“Mama’s having a moment, sweetie. I’m okay. I just need a minute with my feelings.”
He stares at me with big brown eyes, that finger drifting to his mouth while he holds Yolko Ono in his other arm. “Dona make you kwy?”
“No, Jonas didn’t make me cry.”
Bash eyes Jonas like he knows Jonas did, in fact, make me cry.
“Hey, kiddo,” Jonas says softly. “Nice chicken you got there.”
Bash pulls his slobbery finger out of his mouth and grabs my hand. “I take cawe Mama.”
“You’re doing a fabulous job,” Jonas says.
“Shemymama.”
“Best mama in the world, isn’t she?”
Bash tugs on my hand. “Mymama.”
“Your mama who needs to get dinner started,” I say. “What do you think? Should we have a Friday night pizza party?”
“Unka Deo!” Bash yells.
He’s so firm on it, I honestly turn and peer through the screen door, wondering if Theo’s here.
But he’s not. “I think Uncle Theo and Aunt Laney are having a date tonight. But I can text Zen. And the triplets. What do you think?”
“Peeda pawty!”
I sniffle once more while I smile at him. “Pizza party it is. Can Jonas stay?”
“No. Dona go.”
“Maybe he stays after he does a timeout?”
“No. Donago.”
I glance up at Jonas, and I swear he’s gone into full actor mode.
No emotion at all beyond an easy smile. “It’s okay,” he tells me. “Begonia wants a full run-down on how much torture I was subjected to the past couple days.”
“Goooona!” Bash cries. “Maw-mawa!Gona Maw-mawa peeeda pawty!”
“You…want me to invite Begonia and Marshmallow to our pizza party?” I ask Bash.
“Uh-huh.”
“And Hayes too?”
“No.”
“Zen and the triplets still?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s nice to include all of our friends when we can.”
Bash eyes Jonas again. “Dey eatow-sie.”
