I didn’t expect Jin to have a toddler. That was a surprise, but not a bad one. Penny is cute as can be and Addison adores having her around.
Mei’s eyes remain on her plate as she quietly cuts through her meat. She’s stiff and awkward as Cason tells us about his new girlfriend. They’re almost to the stage where they can “swap Snapchat passwords.” Even though I don’t exactly know whatthat entails, it doesn’t sound like a good thing. Addison is quick to tell him it’s stupid.
“What if she just deletes your account or something?” Addison demands. “What’s next? All your social media passwords? All that content you’ve created….poof. Gone.”
My son has a YouTube channel. He’s had it since he was little back when unboxing videos were popular. Now that he’s older, he’s transformed it into more of a scandal channel. I’ve advised him multiple times that it’s not a great idea, and that future employers might take issue with it. But, my son is stubborn and does what he wants.
“It’s to show trust,” Cason explains to Addison as though she’s dense and needs him to speak slowly. “Proof I’m a good boyfriend.”
“Good boyfriends don’t need proof,” Addison counters, arching a blond eyebrow at him. “To me, she sounds like a psycho.”
As they continue to bicker about this subject, I dart my gaze over to Jin. She’s guzzled most of her wine and has only set her phone down long enough to cut her steak into a pile of bite-sized pieces. Now she’s stabs and pops each one into her mouth as she texts.
My eyes drift over to Mei. Since she’s not preoccupied like her mother or arguing like my kids, she’s nearly cleaned her entire plate.
She’s pretty like her mother, but there’s a softness to her. Fuller lips, rounder eyes, cute nose. Mei has long, dark locks of hair that brush past the bottoms of her breasts, but it’s her bangs that are what draws your attention. They’re not cut short or blunt. Instead, they’re more messy and hang in her eyes. I have the urge to set down my silverware, reach across the table, and brush them away from her eyes.
And why the hell would you want to do that?
It must be because I feel bad for her getting caught up in me and Jin’s agreement. The inclination to comfort her is strong. Mei’s my stepdaughter now. I shouldn’t feel alarmed by having an overwhelming need to take care of her. The instinct was immediate with Penny, too.
“How was visiting your father?” I ask Mei, needing to engage with the poor girl. “Did you have fun?”
Her eyes lift, peeking at me through her bangs. “It was boring. Not really.”
I note that Jin has stopped texting to listen to Mei. When she doesn’t get more of an answer, she continues on her phone. Mei darts her a dirty look before quickly finishing the rest of her food.
“I’m done eating,” I say, pushing back from the table in my chair. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
Mei nods and we both put our dishes in the sink. It’s Cason’s night for dishes, so I don’t worry about them.
I can tell Mei is eager to find a soft place to land. Something familiar. So, after quickly showing her the main rooms on the first floor, I take her upstairs to Addison’s room.
“This is my daughter’s room. It’s always sort of been set up for two people since we used to foster kids.”
Mei enters the room and studies her “side” of the room. Addison hung her posters, filled the bookshelf with her books, unpacked her clothes, and did her best to make it feel like home.
“Did Mom do this?” Mei asks, shooting me a frown over her shoulder.
Fuck.
“Umm, no. Adds did.”
She lets out a chuff. “Should have known.”
I shift on my feet, hating that I don’t know how to make things better for Mei. When I told my children I was getting married to a woman I’d been secretly seeing, they weresupportive. It was a lie, but a necessary one. If only Jin would have called her daughter two weeks ago when we got married in the courthouse, Mei might’ve not been so upset.
And she’s clearly upset.
I don’t miss the occasional tremble of her hands or quiet sniffle. I ache to pull her to me and hug her tight. If my interactions thus far with Jin have told me anything, it’s she’s not a hugger.
“Where does Penny sleep?” Mei asks. “I’m assuming she got her own room since I’m made to share with Addison?”
My gut twists because now I’ll have to show her to that room. I give her a nod and motion for her to follow. We pass by Rhett’s room to Cason’s. Cason moved his stuff up to the mostly finished room in the attic. Since it’s winter, not having AC up there is fine, but come summer, if this arrangement is still around, I’ll need to figure something out so he doesn’t cook to death.
“Penny’s room,” I say as I push through the door. “Your mom sleeps in here with her sometimes so she’s not scared.”
It’s a total lie.
