“Not right now, buddy. We need to start unloading the van,” I say, glancing at my watch. “Dani should be here soon to help.”
As if summoned by her name, there’s a honk from outside, and moments later, my cousin Danielle bursts through the front door, her blonde ponytail swinging.
“Honey! Boys! Welcome home!” she calls out, arms laden with a pizza box and what looks like a small potted plant. “I come bearing housewarming gifts!”
“Aunt Dani!” Jackson shrieks, launching himself at her.
Dani somehow manages to juggle both the pizza and the plant while catching my six-year-old in a one-armed hug. “Hey, munchkin! Like your new digs?”
“It’s kinda junky,” Jackson says, echoing his brother’s earlier assessment.
Dani laughs and hands the pizza to Tommy. “Well, sure, right now. But just wait until your mom works her magic on it. Remember how she made your apartment look?”
It’s true. I’ve always had a knack for making even the most dismal spaces feel homey, mostly out of necessity.
“This place is twice the size of your old apartment,” Dani continues, setting the small plant on the kitchen counter. “And no more sleeping on a pull-out sofa for you, Honey-bun.” She winks at me.
“I can’t wait,” I admit, already imagining having a mattress to sleep on and a door I can close.
Privacy. A luxury I haven’t had in years.
“I bet.” She smirks, then glances over at the boys. “Who’s ready for a pizza party?!” Dani opens the box on the kitchen counter. “Let’s sit on the floor and have a picnic in your new place.”
The boys don’t need to be asked twice. They grab a slice of pizza and drop to the floor before I can even suggest they wash their hands first.
Boys.
Dani catches my eye and shrugs. “A little dirt never killed anyone.”
I smile and grab the roll of paper towels I packed in my purse, and join them on the floor. The pepperoni pizza from Oscar’s Pizzaria is hot and delicious.
“Can we go explore the backyard now?” Tommy asks after his second slice, the excitement he’s been trying to hide finally breaking through.
“Sure,” I nod. “But stay where I can see you through the window, okay?”
“Okay,” they chorus as they scramble to their feet and race toward the back door. Looks like their earlier reservations about the house are now in the rearview.
“So.” Dani scoots closer, her voice dropping. “Have you heard anything more from you-know-who?”
I sigh, setting down my pizza. “Erik called last night. He’s officially moving to Daytona.”
“What happened to the Louisiana girlfriend?” Dani asks, her nose wrinkling at the mention of the woman he met online.
“Apparently, she dumped him for some other guy she met online,” I say, unable to keep the satisfaction from my voice. “Karma’s a bitch.”
“So, he’s crawling back to Florida with his tail between his legs,” Dani observes, taking a bite of her pizza. “Think he’ll try to see the boys more?”
I shrug, watching as Jackson attempts to do a cartwheel in the patchy grass. “He says he will. His cousin owns that fancy car dealership in Daytona and offered him a sales manager position.”
“Of course he did,” Dani rolls her eyes. “Nothing like nepotism to save a failure like Erik.”
“Dani,” I sigh, not wanting her to go on a tangent again. “He is still the boys’ father.”
“Biologically, maybe,” she scoffs. “But let’s be real, Honey. That man has never been a dad. Not to Tommy, and definitely not to Jackson.”
I can’t argue with her there. Erik’s involvement in our sons’ lives has been sporadic at best. He shows up when it’s convenient for him, makes big promises, then disappears again, leaving me to pick up the pieces of two broken little hearts.
“Well, hopefully the distance will keep his visits to a minimum,” I say, gathering the empty pizza box. “I don’t need him swooping in and turning things upside down.”
