“I miss you already,” I mumble and give him another kiss. “Have a good game and a safe flight.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
As he walks out of the room, I tuck myself against the pillow he used last night. Breathing deeply, I fall asleep again to thoughts of what we did. When my alarm goes off again, I feel more awake.
I do my business in the bathroom before moving to the kitchen and grabbing the overnight oats that Gabe made last night while I was coloring. The one he’d made for himself is still in the fridge. I frown at that. He was supposed to take it with him this morning, but I assume the team will eat on the trip to the game. It’s in the next state over, only a handful of hours. He’ll be back tomorrow morning.
I’m sitting on the couch, scrolling through the channels, when I hear Karen’s car pull up outside. I meet them at the front door and give Owen a hug before letting him pass by and go into his room. Karen stands a few steps away.
“How was he for you?”
“Good, as always. I think he’ll be tired today. He didn’t sleep much last night.”
“We’ll probably have a chill day inside then,” I say. “Thank you for letting him hang out on the weekends. We haven’t quite figured out a schedule with the other parents for playdates, so I know seeing his cousins is good for him.”
“Of course,” she replies. “We’re always happy to have him around. I have to run, though. I’m picking him up from school on Monday, right?”
“Um, yeah, I think so. I have to double check my schedule since they’ve started away games now. A few Fridays I’ll be able to pick him up.”
“Just let me know.”
We share a simple nod before I close the door and head across the house.
My stomach twists. Some days, I feel like I’m sharing custody of my son with Lauren’s parents, but in a haphazard kind of way. Last time, Karen called at the last minute to say they weren’t going to beable to watch him and it caused… some issues. Not that I let Owen know that. Gabe stayed at school, deciding to work on a paper, while Owen and I ended up driving around and spent a few hours at the aquarium to beat the heat. Had I known ahead of time, we could have organized ourselves better.
Speaking of organization, Owen’s bag is at the start of the hallway and I can hear him doing something in his room.
When I peek into his room, his back is to me, but he has a couple of action figures on his bed. He isn’t saying anything, but I see them moving like they’re all having a conversation.
He’s unusually quiet this morning.
“Hey, buddy. Did you have fun yesterday?”
His shoulders move in a silent half-shrug. I step into the room and sit at the foot of his bed. He avoids my eyes. I know my son well enough to know that he’s upset. And I know me well enough that I need to know what happened before I break so many laws forcing answers out of his grandparents.
“Owen, what happened at Grandma and Grandpa’s?”
He flicks his eyes over to me before the first tear slips down his cheek. Suddenly, he’s full on sobbing in my lap. “I don’t wanna go back. They say mean things.”
The twisting sensation in my stomach turns into a pit of dread.
I run my fingers through Owen’s curly red locks and hold him tight. Shuffling him so he’s on my lap, his tears soak into the shoulder of my shirt. “Buddy,” I start softly, “I need you to tell me what you mean by that. Tell me everything that happened from the moment I dropped you off yesterday. Who said mean things?”
“They asked me about Gabe and why he’s here with us sometimes. I telled them that Gabe is my friend, but they didn’t believe me. Grandma told Grandpa that Gabe wasn’t a friend.” Hewipes his nose with his palm. I cringe at the snot but wipe his hand clean with my own shirt.
“Gabe is most definitely your friend, Owen. Remember how he told you goodnight last night?” Owen nods and I wipe his cheeks once more. His eyes are big and round, looking right at me. I take a deep breath, knowing it’s the best time to explain what I’m assuming Karen was talking about. “I think Grandma was saying that Gabe and Daddy aren’t really friends.”
“You’re not?”
“Wearefriends,” I backtrack. “But Daddy likes Gabe.” I scrunch my nose. “Ilike Gabe. A lot. We’re evenmorethan friends.” I emphasize the word ‘more’ while poking Owen’s tummy. He lets out a soft giggle so I do it again.
Seeing his smile is the only thing I need right now. It’s different referring to myself as Daddy after a whole day of calling another man by the title, but it’s still what Owen calls me.
“Daddy and Gabe both like each other. We’re dating. Do you know what that means?”
Owen shakes his head in the negative. Of course he doesn’t, because I’ve been single his entire life. It’s always been just me and him. I try to figure out how to explain it.
“Dating someone is like being friends, but you get to share fun things and hold hands and even kiss them.”
