by A. m Madden
I crinkled my nose. “That’s gross.”
“But, funny.”
By the time we made it to my in-laws place, we had laughed so much my stomach ached. When I saw their driveway come into view, I pointed. “Turn there.” I was excited to see my son. “Mikey is going to be so surprised you’re here.”
“You didn’t tell him?” He killed the ignition on my SUV. “I can wait in the car.”
“Not a chance.” I opened my door and grinned back at him. “Now, let’s go make a little boy smile.”
Hand in hand we walked around the back of the house, where I knew they’d be. The sound of my son laughing elicited a smile. Luca afforded me with a smile of his own. “Someone is having fun.”
“Yeah, he loves it here.”
He quirked a brow at the reluctance lacing my words. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Of course. It’s me who dreads coming here.” I squeezed his hand and shrugged.
“Sweetheart, just say the word and we’re out of here.”
It was simple things like that that made me fall in love with him more and more. “I love you,” I said as a thank you before opening the gate leading to the backyard.
The creak of the hinge brought attention to us. My in-laws sat on Adirondack chairs sipping iced tea, while my son stopped in his tracks with a bubble blower gun held midair.
“Mommy! Luca!” He dropped the toy and sprinted our way. I squatted right before he reached us, taking him into my arms in a crushing hug.
“I missed you so much, baby.” Kissing his warm cheek over and over, he giggled and squirmed allowing me my sappy greeting.
“Let me go,” he said between huffs and chuckles. No sooner had I released him when he propelled his body at Luca.
“Hey, buddy. How are you?”
“I’m great! But I missed you so much!” Luca ruffled his hair with a smile. “Are you Mommy’s boyfriend again?” Luca’s eyes cut to mine for direction, while mine cut to my in-laws.
“Hello, Sabrina,” my father-in-law saved us both from responding at the moment. He moved closer and gave me a stiff hug.
My mother-in-law stood where she stopped and smiled stiffly. “Sabrina,” she said with a nod of her head.
“Hello Brian, Kellie. This is Luca Benedetto…” I paused, drew in a breath, and added with a genuine smile, “My boyfriend. Luca, Brian and Kellie Callahan.”
Brian offered a hand to Luca with a smile. “It’s very nice to meet you. We’ve heard so much about you this week.”
Luca extended his hand to Kellie next, and the way she accepted only his fingertips, to give him a quick limp handshake, spoke volumes. Of course, the tight grin she had given me was still firmly planted on her face. Screw that, and what she thought. Her son hurt me, and the act was what she refused to acknowledge, and instead focused on the outcome…another grandchild.
“Thank so much,” Luca responded. He put his hand on Mikey’s shoulder before adding, “I hope all good.”
“I told Grandpa how good you are at soccer, and then showed him all the moves you taught me.”
“He’s very talented,” Brian said with a smile. “And passionate about his favorite sport.”
Luca and Brian continued the small talk as my mother-in-law elevated the tension level in the backyard to stifling proportions.
“How was your week?” I asked her, in an attempt to be the bigger person.
“It was good.”
Silence.
“Um… did he give you any trouble?”
“Nope. He was very well behaved. He’s a Callahan.” My insides simmered, but I forced a smile and nodded. “You’re nice and tan. Did you enjoy your time off?”
“Yes, I did.” I stepped closer to Luca and took his hand with purpose. “We did.” If she could spit nails, she would.
“Come sit, relax,” my father-in-law said. “I’m sure you guys had a long ride up.” They had no idea we had come from the Hamptons, nor would I offer that information. My last statement was enough to instigate my ire. “How about a cold glass of iced tea?”
Luca and I exchanged a silent understanding. “Thank you, that sounds nice but we really need to be going.”
At my admission, Kellie said, “I’ll go grab his bag for you.” With that, she retreated toward the house, not bothering to invite us in.
Brian offered an awkward smile once his wife went through the door. “Well, you’ll have to visit again so we can get to know you.”
“I’d like that,” Luca admitted, when all I thought to myself was—yeah, not happening anytime soon.
It took five minutes for goodbyes, and the moment Luca reversed out of the drive, I released a huge sigh of relief.
Mikey chattered in the back about every activity that filled his little vacation. Meanwhile, Luca took my hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed it affectionately.
We were driving away from my past, and I looked forward to every minute of our future.
Chapter 32
Luca
The three of us fell into a very comfortable routine the past few weeks. It took some time for us to build the nerve and come out as a couple to Mikey. Of course, he referenced that I was his mother’s boyfriend, but waking up in their apartment would bring that reality to a new level… especially for an almost six-year-old.
That first morning after I stayed over, he came barreling into her room like a bull in a china shop. Sabrina and I had discussed whether it were better for Mikey to see me up and dressed or still in bed. I opted for the first option, worried the latter would confuse him. However, she felt it was a necessary step, and would open a much needed conversation.
Once again, she was right. His brow puckered as he stared at me for a moment, processing why I was in his mom’s bed. “Luca stayed here last night?” he asked.
“Yes, baby. Is that okay?”
The confusion on his face morphed into a wide-eyed gawk. “Why didn’t you tell me? That’s not fair, he should have slept in my room. We could’ve pretended we were camping out!”
Sabrina curled her lips over her teeth as I released a chuckle. “We’ll have a camping sleepover soon, buddy.”
“Cool.” He bounced his way over, hopped in bed between us, and said, “Luca, do you like SpongeBob? Mom hates it, but I think it’s so funny.” Our eyes met over his head in a silent—whew.
And that’s how it went with each obstacle we faced. We both knew questions would be asked, in a five-year-old’s way. Together, we responded honestly. The topics Sabrina dreaded never came up like she worried they would. Mikey would reference his father in a way that meant he understood it was okay to talk about memories, yet knew new ones were not replacing them but instead enhancing them.
As far as my relationship with Sabrina, it could be described in one word… amazing. I’d known we were well matched, compatible, but not until we became official in every way did it really click how perfect we were together. During alone time, I shared I couldn’t wait for her to meet my family, we talked about things we wanted to do alone and with Mikey, and we made plans. That was the best part.
The day I took her to my office was a proud day for me. Her eyes widened as she took in the posh yet comfortable atmosphere Jude created at Soren Enterprises. Ever since I missed Mikey’s graduation, I had thought of bringing her there.
She ran her hand along the edge of my mahogany desk as she walked around it. The city looked pristine from my window. Beams of sunlight bounced off the adjacent building’s windows almost creating a prism effect. “Wow, Luca, this is beautiful.”
“Thank you. We’ve worked very hard to get here. To think this all started back in our Frat house.”
Sabrina sat in my high-back leather desk chair. “Oh my God.” She sighed. “This is heavenly. I can’t imagine what it would be like to work sitting on a cloud. The closest thing I have is the memory foam in my sneakers.”
It’s when she let out another sigh followed by a moan, that I needed to put a st
op to it or I would be locking my office door. “You’re killing me.” She smiled, stood, and looped her arms around my neck. “Are you done torturing me and ready for the rest of the office tour?”
She nodded. “Yes, sorry.” Her eyes cut to the leather sofa on the opposite side of my office. When she turned to me, her eyes turned sultry, and she smirked.
Taking her hand in mine, I said, “Okay, let’s go.” She laughed at me, prompting me to ask, “What?”
“It’s just nice to know I have that effect on you.”
“Babe, if I didn’t have a meeting in forty-five minutes, I’d show you what kind of effect you have on me. And don’t think I won’t show you later.”
Thanks to parts of her past, doubt would creep in… but there would be no way I’d ever give her reason to question my love for her, or Mikey. For instance, I’d go to the ends of the earth to give a little boy the best birthday he ever had.
One last fiddle with the “Happy Birthday Mikey” banner centered it perfectly between the two clusters of helium soccer balls. After taking a few steps backward, I nodded to myself in approval.
“Honey, it’s perfect,” Sabrina said, wrapping her arms around my waist. On its own accord, my arm circled her shoulders to draw her even closer.
“Now it is. I want everything perfect for him,” I admitted, kissing the top of her head.
“It’s beyond perfect. He’s going to love this.” At my request, Sabrina and I arrived to the Sport Zone an hour before party time to ensure everything was set up just as I wanted it. Pizza was coming during the scrimmage we would play, the soccer ball shaped ice cream cake waited in the freezer, and cellophane-wrapped soccer balls, monogrammed for each guest, lined the room as party favors.
Twelve boys, including Mikey, were about to have the best soccer-themed birthday party they’d ever been to.
Sabrina reached for my left arm, twisting my wrist to see the time. “They should be here any minute.” Also on my request, I suggested that her parents hang back at her apartment with Mikey and bring him over closer to party time to surprise him.
Scanning the party room to be sure I didn’t forget anything, voices outside the door meant our guest of honor had arrived.
“Wow!” he yelled the moment he walked through the door.
“Where’s grandma and grandpa?” his mother asked.
“We’re here.” They stepped through after Mikey. “He left us in the dust,” Sebastian said on a chuckle.
As Sabrina greeted her parents, Mikey’s gaze bounced from the banner to the table set with soccer plates to the gift table already holding two boxes in soccer ball wrapping paper. “Can I open them?”
“Stop!” Sabrina’s command halted his full-on sprint toward the presents. “After the party, you can open your gifts.” I internally laughed at how she had predicted this exact scenario. One box held an array of new soccer gear, from shin guards to cleats to a new athletic cup… it was never too soon to protect the jewels. The other box held a soccer ball signed by David Beckham in a lucite case. Sabrina knew that would cause a ruckus with the rest of the six-year-olds coming.
“Aw, man.” On cue, his brown eyes cut to my face.
“Sorry, buddy. Mom’s right.”
“Fine.” The side of his mouth lifted in a sulking pout. Having me around so much once we got him home from his grandparents caused my little friend to always try and use me as an ally against his mother’s rules. You would’ve thought by now he got the message I was Team Sabrina every time. “Hey, you’re friends will be here soon, how about we go out to the field area and warm up?”
And just like that, the presents were forgotten.
Sabrina
The smile on Mikey’s face had been infectious. As promised, Luca invited us over for dinner and a campout, New York style. This was a big deal in more ways than one. Not only for my son, who was finally having a sleepover with his best friend, but even more so with me.
Side by side we wheeled our overnight bags through the lobby… mine a traditional bag on wheels and Mikey’s a Ninja Turtle bag on wheels his friend Jared gave him for his birthday.
I smiled at the Concierge on duty. “Hello, Lester.”
“Hello, Ms. Sabrina,” he said in response.
“We’re having a sleepover,” Mikey announced.
“Well, that sounds like a great time. Have fun, little man.”
“Oh, I will,” my son quipped confidently. The elevator doors opened, and as we stepped in Mikey waved before the doors slid shut. He then studied the panel and asked, “What floor?”
“Number twelve.”
He reached for the correct number, pressing it with a rigid finger. “Mommy, this is a big building, way bigger than ours.”
“Yes, it is. Can you tell me how many floors there are?”
“Eighteen!”
“That’s right. Good job.”
The doors slid open with a ding, only for us to hear it followed by a loud, “Roar!” Luca stood, fingers bent like claws and teeth showing. But a giggle wasn’t the response he was going for. “I didn’t scare you?”
“Nope.”
“Not at all?” Luca prompted.
“Nope.”
“I’ll just have to try harder next time.” Luca bent his head to place a quick kiss on my cheek. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi.”
“So, maybe the reason you’re not scary to me,” Mikey voiced out loud, “is because I’m used to you.” This little game they had going started a few days ago.
“Maybe you’re right.” Luca smiled at me and winked. At his door, he stopped and waited for Mikey’s undivided attention. “You ready for a super fun campout?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, let the sleepover begin.” With a grand gesture, Luca opened the door to his dark apartment, except for twinkle lights he strung from wall to wall across the ceiling. Mikey and I gasped at the exact same time. His Ninja Turtle rolling bag landed on its side with a thump.
“Stars!” The coffee table that usually sat in his living was moved to a corner, and in its place was a royal blue nylon tent complete with a fake campfire made out of orange and red construction paper rising from a pile of logs. “Wow!” Mikey’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and all I could think to myself was how much this man enjoyed spoiling my son. I couldn’t even be upset about that because it was the most endearing thing I’d ever experienced.
“Miss Brooks helped me make the campfire. But later I’ll light the fireplace and we’ll make S’mores.”
“I love S’mores!” My son hadn’t used his inside voice yet. The balcony caught his attention, and he pointed toward a telescope with his mouth agape.
“Cool right?” Luca asked. “A little birdie told me you always try to spot the Big Dipper. Tonight we’ll search for all the stars.”
“Mommy said friends are like stars in the sky.”
“Your mom is very smart.”
Mikey nodded. “This is the best sleepover ever!” My son charged toward the tent, hurtling his body through the opening and landing on the air mattress that was set up inside. As he jabbered on and on, Luca pulled me into his arms with a smile.
“You’re unreal, you do know that, right?”
“Yup.”
Mikey extended his arms to the side and ran in a circle around the tent making the sound of an airplane motor. Luca and I stared at him. My son wasn’t used to running room in an apartment. When he almost crashed into a table with a ceramic vase on it, I needed to put a stop to it. “Michael Dillon, this is not a playground. Inside voice and actions, please.”
Luca chuckled every time I used Mikey’s full name. He was almost as bad as my son—I now had two boys to deal with.
Mikey’s lips quirked to the side “Sorry.”
Luca changed the topic. It was apparent he didn’t like to see Mikey get scolded. “How about I show you the rest of the apartment?”
Without haste, Mikey headed toward the hallway leading to the bedro
oms. Luca pointed out the bathroom which didn’t interest Mikey, the master bedroom, again, not much interest, but when he opened the last door, Mikey said, “Wow!”
The room was a little boy’s dream; a twin bed, covered in a red comforter with navy blue accent pillows, and one in the shape of a soccer ball, a poster of a couple of soccer players, a carpet that doubled as a racetrack for the box of Matchbox cars waiting for my son, and some of the same toys as he had at home.
“What’s that?” Mikey pointed to a netlike container. “The opening is on the top. How do I kick the ball in there?” His little eyes narrowed. “I suppose I could head it.”
Luca shook his head. “That’s a hamper for your dirty clothes. If you’d like to kick those in there, that would be fine, but that’s it, okay?”
“Yup!” He rubbed his tummy. “Are we going to eat soon?”
Back in the kitchen, three balls of dough sat resting on the counter. Also laid out was a container of homemade sauce, pepperoni, sausage, a variety of vegetables, and mozzarella cheese.
We had both decided it’d be fun to make our own individual pizzas even though I knew Mikey would want whatever Luca had. The three of us stood in the kitchen. Luca and Mikey wore their Kiss the Cook aprons, and I wore one Luca had bought for me that said, Caution: Hot Stuff. And we made the best pizzas we ever had.
When the sun went down, we put our pajamas on, flattened out our sleeping bags, and sat around the faux fire, eating S’mores.
“We need a campfire story!” Mikey exclaimed. “Luca, will you tell it?”
Luca’s brows furrowed. Then a smile spread across his face. Leaning in, he said in a soft voice, “Once upon a time, a man got hit in the head with a soccer ball…”
Mikey laughed. “Yay! I love this story!”
“Me too, buddy. Me, too.”
Epilogue
Luca
Tonight we were headed to Vanessa’s thirtieth birthday party. Sabrina must have tried on three different outfits until she settled on a little black dress paired with a killer pair of come fuck me heels that she promised to keep on later when we were home alone.