Page 93 of Right Where I Left You

“Theo!” I snap when I hear the refrigerator open again.

Simon bites his lip.

“Don’t laugh.”

“I would never undermine you in front of our son.”

Theo whispers, “Can I have a brownie?”

“No,” we say together.

Simon finally abandons the brownie and walks past me, kissing the side of my head before scooping Theo up.

Theo squeals as Simon throws him over his shoulder.

“Come on, buddy. Let’s get your party shirt on and leave mama alone before she puts up both in timeout.”

“Taco shirt!” Theo exclaims.

He’s been obsessed with the stupid thing since we saw it last week, despite already owning at least four shirts with tacos on them. So now we’re having a taco-themed fourth birthday party. Which, for the record, is significantly harder to shop for than one would think unless you also want every decoration to say Fiesta or Cinco de Mayo. I finally resorted to DIY-ing most of the decor.

Simon disappears down the hallway with our nearly naked birthday boy, and I get approximately twenty seconds of peace.

I use them wisely. I wipe down the island, shove a stack of mail into a drawer, straighten the couch pillows, and carry the still-unpacked box of board games downstairs. The basement is a disaster of tools, boxes, and wood planks. Simon’s remodeling so that there’s a designated playroom.

The basement is a disaster of tools, boxes, and wood planks. Simon’s remodeling so that there’s a designated playroom. He already has it partially finished, enough that he has his home office and the laundry room is an actual room. The rest is one big open space, but I can already picture what Simon has planned. A big sectional facing the TV on one side, somewhere we can sit while the kids play. Shelves full of toys and books. One of those little kid tables covered in crayons and markers. A huge rug so they can dump Legos everywhere and inevitably leave one directly in Simon’s path.

It makes my chest tight to know that this was what Simon pictured when he bought the house.

But if I linger on that line of thought anymore than I know I’m going to spiral, so I head back upstairs and use what is probably my last moment of silence for the day to take a sip of my coffee while peaking into the backyard at Theo’s big present. A massive play set that cost a small house deposit. Simon put it together last night after Theo went to bed, with Chance’s help and a lot of swearing. If Theo sees it before guests get here, the entire morning is over. He will be outside in nothing but boxers demanding to live in it.

“Mommy!”

I whip around.

“What?”

Theo comes sprinting around the corner.