“That’s because you never help. You come in here to eat,” he shot back.
“It’s not my fault your cooking is so good,” Jasper said with a pout.
I laughed at their banter. I worried when I started seeing them that I would feel like an outsider, since they’d all been together for so long, but I never felt that way.
“Mom?” I heard from behind me.
I snapped my head in her direction almost automatically. From the day she could say it, that call had been like a beacon for me. “Yes, Ari?”
“Can I have juice?”
I looked towards Leo, who was already at the fridge. “We have apple,” he said.
“What do you say?” I asked as a reminder.
“Can I have juice please?”
“Of course.” I walked around to the counter, but by the time I got there, Leo had it in a plastic cup.
“Oh, I normally?—”
“Cut it with water,” he interrupted. “I figured. My sister does too.”
I smiled and took it to her and sat next to her and Jasper as they worked on writing her name. It was odd to feel like I had some support as a parent. I knew it was only for a little while, but it wasn’t something I was used to at all.
“Dinner’s ready,” Leo called out as we were finishing our conversation.
“Why don’t we get the books put away and wash our hands?” I told her.
“I’m not done yet,” Aria whined.
“I know, but maybe we can finish it later. And don’t you want spaghetti?”
“I love spaghetti,” she said, missing a few syllables on the way. We got it all clean, and I took her to the kitchen sink to help her wash her hands.
As we did, the front door opened, revealing Hawthorne. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, clicking the door shut behind him.
“Where were you?” Leo asked.
“I had a few things to take care of,” he said cryptically. “But I stopped at my parents and was gifted bread.”
“Perfect. I made spaghetti.”
Hawthorne approached him and planted a kiss on his lips, then on Jasper’s as he saw him. When Aria was done washing, I set her down and helped her dry. Once she ran to the tableHawthorne approached me and planted a kiss on my lips I wasn’t expecting. “Hey, beautiful. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay,” I said, and it was. Between the three of them, I never felt alone. Even when we weren’t together, there were texts and calls. I had never felt this cared for in my life, and the sudden realization made me choke up a bit, but I pushed it down. I didn’t need to cry over nothing right now.
We got back to the table, Leo bringing us both plates and the tray of garlic bread. Aria dug right in, smearing sauce all over herself. I knew I would need to give her a bath anyway, so I didn’t worry about it. Aria chatted away about any thought she had, the guys running with every single one.
I tried to help with dishes when we finished, but I was quickly shooed out of the kitchen as Jasper helped Aria clean her fingers with some wet wipes. This was the first time in years it felt like I didn’t have one thing going after another.
Hawthorne circled me, leaning down so his chin rested on my shoulder.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked.
He turned me to face him and looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Dinner is taken care of, I don’t have to work, I don’t have to be the only one taking care of my child. What do I do?”
