“Greetings, people who are new in our home!” The tallest one had her black hair in two perfectly symmetrical fuzzy puffs on the sides of her head. She had her mom’s height, Mitch’s bronze skin and eyes that squinted when she smiled, and wore a rainbowhoodie and matching leggings. “I’m Henri. I’m the oldest. If Rowan would like to play with us, I’ll make sure he’s safe.”
“She’s a really good lifeguard,” the little boy standing beside her said, a grave expression on his face, which was a lighter brown than his sister. “When we play construction site, she’s always the foreman.” The dark brown ringlets that hung down to his ears bounced as he looked up at his mom. “Forewoman, mama? Is that right?”
Layla seemed to consider the question. “Forewoman sounds good to me, Jack.”
The little boy nodded.
“Do you want to introduce yourself?” Layla whispered loudly to the kid in her arms. Tyler could hear the colorful plastic beads at the end of shoulder-length box braids click as the little girl shook her head. “This is Stef. She takes a minute to warm up.” Glancing back, she shouted again. “Boys, get your booties upstairs or you can eat canned food with the cats!” Turning back to Tyler, she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, the two of them are like kids.”
Heavier footsteps, and then two big, now-familiar men came through the same doorway. Mitch was dressed down in a black sweatshirt and green, team-branded joggers. He made for his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind and turning her face to kiss her.
Tyler averted his eyes–not because he had any problem watching people kiss, but because this house, this family, the warm, domesticity that surrounded him, felt like a knife wedged between his ribs.
It was exactly what he’d longed for, what he was hoping to create in their sweet attic apartment. It was what Rowan deserved more than anything in the world.
“Tyler.”
His eyes followed the low voice. There was Jamie, right there, standing at the edge of the group like he wasn’t sure where to go. His hands were shoved into the pockets of a pair of dark jeans,and an off-white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up was clinging to those big, broad shoulders. Even his hair was tamed, blonde curls pushed back from his face, and his mustache was neat and trimmed.
Effort. He looked like he’d put real effort into looking nice.
“Hi, Jamie,” he said, the words coming out as a question.
“Hello again, Tyler,” Mitch said. “Glad you made it for a visit, Rowan.”
Rowan buried his face deeper into Tyler’s shoulder.
“Wash hands, and then we eat.” Layla said, clapping her hands together. “Mitch, make sure they use soap.”
There was a flurry of activity then. Tyler didn’t have time to feel out of place or uncertain before Layla came up beside him, explaining the meal.
“So we’ve got beef sauce with tons of sneaky veggies,” she said, pointing to a large pot on the stove. “I think this batch has zucchini, carrots, spinach, and beet greens in it. Then there’s penne pasta, some roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and I have some pear sliced up for the kids.” She placed a gentle hand on Tyler’s wrist. “If there’s anything you need for Rowan, whatever he needs to have a complete meal, don’t hesitate to ask. This is a kid house, and the most important thing is that the two of you feel welcome here.”
“It looks amazing,” Tyler said, and he meant it. It was the kind of thing he’d make at home, and finding a meal like this out in the world sent such a visceral wave of relief through him he felt his eyes burn. Being somewhere with people who had kids, whothoughtabout what was convenient and nourishing, Tyler realized how much he’d missed this since leaving home.
“I set up a booster seat next to your spot,” Layla went on.
As Tyler grabbed a plate, he felt someone slide up beside him. “Here,” Jamie’s voice was quiet. “Hand me Rowan’s plate. You’ve got your hands full.”
Tyler caught Jamie’s fond, soft smile as he looked down atthem. “Thank you,” he said, worried that he might actually start to cry.
Jamie followed Tyler’s instructions, listening to Rowan’s quiet request of “One more, please,” when it came to adding the slices of pear to his plate. He carried the plate over to the table, placing it on the colorful plastic mat between two empty chairs. When he came back to the kitchen, he offered Tyler another one of those hesitant, gentle smiles. “You’re up next, Ty.” His eyes widened,sogreen in the bright kitchen, and a blush darkened his cheeks. “Sorry, I mean, Tyler.”
He watched Jamie closely as he served his plate. With Rowan tucked in his arms and the voices of a loud, loving family surrounding them, Tyler felt himself wonder, imagination adrift, if their lives were about to change for the better.
Dinner had been full of loud conversation and laughter. When the kids got restless, Layla got up and wandered into the open living room, pulling a plastic tote out to the center of the room. “Henri, want to help get the tracks set up?”
Mitch could barely wipe the three siblings’ hands and faces before they raced over to the box of wooden tracks, bridges, buildings, and trains. Rowan watched them carefully from his booster seat.
“Papa,” he whispered.
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“Can I go play with them?”
Tyler felt his heart melt. “Of course. I think they’d love to play with you.”
His son’s blue eyes looked up at him. “And you’ll be right here?”
