There are three stick figure adults, two stick figure kids, and about a million wonky hearts surrounding them. “Wow, look at that. Tell me who the people are.”
Leah points to the two kids. “That’s me and that’s Lo Lo.” Then she points to one of the adults with a weird hat on their head. “That’s Mommy, ’cause she’s a angel. That one is you, and this one is G.”
My chest hitches. The girls have fallen for Gia just as hard as I have. Am I a shitty father for letting that happen? She’s leaving in a couple of days, and all three of us will be devastated when she doesn’t come back. I have no idea what else I could have done. After Gia stayed with us that first night, the girls were all in on keeping her around. They constantly asked if Gia could come over for dinner or spend a Saturday with us. I couldn’t have separated my dating life from my home life if I tried. “Aw, baby. I love it.”
“Can I give it to her?”
“Of course. We’ll try to see her tomorrow before she has to leave.”
Leah’s face scrunches. “I don’t want G to leave.”
“Me neither, sweetheart, but this isn’t her home. She has to go be with her family.”
“Can we invite her over to help us decorate?” Lauren asks, being the peacemaker as always.
“You want her to help?” I try to keep the surprise out of my voice. Decorating the house has become a thing between just the three of us. We didn’t even invite Hannah’s parents that first year. Kathy was so pissed at me, but I stood my ground on that one. The girls and I needed space to grieve for Hannah while we went through our memories. Kathy would have tried to keep everyone happy. Her intentions would have been good, but there were few bright spots that Christmas without Hannah. I didn’t want the girls to feel like they weren’t allowed to be sad during a commercially happy time.
“Yeah!” Leah shouts. “She could help us make new paper chains.”
“Okay. I’ll see if she’s busy tonight.”
“Can we have tacos for dinner?” Leah asks, her brain jumping four steps ahead.
“Sure. Do you want chips or shells?”
“Chips.”
“Shells.”
The girls frown at each other. Lauren puts her hands on her hips. “You never want shells, but they’re my favorite.”
“’Cause I like chips better.”
“You just like to eat them. You don’t actually use them for your tacos.”
“I do too!”
Why did I think giving them a choice was a good idea? I leave them to work it out on their own. Eventually, they’ll come to the conclusion that we should have both, but it’s good for them to practice talking out their issues.
I grab my phone from the kitchen and dial Gia’s numberwhile I double-check that I have all the ingredients we need for tacos.
She answers on the second ring, her warm voice filling my head. “Hey, what are you up to?”
“Refereeing an argument over whether tortillas are better than chips for tacos.”
“Well, that’s obvious. You need both. The chips are for scooping up all the filling that falls out of your tortilla. Plus, you need them for salsa. And queso. And guac.”
A grin stretches across my face. “Good point.” I turn to the girls, who are still discussing the merits of which one tastes better with cheese versus meat. “Gia says you need both for taco night. What do you think?”
Leah and Lauren bounce into the kitchen, shouting their agreement.
“Is she coming over?” Lauren asks.
“I haven’t asked yet,” I tell her, turning back to my conversation with Gia, who’s laughing softly in my ear. “Did you hear that?”
“They want me to come over?”
“We’re decorating for Valentine’s Day and having tacos. We’d love to have you come spend the evening with us.”
