The Fling

55

"It's official," I said on the last night of our trip. "I love Toronto."

We'd had an amazing time touring the city and the Christmas Market on Saturday, and then the time we spent in Pickering had been much better than I anticipated. Shawn's parents welcomed me into their home with open arms, and the whole visit was relaxed and comfortable. He told them that he preferred not to discuss his extended hiatus because it might ruin the mood, and they respected his wishes.

It was such a treat to see my boyfriend in the place he grew up, and I thoroughly enjoyed the driving tour he'd taken me on. Even the late-night sex in his childhood bed was perfect, though trying to stay quiet had been a real challenge for both of us. Hopefully Karen and Manny were sound sleepers and didn't hear our muffled moans.

Aaliyah raised her glass, "I'll drink to that! Maybe Shawn will come home more often since you like it so much. This condo is going to waste sitting empty, and we miss his goofy face."

"It's not easy for Abigail to get away from LA," my boyfriend answered. "I doubt we'll be back until the spring, but hopefully it'll work out that the kids can come."

"I think they'd have a lot of fun here," I said. "This patio scares me, though. I can picture Bertie pulling himself up on the railing to try to look down at the street."

Shawn looked over at the glass rail and shuddered. "Jesus. That's a dark thought. I'm going to ask my dad to install some locks at the tops of the two sliding doors. That way he'd never be able to come out here without us watching him."

I snuggled against him, pulling the blanket tightly around both of us. "I'd appreciate that."

It felt good to make plans for the spring, because it proved that we were both looking ahead but not in a way that made me anxious. This trip reinforced how happy we were together, and now that his parents supported our relationship, a weight had been lifted off me.

"Anyone need more wine?" Jordan asked as he stood up.

"Bring the bottle out," Aaliyah replied. "Oh and grab some food while you're in there!"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled before going inside.

Earlier, we'd gone out to eat at a wonderful vegan restaurant. We considered hitting up a few bars after, but when Shawn suggested relaxing by the fire pit instead, everyone agreed that sounded wonderful. It was good to have some time with his sister, since when they'd visited in August we hadn't hadn't been able to truly get to know each other.

Jordan returned and refilled our glasses. I took a long drink of the wonderful Cab and sighed, which prompted Shawn to kiss my head and ask, "You feeling good, baby?"

"Very. Am I a bad mom for admitting that it's nice to get away and not spend all my time caring for my children?"

"I think that makes you human," Aaliyah commented. "One reason I'm putting off having kids is that I feel that it's important to have time for myself. I'm not ready to devote all my energy to anyone else."

"What about me?" her boyfriend queried jokingly.

"You're pretty self-sufficient, thank god."

Shawn grabbed a carrot and dipped it in some hummus. When he was done chewing, he said, "I dunno. Being around Abigail's kids gives me a satisfaction that I haven't had before. I like doing things for them."

Aaliyah cocked her head to the side. "I'm going to counter your statement by saying that as their mom's boyfriend, the burden of taking care of them doesn't fall on you, so you get to enjoy them without the hard work."