“Don’t even think about it,” Mack growls, but I can hear the playfulness in his words.
“Where’s the baby?” Chief asks, his mouth full of food.
“Sleeping. He’ll be up any time now,” I confirm.
A realization settles in as I dab at the mustard. This is the last time I’ll be here with Mack and his friends, Oliver sleeping upstairs. A heavy weight settles on my chest as I pick at my burger. I can feel eyes on me, but I don’t need to look to see who they belong to. I’ve caught Mack watching me a lot lately.
After dinner, I head inside to clean up the mess as the delivery arrives from the auto parts store. The guys retreat to the garage to hopefully fire up the old Mustang, while I busy myself in the kitchen. Just as I’m getting the dishwasher loaded, a squawk sounds through the monitor, followed by an angry holler.
I move quickly upstairs to Oliver, who seems excited to see me. The moment I snuggle him into my chest, a calmness washes over me. It feels right. My heart aches as I take him over to the changing table to clean up his dirty pants, chatting with him the whole time. Once they’re fresh, we make our way down to the kitchen for a bottle.
I can’t believe he’s over two months old already. He’s awake now for longer periods of time throughout the day and is sleeping longer at night. We get up twice between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., which is way better than three to four times.
When the bottle is ready, we sit in the rocker, and I slowly move. His brown eyes, the ones that resemble his dad’s, watch me the entire time. My finger gently strokes his cheek as he sucks, a sad smile teasing my lips. I’m going to miss these moments as much as I’m going to miss the baby himself.
Once I get a good burp out of him, I clean him up and head outside. It’s a gorgeous evening for a walk, but I opt to stay close to the house tonight. We walk around the yard as his eyes take in everything around us. “Soon, you’ll be able to float in the pool, Oliver. And maybe someday you can talk your daddy into getting a bigger pool. One with a slide. Don’t you think that’ll be fun?” I ask, as we bounce beside the cheap four-foot inflatable pool.
“I’m sure he’d love that.”
I turn to find Mack standing behind us, something dirty and old in his hands. “What’s that?”
He snorts. “The fuel pump. It was trash,” he says, tossing it off to the side along the garage.
I head over to where he is and smile when he takes his son from my arms. I just grin when I realize how messy his hands are, the grease a stark contrast against the white onesie that says “Lady Killer.”
“Come on, Ollie. Let’s go show Fish how to fix his car,” Mack says to his son, placing a kiss on his forehead as they go. I follow behind, breathing in the familiar scent of Mack at work.
Once the new part is installed in the Mustang, Fish gets behind the wheel and fires it up. It cranks on the first try, and I find myself smiling widely at his big, goofy grin. “Fuck yeah! Come on, Lena, you get the first ride!”
Shocked, I glance over at Mack, who just shrugs. “I mentioned you were the one who told me to check the fuel pump.” He glances at his best friend and adds, “You better keep your hands to yourself.” Even though his voice is stern, he throws him a wink.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Fish hollers right before revving the engine. “You coming?” he asks, looking my way.
I’m already moving before he even finishes asking. The car is old and can use some serious interior work, but I can tell it’s his pride and joy. He’s practically vibrating with excitement as he carefully pulls out of the garage and heads for the street. Fish stops the car and glances my way. “Ready?” he asks.
As soon as I nod, he floors the gas and presses the brake. The result is a loud, long burnout that chirps the tires before darting forward. I’m laughing, the wind blowing my hair, and loving the feel of freedom from the engine vibrations beneath my feet. We fly through the streets, driving over the speed limit, but not at a dangerous pace. He only drives around the neighborhood before pointing us back to the house.
Right before we turn into the driveway, I say, “Thank you for taking me on her first ride.”
He stops the car in the street and glances my way. “Thank you for making my friend happy again, Lena.” It’s hard to swallow over the sudden golf ball lodged in my throat. He raises up his hands and adds, “I know you can’t stay, darlin’. Whatever your reason, I’m sure it’s valid. Just know he’s a better man when you’re with him.”
And then he turns the car onto the driveway and parks it in front of one of the back garage bays. Mack and the guys are there, grinning from ear to ear, as we get out.
“How’d she run?” Mack asks, slowly bouncing Oliver in his arms.
“Like a dream. I need to tune ‘er up a little yet, but she’s almost there,” Fish replies, tapping the hood of the car. Then he turns to me and adds, “Thanks for the ride, Lena. I won’t tell anyone about the kiss.” He throws me a wink before ducking behind Chief, hiding from the wrath of his best friend. Everyone laughs and goes about cleaning up the shop.
The guys take off a little later, leaving just Mack, Oliver, and me.
