“You’re very sweet.” She kissed the top of his head. “But I think you’ll have a lot of fun without me there. Maybe we can go another time.”
“Sure. Okay. I love you, Mom.” He threw his arms around her neck, hugging her tight.
“I love you too, bud. So much.”
It was almost ten by the time the house was quiet and the boys had gone to bed. Half the evening had been taken up with Josh trying to find the charger for his Nintendo, which they finally found beneath his bed, along with a stash of candy wrappers and half a dozen unmatched socks.
Michael was calmer on the exterior, but she could tell he was excited, too. She was pleased he was. That made her life easier.
Maybe co-parenting would be a good thing. Though she was still skeptical that Niall would really step up to the mark beyond this weekend.
He’d messaged her this evening to confirm what time he’d be picking the boys up, and for the first time she’d seen some humility in his words. He thanked her for letting him back into the boys’ lives, and apologized that he hadn’t been around for the past few months.
She noticed he didn’t apologize for leaving, or for taking everything they owned. But she wasn’t expecting miracles.
And anyway, she had other things to think about. Things like airplanes and bikinis and a weekend away with the hottest guy in Hartson’s Creek.
“So, I’m going away this weekend, too,” she told Sam, as she walked back into the living room. He was watching an old war documentary, and lifted the remote to pause it.
“Anywhere nice?” he asked her.
“Just to see a friend. I thought I’d take advantage of having some free time.” She sat in the chair beside the fireplace. “I know I’d planned on painting the kitchen on Sunday, but I’ll do it next week if that’s okay.”
Sam waved his hand. “That kitchen hasn’t seen a lick of paint in twenty years. Another week won’t hurt. And you’ve done more than enough to this place. I feel like I’m taking advantage.”
“You gave us a home when we had nowhere to go,” Mia said softly. “If anybody’s taking advantage it’s me.”
“But things are better now that you have your job.”
Yeah, they were. But there was still the money she owed Cam. She frowned, remembering that he still hadn’t given her the invoice.
“The job is great. And I’m managing to save some money. In a few months I’ll have a good deposit, and we can move out and give you some peace.”
“There’s no rush. I kind of like having you all here. Even if Josh does eat all the cookies.” He cleared his throat. “So this friend, is it anybody I know?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“So it’s not a certain ex-football player who gives you googly eyes whenever he sees you?”
Mia froze. “What?”
Sam cleared his throat. “Don’t look so worried. I won’t say anything. I just see a lot more than people think, that’s all. And I saw your car parked in his driveway a couple of weeks ago when your boys were at Saturday football.”
Mia slumped back in her chair. “Does everybody know?”
“Nope. But people aren’t stupid. They’ll put two and two together eventually.” His watery eyes met Mia’s. “Is it serious between you?”
“No,” she said softly. “He’s just made me smile again, that’s all.”
“That’s a good thing.” Sam nodded. “I’ve noticed how much more relaxed you’ve been recently.”
She swallowed down a splutter. Hopefully he had no idea how relaxed Cam made her.
“You go have fun,” Sam told her. “You deserve it. You’ve carried your family for months, but you’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
Her throat felt tickly. “You’re a sweet man, do you know that?”
“Don’t tell anybody,” he whispered. “It’s our secret.”