“Hey, man,” he greets me, reciprocating my handshake. “Happy late birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“Mom. Look.” Amari points to a group of butterflies flying around. Both she and B walk toward the exhibit.
Great.Now I’m stuck with him.
When B first started dating other people, I was angry and hurt. None of them lasted, because no one in their early twenties wanted to be a stepdad and have the baby daddy around. This makes me sound like a big asshole, but it gave me a leg up on the competition. It was an advantage I never knew I needed. It also helped me push myself even more to work on myself. I’ll admit, it was hard watching her with someone else—and even harder to watch her cry over them because she had a daughter and a baby daddy. Even though I knew part of those tears were because of the position I put her in, I was still there for her, giving her a shoulder to cry on. Deep down, I knew I still had a lot to work on, so I never really used those tears to my advantage like some assholes would.
Then, when I finally felt like I had been making positive strides and stood a chance with B, she met Liam. When she told me about him, I thought he was going to be like every other guy. The more she told me about him, the more worried I got. He was mature, ready to settle down, and had a great career. On top of all of that, he wanted to meet me before he met Amari. I had to give him respect for that. Even so, I was ready for the challenge of winning her back. We were already close enough, but I started hanging around more and inviting her places. Sometimes Liam came, sometimes he didn’t. Usually, when he wasn’t around, itwas because he was at work. Some days and nights are long for him. The more he was around, the more I realized how much more mature he was than the other guys she’d been with. He didn’t seem to mind that I’m in the picture.
Then, she moved in with him. The moment she told me they were moving in together, my stomach sank. It twisted and turned for weeks. It still does sometimes. Here we are, nine months later. He treats Amari and B better than I expected. Sometimes I feel bad for what I’m doing—trying to take my family back. But then again, I don’t. Because they’remyfamily.
“How was your birthday?” he asks.
“It was chill. I’m happy to have spent it with my daughter and brother. And now spending it with them two,” I say as I tilt my chin in Blakely and Amari’s direction. Every time I make comments like this, he doesn’t seem to care. No guy can be this mature.
“How’d you like your gift Amari got you?”
“It’s nice.” I lift my arm up to show him the jacket I’m wearing.
He looks over at me. “That is a nice jacket.”
“It sure is. I’m sure B enjoyed helping Amari shop for it.”
“I bet she did. Especially with her newly acquired shopping addiction.”
Sometimes I wonder if she had a shopping addiction back when we were teenagers, and she stopped since we couldn’t afford it. I’ve seen her closet packed with so many clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, perfumes, and makeup. Anything girly—you name it, she has it.
I decide to head in the direction B and Amari wandered off in, leaving Liam and all thoughts about how to get him out of the picture behind.
For today, at least.
A couple hours later,all four of us are sitting at the food court while eating lunch. Amari got hungry after walking through the whole aquarium. She loves pretzels—just like her mom. We can never leave without getting them one.
“Can I go see the butterflies one last time before we leave?” Amari asks, looking at me and her mom.
Before any of us can say anything, Liam says, “I can take you.”
“Okay,” she says and scoots off the chair.
I watch as he takes Amari’s hand in his, and they walk over to the exhibit. “So, how much longer are you going to keep this guy around?” I ask as I glance back toward B.
Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops. “What the hell? Where did that come from?”
“It’s only a question,” I say, crossing my arms over one another.
“A dumb one.”
“How is it dumb?” I question.
“I thought you liked him,” she says, setting down the last bite of her pretzel.
I shrug my shoulders in silence.
“Are you seeing anyone?” she asks.
“No. But I have my eyes on someone,” I say, narrowing my gaze at her.
