my hand buried in Rooney’s hair as my mother walked back into the living room with a tray in her hands and cups on it.
“You’re coming with us?” she asked.
“Yeah. We were thinking of spending the day in the city, but the zoo sounds fun too,” I said.
Mom nodded and sat down on the other couch, and while she gave us our coffee, George waked into the room.
“Oh, George, this is Rooney,” Mom said.
He looked at her and nodded, then sat down next to Mom and gave Rooney a quick smile.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” she replied, smiling back at him.
I finally pulled my hand away from her hair and sat up straight again to take a sip of my coffee.
“So, Rooney, you study art?”
“Yes, I do. Art history, to be exact. I’ve always loved to paint,” she explained.
“Ira told me about you two spending a day together and drawing. That’s nice of you. You’re their neighbor, is that right?”
This was what I meant when I said that she could be a little annoying and intense.
She was asking things she already knew the answer to because either I told her or Ira snitched, but as long as Rooney was okay with it, I’d let them talk.
“Yes, I moved in with my best friend a few weeks ago and that’s how I met Wells and Ira.”
“How old are you, Rooney?” George asked, changing the subject in an instant.
“I’m twenty,” she replied, staying calm and friendly.
“And have you ever dated a guy twice your age before?” he asked.
How was this making me more uncomfortable than her?
“George, don’t ask such questions,” Mom hissed, giving Rooney an apologetic smile.
“You don’t have to answer him. Age is just a number, and I can tell you’re happy.”
“That’s fine. I don’t mind Wells being older. I really like him,” she said, looking at me with a gentle smile.
I smiled back and squeezed her thigh before looking back at my mother to change the subject once again in case George felt like asking another stupid question.
He was a great guy, but he was a little skeptical at times.
“What did Ira eat?”
I knew she was careful not to give him things that would spike his insulin levels, but I liked to make sure just in case.
“We had a couscous salad last night with some chicken breast and vegetables in it. And this morning he had a slice of bread with butter and a little bit of honey. I also made him a green juice,” she said.
“Hulk juice, Grandma!” Ira corrected her, making us all chuckle.
“And did you like the couscous, Ira? I don’t think you’ve had that in a while,” I told him, pulling him to me to stand between my legs.
“I liked it a lot,” he told me, pressing his hands against my cheeks for his enjoyment.
“You look funny, Daddy,” he said, laughing and pressing tighter against my cheeks.
“I do? Let’s see if you look funny like that too.”
I cupped his jaw with one hand and gently squeezed his cheeks together with my thumb and forefinger. “You look even funnier,” I told him with a grin.
He laughed again and pushed my hand away, then he crawled onto my lap and sat down on it.
Rooney was watching us with a sweet smile, and I gave her a quick look to let her know that I appreciated her being here, even if I had yet to adjust to the fact that she had already met my mother.
It wasn’t a bad thing at all, I just didn’t think this moment would ever come.
“Can we go to the zoo now?” he asked.
“Yes, you need to get your boots on first,” I told him, kissing his head and then reaching for his rain boots next to the couch.
“I do it.”
He moved off my lap again and sat down on the floor to put them on, and while he did, Rooney and I finished our coffees.
“Are you coming with us, George?” I asked, but he shook his head.
“I’m meeting my brother for lunch later. You guys have a nice day at the zoo.”
While he took the tray back into the kitchen, we walked over to the front door where I grabbed Ira’s jacket.
“We can take my car then,” I told Mom, and she nodded while she put her shoes on.
“Are you excited to see the animals?” Rooney asked, smiling down at Ira.
He nodded with wide eyes.
“What’s your favorite?”
It took a while for him to decide, but then he answered, “Lion!”