“Oh,” Oliver says, his brow furrowed in confusion, but he turns to focus on his Legos again.
“He’s gonna ask more questions, isn’t he?” Leo whispers.
“Oh, one hundred percent.”
“Good luck with that, Auntie Ella,” he jokes. “You working today?”
“Only for an hour to cover lunch. I take the kids with me. Whitley has Oliver greeting people. He thinks it’s a trip.”
“I’ll call you later. Six okay for dinner?”
“That’s perfect.” Leo’s eyes dart to Oliver, and when he sees Oliver isn’t watching us, he gives me a quick, but intense, kiss. I walk him to the door, and he cups my cheek lovingly, but doesn’t say a word. As soon as I close the door behind him, Oliver jumps up.
“I don’t like you kissing my Leo.”
Lord almighty. I pull Violet from her high chair, then motion for Oliver to follow us to the couch. Once Violet is situated on the floor, I turn to Oliver. “I’ve known Leo for twenty-five years. Have I ever told you that?”
“I don’t think so,” Oliver replies.
“He was my boyfriend for a long time, Oliver. I loved him, and he was very important to me.” I’m still learning how to explain adult concepts to children. How should I get Oliver to comprehend high school sweethearts, why we broke up, and how life will now continue to involve Leo for the foreseeable future?
“Was it like how I love my mommy?” he asks.
“Sort of. Loving a boyfriend or girlfriend is different fromloving a mom or dad, but it hurts just the same when that person isn’t there anymore. I haven’t been the same in the years that Leo and I have been apart. But I’m hoping things are going to be better for us now.”
“What if it’s not? What if Leo leaves like my mommy did?” His voice quivers on those last few words, making me scoop him into my arms.
“Oh, my sweet boy. Your mommy would be here if she could. She loved you and Violet so, so much. And if Leo were to leave like your mommy … well, I’ll still be here. And the three of us will continue to get by like we have for months now. Me, you, and Violet. We’ll be alright.”
“Are you gonna kiss Leo more now?” Oliver wonders.
“Would it be okay if I did?”
He shrugs. “I guess. You smile a lot when he’s here. I like your smile. Can we ask Leo to go to the zoo with us? I think I’d like it more if he came too.”
“We can ask him. We’ll have to plan it for when we’re all off work, so it might not be for a little while. Okay?”
“Alright, I guess,” Oliver mutters, his eyes dropping. I smother a laugh. Four-year-olds have no concept of schedules and time. “Can I go back to my Legos now?”
“That’s fine. We’ll need to leave in about two hours to go help Whitley at the bookstore.”
“Can we bring a kitty home for the night?” he asks hopefully.
Crud. He’s asked multiple times, and I keep forgetting to grab a litter box, litter, and cat food from the grocery store. “Not today, but the next time we go to the grocery, I promise we’ll get some supplies so we can have kitten sleepovers.”
While Oliver happily plays with his Legos, and Violet chats with her favorite stuffed animal, I think about which cat I’d be comfortable bringing home for the night, because I know once I allow one to come into my apartment, it won’t be going back to the bookstore.
“Where is everybody?” Oliver asks, anger evident in his tone. There’s no one to greet, and he’s pissed about it.
“I don’t know,” Whitley says easily. “While we wait, do you want to watch an episode ofBlueyon my phone?”
“Yes!” Oliver shouts, yanking the phone from her hands. He skips over to the small child-size table I have in the corner, in the children’s books section, and focuses completely on the episode, giving Whitley time to grill me.
“So what happened last night? How did he take the news?” she asks.
I sigh. “I didn’t tell him.”
“What? Why not?”
