“He let us help and didn’t treat us like we couldn’t do anything.”
Recognizing her daughter seemed to have a point to make, she nodded but remained quiet.
Lily wiped her hands and took another sip of her soda before lifting her gaze back to her mom. “Do you like Ben?”
“Of course. He’s a good neighbor and easy to like,” she replied, choosing her words carefully.
“No, I mean do you like him,” Lily prodded, her fingers making air quotes at the word ‘like’.
Sucking in her lips, she hesitated, not having a clue how to approach her response. “Lily, honey, right now I’m focusing on being a good mom to you and your brother, being a good student so I can get a better job, and being a good neighbor to Anna and Ben. So, that pretty much takes up my time.”
“Yeah, but I know other kids whose parents got divorced and they date. Colleen’s last name is now her stepdad’s name. Patty has a stepdad and a stepmom. Rick has had two stepdads, which I think is weird, but he says his mom just likes being married. Something about her not wanting to be a single mom. And my teacher got divorced and she’s already dating someone.”
Violet jerked slightly at hearing her nine-year-old daughter explain adult dating. “It’s not quite the same for me—”
“Because Dad died?”
Blowing out a breath, she nodded slowly. “Yes… maybe… no. To be honest, I’m not sure. But, I don’t want to jump into dating unless I meet someone special.”
“Like Ben.”
Her gaze snagged on Ben and Charlie walking back toward the table, Charlie just as animated as when they left. Her lips curved slightly at the sight of the two of them together.
“Never mind, Mom. I can see it on your face.”
“Wh… what?” she asked, feeling a deep heat rise from her chest upward, knowing a tale-tell blush was evident. “I was just watching Charlie.” Pinning Lily with a lifted-eyebrow stare, she said, “And stop trying to play matchmaker, young lady. I’m just fine as I am.”
Something flashed through Lily’s eyes, something undefinable, and Violet’s chest squeezed again. The same daughter who was playing games earlier now seemed so grown up. Before she had a chance to blink, Lily turned to Charlie, grinned widely, and said, “Come on, let’s get some more games in before we have to leave!”
Ben sat down, concern on his face. “Hey, are you okay? Everything okay with Lily?”
“Yes, absolutely. We were just chatting, that’s all.” Holding his gaze, she stared into his eyes, wondering what Lily observed when Violet looked at Ben… and hoped that she hid it from him. The last thing he needs is some clinging woman thinking a kiss is more than it is. Clearing her throat, she asked, “I saw Charlie talking your ear off. Anything I should know about?”
Chuckling, Ben shook his head. “Nah… he replayed all the games he won and fussed about the ones that were too hard. Honestly, those were only the ones where he was supposed to toss the ball into the holes. I told him that whenever he wanted, I could help him practice pitches in the backyard, and then when we came back here, he’d be ready.”
She kept a smile plastered on her face, not wanting to scare Ben by bursting into tears. But he could have no idea what his words would have meant to Charlie—or her. Somehow, she managed to croak out a ‘Thank you’. His eyes searched her face, but she kept her smile intact.
He leaned closer, and this time placed a soft kiss on her cheek, right at the corner of her mouth. It was over quickly but melted her heart.
Several hours later, she opened the back door and welcomed him into the kitchen. When they had returned home from Pirate Pizza, Ben went back to Anna’s house to check on her while she made sure the kids were bathed and ready for bed. Charlie and Lily’s earlier excitement had morphed into exhaustion, and the kids were now tucked into bed, sound asleep.
“Hey, come on in,” she invited, leading him into the house. “I’ve got a beer for you and poured some wine for me.”
He kissed her lightly, then grabbed the beer and followed her into the living room. She settled on one end of the sofa, her body twisting toward him as he sat in the middle.
“Are the kids in bed?”
Laughing softly, she nodded. “Oh, yeah. They took a bath, brushed their teeth, and put on their jammies. Then fell into their beds and were o-u-t out.” She sipped her wine before replacing the glass on the coffee table. “I want to thank you for tonight. They had such a good time.”
“I did, too. I told Babciu that I hadn’t had that much fun in a long time.”
She smiled, warmed that he enjoyed spending time with her kids as well as her.
“Your friends seemed nice.”
“Tara? Yes, she’s a dear. We met years ago dropping the kids off at school and just clicked. She’s a social worker and maybe that’s why she’s so easy to talk to. She never met Matt, so she’s only known me as a widow. She grew up in Hope City, has a huge family, and they all still live nearby. I always envied her that support system. Her first husband was a loser, and she’s raised Colleen practically by herself… well, until Carter came along.” Having mentioned Matt’s name, she sighed, knowing it was time. “You wondered about their father…”
His body was twisted toward hers and his arm was draped over the back of the sofa, his fingertips rubbing her shoulder. “Yeah… whatever you’d like to tell me.”
“I’ll talk softly, but I should let you know that I’ve made sure their doors are closed. There are some things they know about Matt and other things that I’ve kept from them.” Sighing again, she said, “But I feel like I want to explain things in more depth to you.”
“I’d like that, Violet.”
“Matt and I met in high school and started dating when he was a senior and I was a sophomore. Since he went to Hope City University, we kept dating, and after I graduated, I started there as well. When he graduated, he wanted to get married, and I was young, in love, and foolish. Instead of waiting, I dropped out of college, and thinking I was so grown up, we got married. I started working and a year later we had Lily. I felt as though I had the perfect life. A husband I loved and a child born of that love. A job I enjoyed. And several years later, I had Charlie. Matt was a good husband and a good father. My life seemed almost perfect. I never imagined how it would change.”
She thought talking about Matt would be uncomfortable, dredging up memories she’d rather leave behind. But with Ben’s soothing touch, warmth spread through her, and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel so alone.
“Things began to change, but I didn’t notice it at the time… it was only in retrospect that I realized it. My focus was on raising the kids, keeping the house, and my job. I was a bookkeeper, and my boss let me cut my hours back to part-time. Matt got a promotion and was spending more time at the office. He seemed happy, and I was happy for him.” She lifted her hand and gently rubbed her forehead, casting her mind back. “There were little signs that things were changing, but I couldn’t imagine any young family like ours not having to deal with certain issues. There were a few times that he would come home from work and I smelled alcohol. Not a lot. He certainly didn’t reek and didn’t appear inebriated. When I asked about it, he said that some coworkers occasionally went to bars after work, and said it was needed for networking.” Snorting, she shook her head. “What did I know of the corporate world? I had complete faith and trust in my husband. Other than that, I thought things were fine. He was good with the kids and we had a lot of fun on weekends. Our sex life was good, or at least I thought it was. But there was the night of the accident.”