Chapter 8 - “YOU DON’T HAVE TO CALL ME MOM”
Adrian and I dated for fourteen months before Noah asked the question again.
We were making pancakes in Adrian's apartment.
His apartment.
Not a mansion.
He sold the Kane family townhouse associated with too many old memories and bought something smaller overlooking the Hudson.
“Smaller” meant four bedrooms.
Rich people remain strange.
Noah was seven.
He sat at the island drawing.
Then:
“Evie?”
“Yes?”
“Are you Dad's girlfriend?”
Adrian nearly dropped the spatula.
“Yes.”
“Are you going to marry him?”
I looked at Adrian.
He suddenly found pancakes fascinating.
“I don't know.”
Noah frowned.
“You've been dating forever.”
“Fourteen months.”
“Forever.”
Fair.
Then:
“If you marry him, do I call you Mom?”
There it was.
I sat beside him.
“No.”
He looked confused.
“You can call me Evelyn. Evie. Whatever feels comfortable.”
“But you're kind of like a mom.”
My chest tightened.
“I can love you without replacing your mom.”
He looked toward Gerald.
“Mommy is dead.”
“Yes.”
“You knew her?”
“No.”
“But she saved you.”
In a way.
Sophia's evidence had exposed the threat against me.
“Yes.”
“So she would like you.”
I had no right to claim that.
“I hope so.”
Noah thought.
Then:
“I think she would.”
Adrian turned away.
Pretending to cook.
Not convincing.
Noah continued:
“I don't remember her voice very much.”
That one broke all of us.
Adrian sat.
“We have videos.”
“I know.”
“But remembering from videos is different.”
“Yes.”
Noah looked at me.
“Will you remember stuff about me?”
“Yes.”
“Even boring stuff?”
“Especially boring stuff.”
“Like I hate peas?”
“You hate peas.”
“And I sleep with Gerald?”
“You deny sleeping with Gerald when friends visit.”
“That's private.”
“See? Remembered.”
He smiled.
Then:
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“You don't have to be Mom.”
Relief and heartbreak together.
Then:
“But you can still be family.”
I reached across the table.
He took my hand.
“Yes.”
That became our answer.
Family.
Not replacement.
Not assignment.
May you like
Choice built over time.
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