and Anna closed the door behind us. I looked over at her and saw the tears forming in her eyes. She smiled, trying to distract me from seeing her wiping one away that snuck through. I watched her cry, and the songYou’re Beautifulpaved its way into my mind. She was fucking gorgeous, even when she cried tears of joy. Her protection and discipline of Ben was attractive in a way nothing had been before. I was so happy to watch her interacting with him day in and out. I got that pleasure, no one else.
Unlike the song, I was going to be with her for the rest of my life. I was finally facing a truth I’d known for a while. She was the only girl for me.
He pulled me into the living room, and I took a seat on the couch. “How about you two stay in here, and I’ll get dinner going?”
“Sure, Mama!” Ben said excitedly.
I pulled the Hot Wheels car from my back pocket while he was distracted. “So, buddy. I brought you something. Want to see?”
Ben glanced behind me at Annagayle, who nodded her approval, before he grabbed it from me.
“Yes, pwease…” Hispleasecame out a little funny sounding, and I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face. For some reason, my hands were shaking as I held it out to him. His eyes widened, and he squealed with glee. “No way, I don’t have this one yet!!!!”
“Yes, way. I know how much you like Hot Wheels, so I figured you could add this one to your collection.”
“What do you say to Julian?” I heard Anna come up behind me.
“Thank you!” He jumped up and wrapped his little arms around my neck, giving me the hug of a five-year-old. Sitting on the floor in front of me, he actually took the time to look at the car. His eyes widened, and the grin across his face only spread more. “It’s a Cammarroo?”
“You’re right! It is a Camaro.” I wasn't sure if he actually knew what it was or if he saw the name on the package, but, either way, it made me happy.
“This is so cool. Mama, did you see what Julian got me?”
She dipped her chin. “I did, baby. It’s very cool. Go grab your bin so you can add it.”
For the next half an hour, Ben showed me every single car in his collection, again. He’d already shown me once, but I could care less. I was just happy he wanted to show me. The scent of dinner was floating into the living room from the kitchen, and it had my mouth watering. It smelled amazing. The smell of pancetta hits my nostrils, and it makes me want to drool.
“What are you making?” I hollered into the kitchen to Anna.
“Spaghetti Carbonara.”
“Hey, bud. I’m going to go see if your mom needs help. Is that cool?”
“Yep!” He said, popping the “p.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” I hauled my sorry self up from the floor, finally realizing that I was getting old, and headed toward the kitchen.
“Hey, you.” I whispered in her ear as I stepped up behind her standing at the stove. “This smells amazing. Not as good as you, but I want to eat both of you up anyhow.” I trail a line of kisses down the side of her neck.
“Ace…” She whines. “We can’t in front of Ben.”
“Why not? He’s going to find out soon enough that I’m a little more than just a friend to him. And we are definitely more than friends.”
She pushed me away, but not very hard. I knew she didn’t want to, but she was trying to stand on principle, I suppose. Deciding to change the topic, I took another inhale of the food. “When did you learn to cook?”
She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “When I had a little boy who needed food that was healthier than mac and cheese every night. Believe it or not, I actually like it. I’ve grown so accustomed to it, so now I try to mix it up using new recipes I find online.”
“Well, it smells amazing. Just like you.” I kissed her neck one more time, and heard the almost moan that slipped from her lips.
“What are you doing to Mama?” I whirled around, having not heard him enter the room, to find Ben standing just inside the kitchen, staring at us quizzically. He cocked his little head to the side as if he was studying us.