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She finished writing on Eli’s cake and set it aside when her phone went off. She moved over to see who was texting her and saw it was from Trent.
They’d gone out again last weekend and then once this week. They were working around her not having Eli and there was part of her that felt guilty about that.
She’d told Trent she’d see him tomorrow. They were going to figure out what to do after she dropped Eli off at Jeff’s in the morning.
She read Trent’s text saying that he hoped Eli had fun tonight and knew he’d love his bike. All boys loved bikes.
She grinned over that and replied that she’d talk to him later tonight, or if not then, tomorrow.
She made no promises when Eli was around.
If she could text or call him at night, she did, but it’s not like Trent was all that needy or demanding of her time.
Part of her loved that, but the other part of her did wonder if he wasn’t that into her.
No, she had to get out of her own head.
It’d been two weeks and four dates. Tomorrow would be the fifth.
They talked a few times a week at night and he always stopped in to see her at some point in the building.
She finished putting together the rest of Eli’s favorite foods. Mac and cheese were in the crockpot, the bacon was in the oven and she’d set it aside to put on the burgers last minute and let the cheese melt over them. There was a tossed salad that her mother and she would eat to give some relief to the fattening food of a seven-year-old because they had to round out the dinner with tater tots too.
“They are here,” Eli yelled when there was a knock at the door.
“Wait until I get there before you open it,” she said. But her son wasn’t listening.
“Happy Birthday,” her brother, Jax, said, giving Eli a high-five. He came in with a box in his hand and her parents were right behind them with gifts in theirs.
“Thank you,” Eli said.
“Come give Grandma a kiss,” her mother said. She knew her mother wanted the party at her house, but this was the first one Eli was having here and she wanted it to be special.
Plus she didn’t want to have to bring the bike home when she knew Eli would want to go out and try to ride it now. That was the plan at least. Or her father and brother would be able to help Eli. It’d be a family affair and she would get tons of pictures for her memory book.
Eli kissed his grandmother and then said, “Mom said I can open my gifts?”
“Why don’t you start with those and then when you’re done we’ll get mine. It’s not in the house.”’
“It’s not?” he asked. “Where is it?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” she said.
Eli ripped into his presents from her family. He got video games, Lego sets and some clothing. Everything he wanted. He even got excited over the clothing, but she had to remind herself it was a basketball jersey so that was exciting to a kid.
“What did you get me, Mom?” Eli asked.
“I’ll go get it,” Jax said.
She watched her brother leave the house, her heart racing with excitement. She couldn’t wait to see her little boy's eyes light up while she tried to teach him how to ride.
When Jax came back in, Eli was jumping up and down. “A bike! I wanted a bike! Thank you, Mom.”
Eli came running over to her and gave her a big hug and kiss. “There is a helmet in my room for you.”
“I can’t wait to show Tyler and Jimmy,” Eli said of some of his friends in the complex. “Then we can ride up and down and around the park.”
“Once you learn how to ride,” she said. “I’ll help you, and Grandpa and Uncle Jax will too.”
