“Lucas, I am trying here.”
And she’s right.
“Okay. We can do that in a few weeks. Let’s maybe each speak to Theo first?”
She nods, and we reach a point in the conversation where we’re stuck for words. All has been said that needed to be said.
“Right. I should probably head back to Sage Creek. I saw Theo for lunch, and I want to beat the traffic.”
We both stand at the same time. Awkwardly looking at each other.
“Okay, so bye then.”
“Yep. Bye,” I say and get on my merry way.
* * *
I am just goingto blurt it out and do this. I decided to use ice cream to have the conversation with Theo. Maybe I will regret this in hindsight as Theo seems overly occupied with the sprinkles on his ice cream sundae.
“So, buddy. You know how mommy is now with Ryan?”
Theo nods.
“Daddy is now with Abby.” I keep it simple.
Theo looks up at me with chocolate sauce around his face.
“Does that mean Romeo lives with you now?”
I have to laugh. “Sometimes, I guess. But there is more to Abby than just the dog. You know that, right?” I’m getting concerned the dog is stealing the show.
“Yeah, I know. She cooks toast. Also smiles a lot.”
“She does.”
Theo takes a big scoop of ice cream and puts it in his mouth.
He speaks with a full mouth. “Does that mean I get another brother or sister?”
I nearly choke on my water, but quickly realize he must think that as Ryan has a daughter.
“No, buddy. You get Romeo,” I clarify, and he gives me a grin.
“Cool.”
“Are you okay with all of this? It is a lot of changes,” I press.
He nods his head yes.
I decide to push my luck and know this is me blurring the lines, but I have to ask.
“Are you okay if Romeo and Abby sleep over sometimes?”
It’s a selfish question on my part, but a practical roadblock that we need to settle.
“Where does she sleep?” He’s still busy playing with his ice cream.
Scratching my cheek, I need to think about this strategically. “Well, we have spare bedrooms.” That was a cop-out, but it’s a start. Even if I need to sneak into the spare room, it’s a better step than a few weeks when she couldn’t stay over.
