Loving my fake Husband

End of the Week

❀ Amy ❀

“Mommy? What did you put in this?” Eva questioned curiously. I didn’t have to look at her to know that she was asking me about the sweet carrots.

“Some sugar and a touch of cinnamon,” I answered as I placed the pan in the sink to soak for a bit. I grabbed the cloth and started to wipe down the counters. I didn’t really pay her any more attention since I had a lot on my mind. This was only our second week in Willow Creek, and I was determined to start family traditions. Sunday was the day for a full roast dinner. Our small kitchen glowed under the warm light and the window was slightly fogged with steam from the oven. I finally glanced over my shoulder and smiled. Eva sat at the table, with her legs swinging under the table. She pushed the carrots around on her plate. “Let me guess, you don’t like it?”

“I don’t…no,” she replied bluntly, and I chuckled. I did notice that she ate all of the roast meat. There was one piece of roast potato left, and the broccoli was also gone.

“Sorry, kiddo…I’ll try something different next time,”

“Ok…” she muttered as she finally gave up on the carrots and speared her fork into the remaining potato. She started to hum, so I got back to cleaning up the counters. “I like Milly,” Eva suddenly declared, and I threw the cloth into the sink and turned to face her.

“And who is Milly?” I questioned curiously. While Eva had pointed out during the week that she had started to make friends, she hadn’t mentioned anyone by name.

“My friend,” Eva said rather firmly. “She is cool,”

“That’s nice,” I said as I felt some relief that my daughter had connected with someone at school. That was my biggest worry.

“She is having a party soon…she told me….”

“Oh?”

“Birthday party,”

“That’s nice,” I said cautiously. I had no idea where Eva was going with this. Had Milly invited her to the party?

“I wanna go,” Eva then said, and I nodded slowly.

“Did she invite you?” I asked as I studied my daughter. When she didn’t respond immediately, I couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for her. “Maybe I could ask her mother about it,”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed, and her whole face brightened again as she started to tell me all about Milly. During her rambling, I managed to piece together that Milly was Jessica’s daughter. I also figured out that Milly and Lucas were friends. If I remembered correctly, Karen was Lucas’ mother. While Eva continued to talk about her week, it sounded like Milly and Lucas had fully accepted Eva and Chloe into their little group. I wasn’t sure, but I figured Chloe was probably Tina’s daughter. But then Eva also mentioned a little boy named Bradley. I got started on preparing our food for the week until Eva finally pushed her plate aside.

“Done,”

“Nice, kiddo,” I said when I grabbed her plate. She had polished off everything except for the carrots, which I set in a container for later. “Why don’t you go pick out which jammies you want to wear while I get your bath ready?” I suggested. Eva hopped off the chair and hurried off. I glanced around the still-warm kitchen to make sure everything was in place. I quickly rinsed off her plate and put it into the dishwasher before I went into the bathroom. I got the water started and added her favorite rose-scented bubble bath as well as her toys. Bathtime was always an adventure, and I knew that it would come to an end soon enough. A moment later, Eva joined me in the bathroom. She animatedly told me about her teachers and some of the other kids in her class. But her focus was on Milly, Lucas, Chloe, and Bradley. I was so happy for her that when she asked if we could watch a movie, I said yes. I even dished up some brownies and ice cream.

“Thank you,” she said as she happily accepted the bowl. While we watched the animated movie on screen, I couldn’t help but think about the past week. It had been tough juggling work and Eva, but it had gone surprisingly well. The weekend had been relaxing and fun. Saturday morning cartoons. Blanket forts in the living room. Popcorn fights. A short trip to the park where she made a new friend over a shared love of glitter. Even my burnt pancakes hadn’t dampened her joy. She was happy. And that happiness felt fragile in my hands.

"I’m glad you are making friends," I said softly. "And I’m glad that you like your new school," Eva shot me an annoyed look for interrupting her movie, but then she smiled.

"It’s the best! I didn’t think it would be, but it is. And you were right, Mommy. People are nice here,” she said before she turned her attention back to the movie. I smiled, but a weight settled in my chest. I had lied about Eva’s father. Not that it was anyone’s business, but I was worried about it. The truth would come out eventually, and I had a feeling Eva was the one who would suffer the most. I tried to push it aside, but it wasn’t that easy. Eventually, Eva was done with her sweet treat and the movie was over.

“Time for bed,” I said as I grabbed our bowls and took them to the kitchen. I could hear Eva running about and I shook my head. No matter how many times I told her not to run, she never listened. I heard her in the bathroom – brushing her teeth – and then I heard her go into her bedroom. I rinsed out the bowls and put them in the dishwasher before I joined her. “Do you want a story?” I asked, but she shook her head as she yawned. I kissed her forehead and switched off the light. I wouldn’t have a lot of time this week to do anything, so I grabbed the laundry basket and carried it to the little washroom next to the kitchen. As I started up the washing machine, a noise vibrated quite loudly, and I frowned. Just as quickly as it had happened, it was gone. It was probably because the house was old and that was why I didn’t pay it any attention.

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