“She’s keeping the kitten, you know.”
“Of course she is. She named it. Everyone knows that once you name it, it’s yours. Or in this case, she belongs to the cat.”
That was true.
I walked over and kissed her cheek, squeezing her shoulders gently. “You’re the best grandma in the world.”
“You’re not having a slice of this cheesecake.”
“Go away, then.”
She laughed as I walked out to the back porch where Dolly was sleeping in the sun. “Convince Mason that my hydrangeas are roses, and I’ll give you two.”
“Done,” I said. “I just have something to do first.”
I darted back inside and grabbed Maya—who had already finished her cheesecake—and carried her upstairs to the bathroom. “You wanna get Daddy?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes, Immy!”
I passed her two water balloons and took the other four myself. Mercifully, none spilled, and we carried them downstairs. Grandma watched us with amusement as we conducted a ninja experiment to get onto the back porch without him noticing, then down onto the grass.
“Ready, set, run, and throw!” I whispered.
Maya launched herself off with a war cry Tarzan would have been proud of. Her first balloon hit Mason square in the stomach and soaked him from the waist down. Before he had a chance to react, I threw my first one at him and hit him. Maya’s second missed, but my next three all hit him.
Maya’s laugh bounced off the walls, echoing through the air as she ran away from Mason. He caught her easily, sweeping her off her feet and spinning her around in the air.
“You little monkey!” he said, tickling her and making her squeal.
“Daddy nooooooo!” She laughed, shrieking every other breath. “Noooo!”
I laughed, bent over at the waist. Oh, God, that was fun. I dropped my head so I was looking at the ground, but the next thing I knew, I was tackled from the front and sent flying backward.
I screamed as my life flashed before my eyes. I hit the freshly-cut grass with a gentle thud, and Mason flattened himself on top of me.
“And you! I know that was all you!” He resumed his tickling, but this time it was on me, and holy shit, I couldn’t breathe.
I writhed beneath him. “Stop! Ahhhh, oh, my God! Stop!” I forced out between laughs. “You’re making me wet!”
“Good. Then you’ll be ready for later.” He laughed, pinning me to the ground. “You’re corrupting my child.”
“You gave me permission for water balloons.”
“I rescind it.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
He laughed, dropping his forehead to mine. “Of course you don’t, Immy.”
“Why would I? That was fun.”
“Even though half of you is covered in grass and the other half is soaking wet?”
I smiled, looking up and meeting his eyes. “Even though half of me is covered in grass and the other half is soaking wet. Totally worth it.”
Mason grinned lopsidedly, then dropped his lips to mine. The warmth of them was a stark contrast to the coldness of the water that now coated both of our bodies.
“Hey! Stop making out in my yard!” Grandma yelled from the porch.
There was a giggle and a rush of freezing cold water as a water balloon exploded over both of us.
“Oh!” I squealed as Mason rolled off me.
“Jennifer!” he yelled.
I wiped my eyes in time to see a giggling Maya run back to the porch with her arms waving like crazy.
“Nobody wants to see your porno!” Grandma yelled.
“What’s a porno?” Maya asked, just loud enough for us to hear.
Grandma paused.
“I’m gonna let her explain that one,” Mason muttered.
I snorted. “I wouldn’t. She’ll tell her the truth.”
“Jesus. Jennifer!” Mason scrambled to his feet at the exact moment Grandma guided Maya inside. “She’s four! Jennifer!”
I rolled onto my side, laughing my ass off.
This wasn’t how I’d expected my life to change in the last few weeks. When he’d rolled up in the moving truck, I hadn’t thought for a second that what we once had could be rekindled—and in a new, more adult, mature way.
Water balloons notwithstanding.
And at this moment, watching Mason scoop Maya up and cover her ears, as I laughed, I found myself thankful.
Thankful for the day he broke my heart all those years ago.
Without it, none of this would have happened. We may have survived this long in a relationship, but I really doubted it. Our old relationship was immature and childish. Without that heartbreak, he never would have had Maya, and he never would have found his way to my hometown, much less the house next door.
And I was so, so thankful that he had.
Because of it, I now had a wonderful relationship with Mason—one where I smiled every day and laughed every hour and felt loved even more frequently than that, even when we bickered. I had the sweetest little girl in my life who brightened every second, and even Fran was quickly becoming one of my closest friends.
I was blessed beyond measure, and as I saw Grandma exited the house onto the back porch with an armful of water balloons to chase Mason—God only knew where she got those from—I knew one thing.
I was, beyond a doubt, the luckiest girl in the world.
“Take cover!” Mason yelled, running toward me. “It’s a mutiny! We need more water balloons!”
I looked over in enough time to see Maya appear with a mixing bowl full of them and a manic look in her eye.
Mason dragged me up off the floor toward the shed. “We’re on the same side! Pay attention, woman!”
I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe, never mind pay attention to a water balloon fight.
Spoiler alert: we lost.