Page 53 of A Simple Regret

I take the stuffed animal and follow his directives, sitting on the floor when told to. I’m suddenly surrounded by all sorts of toys, given the option of what I want to play with. He’s chatting away, explaining each and every toy as he brings it over and places it at my lap.

I can’t stop smiling.

Hanging out with Theo is probably the first time I’ve ever been in the presence of a child on this level. It’s personal and incredibly enjoyable. I wanted kids when I was younger, but until very recently, haven’t had a lot of experience with them. My niece is only a few weeks old, and right now, being with Theo in his bedroom and having him show me practically everything he owns has me itching to experience these moments with Junie too.

But I get these moments with my new little friend now, and I’m enjoying the hell out of them. Theo is inquisitive, energetic, and a lot of fun to hang with.

Did I really just think that?

Fun?

It’s true. I’m drawn to him, to helping him learn and live new things, to witnessing the pure joy he experiences in the most simple moments of life.

And his mom?

Well, we’re not going there right now.

“Hey, guys.” Speaking of, Maren is leaning against the doorjamb and offers the hint of a smile. “Pizza’s ready.”

“I showdid Cam my stuff!”

“Yeah? Well, it’s time to eat. How about we go wash up for dinner, but afterward, you’ll have to come in and clean up the mess you made,” she states, glancing around at the mountain of toys in my lap and at my feet.

“I’ll help,” I insist, feeling terrible that he has to pick it all up after just wanting to show me his toys.

“You don’t have to do that,” she replies.

“Cam help,” Theo tells his mom, clearly happy to have the assistance cleaning up the mess.

She crosses her arms. “We’ll see,” Maren replies, nodding for us to follow. “Let’s go.”

Theo slides his little hand into mine as we make our way back to the kitchen. The scent of fresh pizza fills the air, causing my stomach to growl in hunger. Theo laughs hard. “Mommy, Cam’s tummy monster growldid.”

Maren chuckles. “It did? Well, we better feed the monster, huh?”

“Yep!” Maren helps him into his seat, and the moment he’s strapped in, he says, “Feed duh monster! Rawrrr!” Not only does he growl, but he curls his fingers like claws before giggling uncontrollably once more.

“All right, Mr. Monster, it’s time to eat.” Maren places a plate with a slice of pizza already on it, cut up into bite-sized pieces.

“Tank you,” he states politely before diving into his pizza.

“I took the chance you still like salad with your pizza.”

I turn my attention to the counter, where the homemade pizza is sitting, as well as two bowls of salad. “Love it.”

She squirts some ranch dressing on top of her salad and slides the bottle toward me. She remembers my preferred dressing—or it’s all she has and I either take it or leave it. While I add dressing to my salad, she grabs a slice of pizza and takes her food over to the table.

“Cam!”

I glance over my shoulder and find Theo’s little hand patting the seat right beside him. “I’ll sit by you,” I tell him, sliding two pieces of pizza onto the remaining plate and joining him at the table.

“What would you like to drink?” Maren asks, placing a lidded cup in front of Theo. “I have water, milk, apple juice, and Sprite.”

Before I can reply, Theo asks, “Apple juice?” He holds up his cup.

“I think I’m gonna have Sprite, little dude.”

He nods and returns his attention to his pizza.