my upper arm, then let Ira take her toward his room by pulling at her hand.
“I have more Hulks!” he announced happily.
“Oh, you sure do! I like the big one on your bed,” I heard Rooney say.
For reasons like these I didn’t mind not having soundproof walls.
Eavesdropping into my son’s conversation with our new neighbor pretty much made my whole night.
They were adorable together, and I was glad there was now one more person Ira could share all his favorite things with.
I washed the dishes and placed the left overs into the fridge to eat the next day, and once the table was cleaned, I walked over to Ira’s bedroom to find them both sitting on the floor with action figures in their hands.
“Come play too, Daddy!” Ira urged.
“I’d say it’s time for you to go to bed, bud. It’s way past your bedtime.”
He frowned for a second, then looked at his toys and tried to figure out what to think of that.
“If your daddy’s okay with it, I can bring my brushes and colors with me tomorrow so we can draw and paint together. What do you think?” Rooney asked him, caressing his cheek gently with her fingers.
Ira’s eyes lit up and looked at me.
“Sounds like a plan. Now, let’s go brush your teeth and wash your face.”
I held out my hand and he quickly got up to grab it.
“Say goodnight to Rooney,” I told him.
“Night night!” Ira said, waving at Rooney.
“Sleep tight, little man. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she replied, smiling.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be right with you,” I told her and nodded toward the living room.
I walked over to the bathroom to help Ira brush his teeth, and once we were done with that, I carried him back to his bedroom and tucked him in.
“Who’s gonna sleep with you and Hulk tonight?” I asked, already picking up a few more of his stuffed animals.
“Teddy,” Ira told me, reaching for the teddy bear I used to sleep with as a kid.
Strange how long stuffed animals lived.
“Anyone else?”
“Woody,” he replied, pointing over to his little desk.
I got up and picked him up to place him next to Ira under the covers. “Getting crowded in here,” I said, smiling at him.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, buddy?”
“Can I have a sleepover too with Benny?”
I puckered my lips.
Kids were smart, and he knew Rooney was going to stay a little while.
But what he didn’t know was that she wasn’t going to stay for the night.
“I’ll ask his mom the next time we see him at the park, okay? A sleepover sounds like a fun idea.”
I guess it was time for me to start inviting his little friends over so he wouldn’t have to play with his old man all the time.
Must be getting boring.
“Goodnight, Ira. I’ll see you in the morning,” I told him, and before leaning in to kiss his forehead, I moved his pajamas up to check his insulin level.
“I love you,” I whispered, and after giving me a kiss on the cheek, I got up and walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked open.
As I got to the kitchen and grabbed the wine bottle she brought, I glanced over to Rooney and watched her stand by the large bookshelves, admiring the books I owned.
“Do you read?” I asked as I walked over to the couch.
She turned around and smiled. “Occasionally. I have a few books in my room, but not as many as you have. You’ve quite the collection going on.”
“Yeah, well, I loved to read as a kid, and I still do whenever I get a moment to myself. I hope I can soon get Ira into reading as well.”
“I’m sure he’ll love it. I can see so many resemblances to you in him.”
She walked over to me and sat down on the couch while I poured us both a glass of wine.
“You shouldn’t be drinking,” I pointed out, yet I kept pouring the wine.
“You know, I always thought I’d be that one girl who’d have her very first alcoholic drink on her twenty-first birthday, but it’s impossible to avoid it with a friend like Evie,” she explained with a chuckle.
“As long as you don’t drink until you pass out, a glass of wine once in a while is all right,” I said, sounding like one of those dads who wanted to act all cool in front of their kid’s friends.
“Got it,” she said, grinning. “Does Ira always go to bed that easily?”