The Best Thing

by Zapata, Mariana

  “Okay,” Jonah interjected in that too-calm voice. “Mum, that wasn’t nice. Lenny….” He just turned his head to me and blinked.

  I smiled at him.

  His dimple popped out at me.

  Fine. I guessed. God knows Grandpa had muttered worse in front of him before. “Yes, she’s my one and only,” I answered his mom grudgingly. I flicked my eyes back toward my little monster and did smile then. “She was my seven-pound, eight-ounce surprise.”

  She was too busy slobbering on her food to know I was talking about her.

  Good lord this lunch was going to be something, and the only person I felt bad for was Jonah. And his sister. God knew I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it.

  “So it wasn’t intentional?” Sarah asked before clearing her throat. “Jonah, don’t make that face at me. It’s a simple question.”

  Natia, who had been busy making faces while still taking pictures of Mo from where she was sitting, coughed. “I can’t believe you even talked to a girl long enough to get her to spend time with you, Hema. Much less have s-e-x with you.”

  I stopped breathing and had to fight for every second I didn’t laugh. And that fight lasted two seconds—two seconds in which Jonah choked and his mom gasped—and then I asked, “What?”

  “Yeh, you didn’t know he’s shy?” Natia asked, grinning wide.

  “Natia,” Jonah groaned, his face already turning pink.

  Wait a second, wait a second… I looked at the man sitting across from me and tried to process what the hell his sister had just said and scoffed, “You’re shy? Since when?”

  “Always,” his sister responded with a cackle. “You haven’t noticed? If it’s footy he’s talking about, he’s fine. Any other topic with a stranger?” She pinched her index and thumb finger together and drew a line across her mouth, then cackled again. “Really? You didn’t notice?”

  Shit.

  Now that she mentioned it, I had noticed how he started talking with his Stuart Little voice every time he talked to women, and I know I’d wondered why the hell he was always whispering, but now…

  Now it made sense.

  And I couldn’t help but grin at him. “I wondered why you were being weird—”

  He huffed for the first time I had ever seen. “I was not being weird.”

  Oh my gosh. This sweet, little innocent soul. “No, you were not. I’m sorry. You have never been weird around strangers in front of me. You were being shy. Why didn’t you tell me?” I straight-up asked him.

  Natia started cackling a little more. “Did he do his small voice? The one that you can barely hear?”

  Tearing my eyes away from his blushing face, I nodded at her, trying my hardest not to smile because I was trying to be understanding and supportive over the idea of this beast of a man being shy. Heh. Wow. I seriously couldn’t believe I hadn’t put it together before. “Not with me, but with other people, he has. I never realized that’s what you were doing, Jonah. You talk to my grandpa and Peter just fine.”

  “Well, that explains it then,” his sister said. “Wow. We’ve been making bets—”

  Jonah groaned. “Nati, no—”

  She ignored him. “Lenny, he’s been shy for ages. I mean, forever. His entire life. Even with teachers he would get like that. Did you talk to him first?”

  I nodded, switching back and forth between looking at him and then at her.

  “I knew it,” she bobbed her head triumphantly. “I knew it.”

  A thought entered my head that killed just a slice of the pleasure in my heart. “Wait, but you’ve had girlfriends before. So you’re just shy around certain people?”

  His sister didn’t give him a chance to answer. “You mean Hanna and that annoying girl? They were our neighbors. We grew up together. They weren’t strangers. I always thought they were more like your sisters.” She snorted with a shake of her head. “Settled for them, he did.”

  Fuck me.

  I raised my eyebrows and smiled at her, and she did the same right back.

  And poor Jonah just sat there, still pink and at a loss for words.

  I liked his sister even more now.

  Jonah being shy. Who the fuck would have known? Jesus Christ. And his ex-girlfriends had been people he’d grown up around.

  That shouldn’t make me feel nice, but it really, really did.

  He let out a deep grumble as he sat back in his chair. I’d cut him a break.

  Turning to Mrs. Collins and going back to the question she had asked, I told her, “To answer your question, no, Mo wasn’t intentional. I had never planned on having kids, if you really want to know.” I smiled at how uncomfortable she looked... at me or at the conversation we’d just had about Jonah having girlfriends and having sex? I had no idea, and I didn’t care. “But I wouldn’t change anything. I’m just glad that Jonah’s happy and wants to be part of her life. That’s the most a mom can ask for, isn’t it?” I was sure there was more I could ask for, but that was beside the point.

  The other woman took a deep inhale, set her shoulders, and I got ready.

  Natia must have sensed something too because she suddenly shot up in her chair and said, “Oh, I have a phone call. I’ll be back.”

  And that was when Mrs. Collins spoke. “Jonah is a wonderful man, of course he would want to be part of his daughter’s life.” That was what she decided to pick up on of all things.

  Did she want me to argue that? I wouldn’t. So I kept my mouth shut to keep the temptation of saying something unnecessary down. Grandpa Gus had always said that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, to just say it in my head. And most of the time I couldn’t uphold that, but in this case, I could. Because she was right. He was a good man.

  “But,” she kept going, and something in me told me I wasn’t going to like whatever was about to come out of her mouth next either. “I can’t help but feel it’s a bit convenient that you say that you didn’t want to have kids, but you happened to have one with my son, a successful rugby player in every sense, who happens to do very well for himself. A former All Black—”

  “Mum,” Jonah said in a voice that was pretty damn close to a growl.

  But I didn’t look at him. I just looked at the woman who was staring right back at me without the smallest sense of shame or submission.

  “That’s no secret,” she went on, apparently ignoring him too. “Jonah, I’m only speaking the truth. Aren’t I? Your deal in France was well publicized. It was in the papers. On the internet. Seems a bit convenient to me, is all, that you just found out now that it’s time for you to sign a new contract when you’re still playing so well after your injuries.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him lean forward. Using that same tone as before, the one that was almost a low spit, he said very quietly, “That was completely uncalled for and unnecessary. You promised me you would listen.”

  Oh shit.

  He kept going. “You said you would listen to the entire story later, but you’ve broken your promise and insulted Lenny. She’s the mother of my daughter, Mum. She’s my… mate. My partner.”

  I was his mate? His friend? Was that what he meant? And his partner? Like his partner in crime? I guess I had said he could be in the Mo League.

  I sat there and let that soak in. I liked it. You know, if I ignored the fact that I liked him and that was all he saw in our… friendship. But what could I do? It was good enough. I should have been overjoyed we got along so well.

  But I couldn’t think about that for too long because he kept going in that voice that honestly sounded almost as deadly as the one he’d used the other day to defend me.

  “I appreciate you worrying, but I’m not a child, and I haven’t been in quite some time. I know whom I surround myself with; that’s never been an issue,” he argued. “I love you, Mum, you know that, but you can’t talk about Lenny in that way or make those assumptions. Not if you want to be part of this, and I want you to be, but my daughter won’t be surround
ed by these kinds of dynamics. She won’t be hearing anyone disparaging her mum. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever.”

  I didn’t move as I sucked up every single word he spoke.

  And…. I thought my nipples might have gotten hard at his voice. At all those big words and the strength behind them. This kind, nice man wasn’t always all that kind or nice, but he picked and chose his moments so well….

  Goddamn, I was easy.

  Or pathetic, which wasn’t that true because I’d never thought I was pathetic. But here I was getting a little uneasy because someone—Jonah—was defending me. Who the fuck was I? Was this why women liked strong men? Because I’d known a lot of physically strong men, and I’d known a lot of bossy men, and I knew most of them would kick someone’s ass for me, but talk to their moms in that way? Not so much.

  And I must have been lingering over that for too long because the next thing I knew, Sarah was leaning back against the bench seat, looking a little pale, and I kind of felt bad.

  Because really… really… if Mo were a boy and he came to me in thirty years and said he got some bitch pregnant that he wasn’t dating, I would honestly probably do the same exact thing she had just done. I would think she was a gold digger, for sure, even if she wasn’t. And I would more than likely hate her on principle for working magical vagina powers on my sweet, innocent child.

  That’s exactly what would happen.

  But at the same time, I didn’t give enough of a shit about what this lady could possibly think of me. Because I knew the truth. And Jonah knew the truth.

  But…

  She was going to be in my life for a long time. And she was just worried about him even though he was a grown man. Would I ever stop worrying or caring about Mo even when she was old enough?

  Probably not.

  “I’d like for you to apologize to her,” Jonah said, still using that hard-ass voice that got me going. Then he added “Please,” and I swear my ovaries just about exploded.

  Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t know I had issues.

  No one said anything for about three seconds too long, and I could feel the tension coming off him, until finally, his mom sniffed, sat up even straighter, and said very carefully, “My apologies for what I said, Elena.”

  We were going with Elena then. How the hell had she even found out my real name?

  The man beside me groaned, more than likely, for the same reason.

  I decided to be nice because that would be more annoying. “Apology accepted,” I told her, keeping myself from smiling because that was a little much. “I know you’re just watching out for him to make sure I’m not taking advantage of him.”

  That was definitely a groan from the man beside me, and if Sarah’s eyes went a little wide… too bad.

  “But I’m not,” I told her, giving her a smile then and making sure not to break eye contact. “I had no idea who he was when we met. He made it seem like he was on vacation for the first few days after we met, but even if I had known who he was, it wouldn’t have mattered because I don’t know anything about rugby. And I don’t need his money. Kids really had never been in my life plan, even with this much of a stud muffin.“

  Jonah choked right then, but I was on a roll and didn’t want this awkward shit hanging over us, so I needed his mom to understand me. I just wanted her to suffer a little when I called her baby boy a stud muffin.

  “I know I’m not that pretty, and I’m not fancy or that well-educated, but”—I looked right at her; I wanted her to know I meant the words coming out of my mouth—“I’m a decent person, and Jonah could have had a baby with someone a lot worse than me.”

  The other woman stared, and beside me, Jonah was still trying to stop choking.

  I smiled at her even more sweetly. “Some people might even say I’m a catch. My grandfather won four world championships in boxing. My dad won a gold medal and a silver medal in boxing in the Olympics. I don’t really know about my mom or her family because I never met her and my grandpa barely knew her, but I am….” I swallowed that word and blinked. “I was… a world champion judoka. I was undefeated for years in this country, and when I did lose, it was because I was injured. I’ve won multiple national championships in the junior and senior levels. I’ve won more Pan-American games than any other woman. The only reason I didn’t compete in the Olympics was because I was injured each time, but I’ve beat the players who did win. And, most importantly, because none of that really matters anymore, I will work my ass off to be a good mom to your granddaughter. I don’t know how to not try my best at anything, Sarah, so….”

  I raised my eyebrows at her as I folded my hands on top of the table and gave her a long look.

  And she…

  She didn’t say anything.

  My job was done.

  I peeked to my right and found that Sarah wasn’t the only one watching me silently. The difference was, I winked at the one to my right, all exaggerated and everything. Goddamn, Grandpa Gus would be proud. I was going to have to tell him everything later. Maybe.

  That was my cue to pee. I stood up and patted Jonah on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  That definitely could have gone better, but it definitely could have gone worse.

  I made it to the bathroom and back out in no time. I spotted an elderly man approaching the table where Jonah, his mom, and Mo were at on the way. It wasn’t until I was only a few feet away that I finally heard what the older man was saying and how Jonah was responding.

  “You aren’t?” the older man asked, frowning and wringing his hands.

  Jonah shook his head solemnly. “No, sir. I’m a rugby player. Never played a day of American football in my life.”

  Holy shit. Was this really happening?

  The older man looked pretty damn dubious as he squinted from beneath his glasses. “Rugby?”

  My daughter’s father nodded. “Yeh.”

  His squint got a little more intense, and even I could see the way his shoulders dropped. The man muttered his apologies before backing away, muttering under his breath, “Rugby?”

  And the second he was a few feet away, Jonah turned to look at me with the fucking funniest face I’d ever seen.

  But I beat him to it.

  I was already grinning. “Who did he think you were?”

  The funny face didn’t go anywhere, but one of his hands went for his back pocket.

  I opened my mouth just as he opened his wallet and thrust a five-dollar bill at me.

  “A football player,” he mumbled as he shoved his wallet back into his shorts just as I started fucking laughing.

  Chapter 16

  5:51 p.m

  Please call me back.

  “You invited her?” Grandpa Gus didn’t look up from shaking out the bag of baked chips into the one and only bowl he would be putting out that night. “Why?”

  Holding Mo as she tried to stand on my thighs with her hands clutching my cheeks, I rolled my eyes at the man across the island from me. “Because she’s Mo’s grandma.”

  Those gray eyes flicked up to me as he started rolling up the bag, lips flat.

  I made my lips go flat too as I took a quick sniff of the baby on top of me. Jonah had helped me give her a bath last night, and she still smelled good. “And it’s more fun to be nice when you know someone doesn’t like you since it’ll just make them feel like they’re the bad person, okay? Mind Games 101. You taught that class.”

  Grandpa Gus smirked, and I could see him trying to fight back a smile.

  “She’s your co-grandparent. You’re gonna need to suck it up too.”

  That had him sneering, but before he could argue something about him and Peter being the only grandparents that mattered, I beat him to it.

  “I think I impressed her by telling her about your world championships and Marcus’s medals. Don’t be surprised if she asks you to see them.”

  His back was to me as he hid the remaining chips in the cupboard. It wasn’t until he mo
ved toward the sink, back still to me, that he said, “I cleaned them a few days ago.”

  He cleaned them every other week like clockwork. He’d told me before that Marcus, my dad, had been meticulous about it. He’d been so proud of them.

  “Jasper is coming tonight too, I’m guessing? I have to spend another night watching him ooh and aah over Mo?”

  Speaking of, Mo decided to fart right then, and we laughed. The doorbell rang but neither one of us made a move to go answer it.

  “You know… I think it’s about time you started being nicer to Jonah, and I think you know that.”

  “You do!” a voice piped up out of the blue from the other side of the kitchen door, and I laughed thinking of Peter walking by right on time to overhear that.

  Grandpa Gus groaned as he opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the tray of carrots, broccoli, and oranges he had prepped hours ago, and the hummus dip he’d made then too. “I am being nice,” he tried to argue as he set the tray in the center of the island as Mo reached up blindly and snagged a handful of my hair, making me whine. “Yesterday, I taught him how to puree Mo’s food, and I only criticized him once.”

  My mouth dropped open in pain and surprise as I started trying to pluck her little fingers off again. “Only once?”

  “Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated.”

  “But yours is?”

  He made a face, but I knew he was just trying to keep from cracking up.

  “He’s all right, but don’t hold your breath. I’ll think about it. I’m still not crazy about the idea of him only coming and going a few months every year.”

  Which reminded me that I really needed to ask him what the hell his plan was—where he was going to go play, where he would live during his off-season, and maybe ten other questions too.

  I told myself I wasn’t ready for that conversation.

  “It’s a long time, Lenny,” Grandpa Gus went on. “A real dad wouldn’t leave his daughter for half the year.”

  I sighed, knowing he had a point, knowing how I felt about that point, but… “It’s his job, and it’s what he’s worked for his entire life. You think I’m going to tell him to give up on it? How would you feel if someone told me that I shouldn’t practice judo anymore all because I was a mom? If I still could compete on that level, I mean.”