“Yes, he’s no longer here,” I reply softly. “When I was a little girl, he became very, very sick and though the doctors did everything to help him, he never got better. But even though he’s gone, he’ll always be with me through here.” I tap the spot where my heart is.
“I hope my dad never leaves me. He’s my best friend in the whole world,” Jake whispers, his voice softened with sadness.
I reach out and gently squeeze his hand. “Your dad won’t be going anywhere for a very long time. There’s still so much of your life he wants to be part of.”
As if we summoned him from thin air, Jason bursts through the front door and strides into the dining room mere seconds later, holding three boxes of pizza in his hand. “I’m home!” he says with a wide grin. “Now, who’s hungry?”
Jake leaps out of his chair and rushes towards Jason, practically flinging himself into his father’s arms. Jason is quick to catch him though, bending down and pulling him into a tight hug with one arm while balancing the boxes of pizza with the other.
“You’re home early.” Jake murmurs, his words muffled from his head being nestled against Jason’s chest.
“I know. It wasn’t very busy tonight at the restaurant, so I thought I’d spend the rest of the night with you guys. If that’s okay with you?”
Jake bobs his head up and down.Pulling away from his dad, he tilts his head up slightly, sniffing the air. “Is that pepperoni?”
“Sure is, bud! Want to help me set the table?” He looks over at me and winks, but his gaze soon shifts to the clutter of papers spread across the table. “Looks like it’s already full. What were you guys up to?” he asks, stepping closer until he’s standing just on the other side of the table from me.
“Jake and I were busy making butterflies.”
In the same moment, Jake appears beside his father, picks up one of the paintings, and hands it to him. “Yeah, Dad, we made twenty different kinds of butterflies. But I’ll tell you their names tomorrow. I’m too tired to talk right now. Just don’t move them, okay? They’re still wet.”
Jason chuckles. “I won’t. I promise. How about we eat outside by the pool instead? The weather is perfect. It’s not too hot, not too cold tonight.”
We all happily agree, each of us pitching in to set up our little picnic outside on the deck.
For the next hour we unwind by the pool, indulging in mouth-watering woodfire pizzas as we chat and laugh, mostly at Jake’s endless stories about his school teacher, who the kids call ‘Mr Snorlax’ due to his habit of falling asleep and snoring pretty much anywhere, just like the Pokémon. How he manages to still have a job is beyond me.
The night is unfolding effortlessly, everything flowing smoothly between the three of us, like we’ve been doing this for years. I’m well-fed and completely relaxed, that is until my phone buzzes with an incoming text. Glancing over at Jason, whose eyes are locked on Jake, now lounging in an inflatable donut in the heated pool, I quickly pull out my phone from the pocket of my jeans and check the message.
Dean:Hi, baby. Just checking in to see how your night is going.
Me:Hey you! I’m having a really good night actually. I’ve learnt about twenty different species of butterflies from a five-year-old, and now I’m just relaxing by the pool with a massive food coma.
Dean:LOL! You guys are adorable! I bet you still looksexy with a bloated belly.
Me:I don’t know about that. It looks like I swallowed a small watermelon. If Jason wasn’t sitting next to me, I’d be popping open the top of my jeans.
I watch as the text bubble appears, disappears, then reappears—again and again, as if he’s struggling to settle on the right words. Minutes pass before his reply finally comes through.
Dean:Jason’s home?
Me:Yes, he is. The restaurant was quiet tonight, so he came home early.
Dean:How long has he been home?
Me:About an hour. He brought home pizza for us. I didn’t want to be rude and just leave.
Dean:So you’re telling me you’ve spent the last hour eating and relaxing with Jason, when we could’ve hung out sooner?
Me:It’s only pizza, babe. And Jake is eating with us too.
Dean:Oh, how fucking convenient! He has you playing happy families with him now. You should’ve texted me first, Mila!
My jaw drops in disbelief, stunned by his reaction. He’s making such a big deal out of nothing and it’s honestly pissing meoff. I’ve always been aware of his strong dislike towards Jason, and I’m not even entirely sure why. But his constant, jealous outbursts whenever I mention my boss are starting to get out of hand.
We’ve been dating exclusively for a few months now, and while things have mostly been good between us, I’ve quickly learned that Dean can be very jealous—and at times, a little possessive whenever Jason is around. I’ve never given him a reason to doubt me. He knows I’d never do anything to hurt him. So, I just don’t understand why he gets so frustrated.
“Everything okay?” Jason’s deep baritone snaps me back to the present.
