“Excuse me?” I try not to lose my shit with her. I haven’t told Kallie that the reason that I don’t have her in my house is because the only thing I want from her is Ethan. I don’t tell her that after she left, I was never alone with Savannah in one room. I would bring Beau or meet her in the open so people would see that we weren’t together.
“It’s the first girl you introduce him to, and there is a lot of history there. I was just thinking that you would discuss it with me. This is a big thing in his life, and I don’t want him to feel like his life is being uprooted with it.”
I walk down the steps to her, and I want to shake her. “Savannah, the only thing I talk to you about ever is Ethan,” I say, and she looks up at me. “We made a pact eight years ago, and I’ve kept up my part in it. But things are different now. Kallie is back, and a part of my life, and if I have anything to do with it, she’ll be an even bigger part of it.”
“Trust me, Jacob, I know too well the pact that we made,” she says softly. “I just don’t want Ethan to feel like—”
“She’s here, and she’s back,” I say. “I’m going to talk to Ethan tonight about it. He’s a good kid, and he’ll adapt. And if he doesn’t, we’ll make sure that we are united in this, and that no matter who I’m with or who you’re with, he knows we are still his parents.”
“Fine,” she says and walks away from me to the truck. “Text me later to tell me how it went.”
“Sure thing,” I say and turn to walk into the house. I walk to the kitchen and see Kallie putting a pot on the stove. She looks over at me and glares. “I’m sorry.”
“He came in here,” she whispers, looking over my shoulder to make sure the coast is clear, “and I didn’t know what to say.”
“Well, where is he now?” I look around, and she points to his room.
“Unpacking his bag,” she tells me and wipes a tear away. I walk to her and take her in my arms. “He’s beautiful,” she says. “So beautiful.”
“He is,” I say, and I kiss her lips.
“Why were you outside?” she asks, and I know I should tell her.
“Nothing.” I lie to her, and she glares at me.
“If we are doing this, no more secrets.” She pushes away from me, but I hold her tighter.
“Okay, fine, she was just surprised that I was introducing you to Ethan so fast,” I say.
“And?” she prompts.
“And I told her in no uncertain words that it was none of her business and that I was going—” I don’t finish because she puts her hand on my mouth when she sees Ethan come into the room.
“I have math homework,” Ethan says, “but I need help.”
“You go help him. I’m going to get dinner going,” she says, and I kiss her.
“Get your things and we can do it at the table.” I look at Ethan and walk to the table. I help Ethan with his homework while pots bang in the kitchen, and I hear her hissing on the phone with someone when she looks at me. “You don’t have bread crumbs.”
“Okay.” I don’t know if she’s asking me or telling me.
“I’m making mac and cheese, and, well, it’s not really mac and cheese without the bread crumbs.” She throws up her hands. “I’m going to need your keys.”
“For?” I ask and look at Ethan, who is pretending not to laugh at Kallie freaking out.
“For?” she says. “Did you not just hear what I said? I need bread crumbs.”
I shake my head, and I want to tell her that it’s going to be fine without it, but I’m not going to add fuel to that fire. “My keys are in the truck.”
“Okay, I’ll be back.” She turns off the stove. “Ethan.” She looks at him. “What’s your favorite dessert?”
“Um,” Ethan looks at me and then looks at Kallie, “apple crumble pie.”
“Okay,” she says, “I’ll see what I can do.” She turns and walks out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
“Um, Dad,” Ethan says, “is she going to bake me a pie?”
“Kiddo.” I look at him. “I have no idea.”
“She’s jumpy,” he says to me, and I look at him.
“She’s nervous,” I say. “She was nervous to meet you.”
“Why?” he asks. I tap my fingers on the table.
“Well, she knows how important you are to me,” I say.
“And she wants me to like her.” He nods at me as though he’s solved the puzzle.
“Yeah, kiddo.” I lean over and kiss his head. “She wants you to like her.”
“She’s pretty,” he says.
“She is,” I agree with him. “She’s always been.” I grab my wallet and take out a picture that I’ve kept hidden in the back. It’s frayed at the edges and the color has changed from glossy to a yellow tint. “This was us.” I show him the picture we took on prom night. The only one I had on my phone.
“You were so small.” Ethan jokes with me. “You got guns, Dad.”
“Who taught you that?” Laughing, I take the picture back from him and put it back in my wallet, right behind the picture of Gabriel.
“Uncle Beau,” he says, and I shake my head.
“Anyway, kiddo, if you can do me a favor and give her a chance, you’ll see how awesome she really is,” I say softly, and I’m about to say something else when the door opens and slams closed, and she comes rushing in with a glass plate in her hand.
“Okay, I got the bread crumbs,” she huffs. Going to the stove, she turns it on. “And the only thing my mom had was apple pie, but she’s going to make you apple crumble pie tomorrow so we can have it then.” She looks at Ethan. “Or you can have it all yourself,” she says and points at the apple pie in front of her.
“Your mom made apple pie?” Ethan asks.
“She has this huge freezer where she puts all her baked stuff in, and she told me that all I had to do is put this in the oven for an hour, and it’ll be perfect.” She looks like she is flustered, and I get up and walk over to her.
“Baby,” I say, and she just looks at me like she is going to cry.
“I’m ruining it,” she whispers. “I’m ruining everything.”
I hold her face in my hands and wipe away the tears that come down her cheeks. I can see she was crying before she got into the house. “Baby, nothing is ruined,” I say. “Will you come and sit down with us so my boy can meet you, please?”
“But I have to make dinner for him,” she says. “He’s a growing boy, Jacob.” She looks down. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“I love you,” I say, kissing her.
“Jacob, you just kissed me, and Ethan is here,” she says.
“He needs to get used to it,” I say. The timer goes off, so I let my hands fall from her face.
She turns and goes to put the pasta in the water, and I go back to the table to help Ethan, who just smiles at me. “She is going to make me pie tomorrow,” he says.