put in.
"I don't. She’s not my mom." Maya's tone was more matter of fact than rebellious. "And you’re not my mom."
"Doesn't matter, Maya. Adele asked you to do something and you need to do it," Wyatt said.
Maya kept her head down, and Wyatt could see her lips were now pressed tightly together. A sure sign that a rebellion was brewing.
"Sweetie, what are you going to do?" he asked.
"Keep coloring."
And here it was. That hard disobedience that rose up from time to time. The pushback Wyatt wasn't always sure how to deal with.
He laid his hand on her shoulder, pressing gently. "Maya, you need to listen and obey."
But she was ignoring him, her crayon moving furiously across the paper.
Oh brother, now what? He looked over at Adele, who seemed as uncertain as he was on how to proceed, and gave her a faint shrug.
"Okay, Maya," Adele said, taking her cue from him. "You can keep coloring, or you can have dinner. Up to you."
No answer.
The other two children were watching them, as if wondering what would happen next.
Adele helped Dean and Maria put their papers away, leaving the tin of crayons on the table.
"I think we'll have our supper in the family room," Adele said, smiling at the other two. She glanced over at Wyatt. "If that's okay with you?"
He realized what she was doing. Letting Maya have her way and yet not let her control the situation. His admiration for her grew. Usually he was too tired to deal with Maya's stubbornness. Thankfully, her rebellious times were few, but she was only three. He knew more would be coming.
"I think that's a great idea. Maybe we can watch some television."
At that, Maya looked up, her eyes narrowed as if unsure of how things were progressing.
Adele didn't even look at her as she walked over to the stove, taking the plates she had laid out and serving up the spaghetti and meatballs.
"Careful now," she warned Dean and Maria as they took their plates to the family room.
The two kids looked smug as they walked past Maya, who wasn't coloring anymore, watching them with puzzlement.
Not how this was supposed to turn out, is it, Wyatt thought, grinning at her confusion.
When Wyatt got his plate and headed toward the family room, Maya jumped off her chair. "You can't eat there. You eat here."
He shrugged, glancing back at Adele, who already had her plate of food served up. "No. You have your crayons on the table," Wyatt said. "There's no room. And you want to keep coloring, so you go ahead."
Maya blinked, watching as they walked past her.
"No. No. I want to eat," she said.
"I thought you wanted to color?" Adele asked.
"I do. But I’m hungry now."
"You can have some food after you clean up your coloring," Adele returned, her voice quiet. Gentle and even.
Maya's eyes narrowed as she glanced from Adele to the table behind her. She wavered, and Wyatt wondered to himself how this would end.
Then Maya spun around and, to his surprise, made quick work of cleaning up, even bringing the crayon tin and her papers to the end of the counter.
"I eat now," she announced.
"Can you please say that a bit nicer?" Adele prodded.
Wyatt thought she might be pushing her luck, but to his surprise, Maya nodded. "Please, can I eat now?"
"Of course. I'll just take my plate to the family room, and then I'll get you your supper."
Wyatt was full of admiration for how Adele handled the situation. He had wondered how this would all play out, but Adele seemed to know what she was doing. She had a knack for dealing with kids.
He followed Adele, forcing himself not to look back at Maya to catch her reaction. Adele wasn't dancing to her tune, and he knew Maya was confused.
Adele was as good as her word, and soon they were all sitting around the television, eating their supper. Dean, Maya, and Maria sat on the floor, their plates on the coffee table, watching the television as they ate.
"I hope this is okay," Adele whispered to Wyatt.
"Too late to ask me now, isn't it?" he teased.
"Well, I'm sorry. I should have checked with you." She lifted her hand in a gesture of apology.
He caught her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's fine. I'm just amazed at how you handled her, that's all. I have to confess, I was lost." He kept his voice low, hoping the kids were too engrossed in their television show to pay them any