What He Needs

Chapter 23

"It is. Come sit with me, Jonathan."

Not needing to be told twice, I did as Constance said and followed her to sit on one of Winston's sofa. She laughed lowly when she saw my girls arguing over who should get to play with Snowflake while said bunny hopped around freely.

"No fighting, girls." I said, causing their squabble to seize. "Snowflake isn't a toy. If she wants to interact with you two, then she will. If not, let her be."

"Okay, Daddy." My girls sighed while looking at the bunny in longing.

"Maybe Winston can give you two some snacks to feed her." I said after a while, not liking the frowns on their faces. Instantly, they lit up before racing to the kitchen, begging my boyfriend for anything that they could give Snow.

"I miss when Winston was that age." Constance voiced a few quiet seconds later. "He had quite the mouth on him, but he was still as adorable as ever."

"Sweet and quiet Winston was a back talker?" I questioned in disbelief.

"You better believe it. He was spanked so often, I started to believe that he actually liked getting in trouble."

"Mom, stop embarrassing me!" Winston called out from the kitchen, causing Constance and I to laugh.

"It's only right that I do so, sweetie." She replied to him before turning back to me and speaking quieter. "Tell me about yourself, Jonathan."

"Oh, um, well I'm forty years old, and I have two daughters – as you can tell. I work in the same field as Winston, just for a different company. I only have one sibling, a sister, and we were born and raised in New York."

"You ever been outside of New York?"

"I have, but mostly for work trips. I haven't gone to a different state or country just for the fun of traveling."

"Would you like to?"

"Of course! I've always wanted to relocate to a warmer state, but I didn't think it was fair to up and move my girls when they've already become accustomed to New York. Also, the fact that Winston and I are together, factors into the decision to not just move to the other side of the country or even down south."

Constance looked at me thoughtfully. I took a moment to reexamine what I had just said, hoping that I hadn't unknowingly dug myself into a hole. Was mentioning Winston a cliché thing to do? I couldn't help it since it was the truth.

"Do you love my son?"

"Without a doubt."

Again, Constance stared at me in thought. I didn't want to admit it, but I was a bit intimidated under her scrutinizing gaze. Should I be worried about the way she was looking at me? Why hasn't Winston tried to save me from his mother as yet?

"I believe you." Constance spoke before I could go into a state of panic. My nerves calmed instantly when she finally smiled at me.

"Mom, I've given you more than enough time to question him. Dinner is ready." Winston voiced as he exited the kitchen. "Girls, would you like to come wash your hands with me?"

"Yes, we're coming!" Alyssa and April replied as they moved away from Snowflake. They handed Winston the bag of berries he had given them to feed his pet bunny before the three of them disappeared into the kitchen once again. Constance and I stood as well, following suit to wash our hands.

The scent of Winston's cooking invaded my nose tenfold as I entered his kitchen. My stomach growled loudly, causing him to look over at me with an amused grin. I childishly stuck my tongue out at him before washing my hands and taking a seat at the dinner table, between my girls. Across from us, Constance and my boyfriend also sat down.