“Mom got a white pizza with peppers and mushrooms. Gross.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with peppers and mushrooms,” he said. “What did you get?”
“A meat lovers. A manly pizza. And wings.”
“Well, this man is going to have the pizza with your mom,” he said. He wasn’t sure his stomach could take the other one with the nerves that had been dancing inside of him today and was happy Farrah thought of that.
It seemed she had thought of everything.
Not just for her son, but for him too.
He’d carried his worries about the next step they were taking, the what-ifs pressing heavy on his chest and his mind.
He should have remembered who Farrah was at her core. She always did the right thing. Always put everyone else’s needs before her own.
Even if it meant swallowing her own doubts and sacrificing her comfort just to make others feel at ease.
And while part of him ached with admiration for the strength it took, another part resisted it. Because he didn’t want her happiness to be something she gave up so easily. Not for him. Not for anyone. She deserved more than that.
Whether it was something as simple as a dinner choice, or her son’s peace of mind.
He just hoped he was man enough to give her what Archer felt his mother deserved. Another weight he’d carry quietly.
“See,” she said. “I told you it was the better option.”
“Mom loves white pizza.”
That made him feel somewhat better. That it wasn’t completely about him. That she might be doing it for her too. Getting something that made her happy.
Was he helping her out of the bubble of selflessness and maybe prioritizing herself some?
He hoped so.
“I do too,” he said. “But I eat everything.”
“Can I have my wings first, Mom?”
“That’s how you do pizza night,” he said.
“Are you having wings? They are medium. Mom doesn’t like hot.”
“I suppose I can choke a few down. We can get hot wings another time. Just the two of us.”
“Yes!” Archer shouted. “Mom can eat a salad while we have wings.”
He turned to see her grinning. “You’re just eating this up right now,” she said. “Archer is loving the man bonding thing and now I’m outnumbered.”
“That’s how Jocelyn always felt,” he said.
They sat to eat, Archer gobbling up two pieces of pizza and four wings. Jayce and Farrah stuck to one piece each with a couple of wings.
“Can we get ice cream now?” Archer asked.
“Do you even have room?” he asked.
“I always wonder where he stores it, but he’ll find room for a sundae.”
“My treat,” he said. “I might get one too.”
