Unravelled

TWO MONTHS LATER

“I’m really sorry about the play-offs, babe.”

“I know. It isn’t your fault,” Jonny said quietly.

“Want me to come over? I can get Alana to watch Brody for a few hours.”

“I was thinking – what if I came over there?”

“Oh! Um, yeah? Sure? Brody will be here. You want to meet him?”

“I think two months of us working around him is enough. It’s pretty clear we’re staying in each other’s lives and considering the fact that I’m officially done with hockey for the season, it’s probably about time.”

“Okay,” I said quietly, trying to hide my nervousness. “Come over whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay. Just woke up so I’m going to jump in the shower and then come. Want me to pick up breakfast?”

“Oh my God, you’d be a life saver!” I exclaimed. “That would be amazing.”

“Okay,” Jonny said, laughing a little. “See you soon.”

I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. So this was the day that my little boy was going to meet the potential love of my life. “Okay, Brynn,” I whispered to myself. “Get your shit together. This is going to go fine.”

I quickly pulled on some clothes and went to find Brody and Alana. I sat down on the couch and watched them build a puzzle on the floor. “Brody, do you wanna come up here and talk to Mama for a minute?”

“Okay Mama!” he said, jumping up and running over to the couch. “What do ya need from the man of the house?”

“Well baby,” I replied, trying not to laugh, “Mama has a friend coming over!”

“Okay…” Brody said, rolling his eyes. “Good for you, Mama.”

“No, Brody. He wants to come meet you! It’s the friend that I sometimes go out with during the week and Auntie Alana babysits you?”

“Ohhhhhhh!” Brody exclaimed. “YOUR BOYFRIEND!”

“Who taught you that word?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Brody quickly shot a glance over to Alana, who was staring at me with wide eyes. “He’s coming here?” she whispered.

“Yes, JONNY, is coming here,” I said, staring pointedly at Brody. “His name is Jonny, alright buddy? Are you alright with him hanging out around here today?”

“Well will he play with me?”

“I’m sure if you ask him really nicely he will, hun.”

“Okay. Well that’s okay then!” He jumped off my lap and headed back over to Alana. “Well, that was easy,” I muttered.

A half an hour later the buzzer went off to the apartment. Minutes later I was opening the door to let Jonny in. “You sure you’re ready for this?” I whispered.

“As ready as I’m ever going to be,” he replied, looking scared for his life.

“Oh my God. Calm down. He’s a kid, not a rabid dog.” I took the food out of his hands and went to lay it on the table. I could feel him following close behind as I called out to Brody. “Hey buddy! Come get some breakfast okay?”

Seconds later I could hear little feet running towards the kitchen and suddenly Brody was bursting through the door. When he noticed Jonny he stuttered to a stop and stared up at him. “You’re big,” he said in awe. “Are you my mama’s boyfriend?”

“Oh my God, Brody,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Try that again. Say ‘Hi Jonny! Nice to meet you. I’m Brody.’”

“That’s alright,” Jonny replied with a smirk. He sunk down to about Brody’s level. “Hey buddy! I’m Jonny. And yes, I am your mama’s boyfriend!”

Brody stuck out his little hand and invited Jonny to shake it. Once he had obliged Brody looked up at me. “I like him, Mama. Can I eat now?”

“Okay, hun. Let me just grab you a plate.” By the time I got back to the table Jonny had sat down and, obviously, Brody had climbed up into his lap. “Jonny can we play after?”

“We sure can!” Jonny said, trying to be enthusiastic.

“For right now, do you want to get into your own chair?” I cut in. “Big boys don’t share chairs. They have their own.”

“Right! Sorry Mama. I forgot.” He turned to Jonny. “I’m not very good at being a big boy. I only just turned four last month so I’m learning. How old are you?”

“I’m a lot older than four,” Jonny replied with a wink.

“Alright buddy, less talk more eat please!”

Twenty minutes later Brody was rushing back into the living room to finish his puzzle. “Well?” I asked, looking up at Jonny.

“He’s… cute!” Jonny said, letting out a breath. “Also, energetic. Very. Fucking. Energetic. How are you not exhausted all the time?”

“I am,” I said with a smile. “It’s just worth it.”

“It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, for the record. I could get used to having him around. He’s a really smart kid.”

“He’s a goofball is what he is. Thinks he’s so clever,” I couldn’t help but grin. “He is pretty smart though.”

“You look so happy when you talk about him,” Jonny said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I am happy,” I said, looking up at him. “I love him to death. I don’t understand how I ever left him behind. I’m also very happy that you’ve finally met him. Now it’s just a matter of time before you fall in love with him. He’s a very lovable kid you know. There’s no getting out now.”

Jonny leaned down and quickly kissed me. “Good. I didn’t really want to get out,” he said with a wink. He let me go and grabbed some plates. “Come on! Let’s clean up, Mama. We gotta go play!”

I watched him walk over to the sink and smiled to myself. “Let’s just clean up later. I like the thought of us playing with Brody.”

Jonny laid the plates down and turned to face me, leaning his back on the counter. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Me too.”