I wondered if it were any other girl I was taking to my mother’s house, if I would’ve been more nervous.
It felt right taking Rooney here, and I knew Mom would like her.
Besides, Ira would be happy to see her again too after drawing that picture with her next to me.
I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes to see the glow inside of them get brighter.
“Last chance to run and hide,” I whispered.
“In your dreams,” she replied with a grin.
I watched her step out of the car and wait for me to do the same, and once I got the strength to, I walked over to her.
We reached the door and I knocked before pushing the door open. “It’s me!” I called out to make sure they wouldn’t get startled by someone just walking into the house.
Ira’s footsteps could be heard from a mile away, and when he rounded the corner, he smiled brightly and ran to me with his arms wide open.
“Daddy!”
“Hey, buddy,” I said, picking him up and kissing his cheek. “How was your morning?”
“Good. We’re going to the zoo!” he announced.
“That’s fun! Lucky I brought your rain boots so you can get all dirty today, huh?”
He looked over at Rooney and only now realized she was here too.
“Hi, Rooney!” he said a little too loudly and too close to my ear, waving at her although she stood right next to me.
“Hi, little man. I like your shirt,” she said, poking Ira’s belly gently.
“It’s Flash. He’s very fast!” he let her know, and I smiled at their little interaction.
But then, everything they did together made my heart melt, which was for one, a good sign, and two, showing me that Rooney was the right girl to take home to Mom.
“Super fast, huh?” Rooney added, then her eyes moved from Ira to my mother who was walking toward us.
“Ah, you must be Rooney. I’m going to try my best not to make this awkward for you two, but it’s a real pleasure to meet you, sweetie. I’m Elsa,” she said, and the sweet girl Rooney was, she stepped closer and hugged my mother to greet her.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Elsa.”
“I could tell by the picture Ira painted that you’re pretty, but you are beautiful!”
For once, I agreed with my mother.
“Would you like to have a cup of coffee? You’re not in a hurry, are you?”
I looked at Rooney to let her decide if she wanted to spend a little more time here before heading to town, and the smile on her face was enough for me to know that she was okay with staying a while longer.
“Sure,” I said, letting Ira back down so he could run back to whatever he was doing before we came.
“Take a seat. I’ll be right back,” Mom said as we reached the couch.
I sat down with Rooney and smiled at her to ensure her this was okay with me, as I felt like I’ve given some different vibes in the car.
“Daddy, look!”
Ira came back running to us with one painting in each hand.
He gave Rooney one and me the other.
“It’s the zoo and the animals are superheroes.”
Some might say he talked a little too much about superheroes, but I loved his admiration and obsession with those figures, so why would I ever stop him from loving them?
“All the animals have capes,” Rooney pointed out, making Ira grin.
“These are amazing, buddy. You’re a pro at drawing,” I told him.
“Like Rooney?”
“Even better!” she replied, knowing just how to make a kid happy. “You have to teach me how to draw these animals someday. How about that?”
Ira nodded and looked at us with wide eyes. “Do you come to the zoo too?”
I looked at Rooney with a questioning look, an she smiled at me and shrugged, telling me that she wouldn’t mind spending the day with my family.
“Sure, sounds fun,” I told him, brushing my hand through his wild locks.
There was no need to tame his hair as it would never do what I wanted it to.
“Yay! Grandma, Daddy and Rooney are coming to the zoo with us!” he called out, then ran back to the kitchen.
I chuckled and leaned back, then placed a hand on Rooney’s back, moving it up to cup the back of her neck.
“Change of plans,” I told her.
She turned her head to look at me, smiling and seemingly excited. “I don’t mind. It’s gonna be great,” she said.