Seattle Move

13. My Mom

Lately, Ryan noticed that his mother seemed to be spending more time with her boss, Mr. Owen. Ever since this man had come into the picture, her attention seemed to be divided, and Ryan couldn't understand why this new man was taking up so much of his mommy's time, outside of work. He could understand if it was only at work, but now he was creeping into their home life, and his mommy time.

It all started when Ryan walked into the living room and saw Mr. Owen sitting on the couch next to his mom, an arm around her shoulder. He was whispering something to her that was making her giggle, and it rubbed Ryan the wrong way. Mr. Owen had come over to help Aunty Mer with some home improvements while she was at work, and he should not have been snuggling up with his mommy, so Ryan saw this as a threat to his mommy time. Thinking quickly, Ryan immediately ran up to his mom and climbed onto her lap, pushing the ginger away and refusing to let him get any closer. He was the center of her world, and he didn't want to share her with anyone, especially not Mr. Owen.

Amelia tried to calm Ryan down, explaining that Owen was just there to help. But Ryan was not convinced. He saw Mr. Owen as a rival for his mother's love and attention. He wanted his mommy all to himself, just like before.

The final straw for Ryan was when Mr. Owen bought his mommy a bouquet of roses. Mr. Owen had disappeared for some days, and he noticed his mommy was either crying, or just sad, when spending time with him. Ryan had never seen anyone give his mommy flowers before and he was determined to get rid of this flower-stealing, tear-inducing intruder.

So he began devising a plan to get rid of Mr. Owen.

Ryan quickly learned how to fake a tummy ache and throw a tantrum, causing his mother to fawn over him, completely ignoring Mr. Owen. He also started hiding Mr. Owen's belongings around the house, which led to arguments between them. He was making it seem like Mr. Owen was causing chaos, and the plan seemed to be working, because his mother slowly began drifting away from Mr. Owen, and his presence lessened in their home.

At first, Amelia didn't think much of it. She thought it was just a phase and that Ryan would eventually get over it, so she simply asked Owen to come around less often, or to meet at his trailer instead. But then she noticed that whenever Owen was around, Ryan would act out, throw tantrums, and demand all of her attention.

As the days went by, Ryan's jealousy only grew stronger. He would interrupt Mr. Owen and Amelia's conversations, and at night, he would refuse to go to bed unless his mother stayed with him until he fell asleep. Amelia found it amusing at first, but soon it became exhausting. She longed for some alone time with Owen, but it seemed impossible with Ryan around.

Then, one evening, as Amelia was doing research on her laptop, Ryan pulled on her pant leg and whined, "Mommy, come play with me."

"I can't right now, Ry. I have to finish this thing for work," Amelia replied mindlessly, trying to focus on the research paper in front of her.

"But I want you to play with me!" Ryan pouted, feeling ignored.

Amelia's heart broke a little at the thought of her son feeling pushed aside. She put aside her laptop and turned to Ryan, kneeling down to his level.

"Ryan, I promise we'll play after dinner, okay?" she said, placing a kiss on his forehead.

Ryan shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "You play with Mr. Owen and give him kisses, I don't like him!"

Amelia was taken aback by her son's words. She had never thought Ryan would get upset over her spending time with someone else. She hugged him tightly, soothingly rubbing his back.

"Ryan, Owen is just a friend. And I promise, he won't take any of my time away from you," she explained, hoping to ease his worries.

"But he was here yesterday and you didn't have time for me," Ryan sniffled.

Amelia sighed, knowing she needed to have a talk with Owen about balancing their time together and her time with Ryan. She wiped away Ryan's tears and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel like you're not important to me. You will always be my number one priority, okay?" she said, holding his little hand in hers.

Ryan nodded, but he still seemed upset. Amelia knew she had to do something to make it up to him. After dinner, she put Ryan to bed early and texted Owen.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?" she asked.

Within minutes, Owen came over, and Amelia explained the situation to him. He felt guilty that Ryan felt neglected, but just as he was about to apologize and help her come up with a solution, the little boy appeared in the hallway. He had been pretending to be asleep.

Ryan marched right up to them at the door and loudly declared to the ginger, "My mommy is mine, not yours!" The shocked expression on Mr. Owen's face made Ryan realize that his words had hurt him. He sheepishly hid behind his mother's leg, feeling guilty now for his outburst.

"I'm so sorry," Amelia apologized to Owen, "He didn't mean that."

Owen had noticed the change in Ryan's behaviour. Ever since he entered the picture, Ryan's playful demeanour seemed to change. He would cling onto his mother's leg, refusing to let go, and would even give him an occasional glare, like he was doing now. He couldn't understand why Ryan was acting so differently around him. He looked at Amelia with confusion in his eyes.

"What's wrong with Ryan?" Owen asked, looking at the little boy who was now standing behind his mother, peeking out at Owen.

"I think he's just a little jealous," Amelia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Ever since we started...you know, he's been acting like this."

"Jealous?" Owen repeated, trying to wrap his head around Ryan's behaviour. "But why?"

Amelia shrugged her shoulders. "I think he's afraid that you're going to steal me away from him."

Owen raised an eyebrow in surprise. He couldn't believe that a two-year-old could be feeling jealous over his mother's relationship. He turned to Amelia and asked, "Did he act like this with your ex?"

Amelia shook her head, "No, he was never like this with James. He got along with him just fine." She let out a small sigh before continuing, "I don't know what's gotten into him."

Owen could see the concern in Amelia's eyes, and he felt sorry for her. He knew that Amelia was a great mother, and she had a strong bond with her son. It was difficult for her to see Ryan acting so distant and cold towards her new partner.

As they continued to watch Ryan, Owen suddenly had a realization. He turned to Amelia and said, "I think I know what's going on."

"What is it?" Amelia asked, looking at Owen with hope in her eyes.

"Ryan probably doesn't understand the different types of relationships," Owen explained, "He sees you with me, and he's probably afraid that I'm replacing him. Maybe he doesn't understand that there's room for both of us in your life."

Amelia's eyes widened as she realized the truth in Owen's words. She knew that Ryan was only two years old and, although his English was advanced for his age, it would take some time for him to fully understand the concept of relationships. But she also didn't want to push him away or make him feel neglected.

"I guess I need to have a talk with him," Amelia said, determination in her voice. She knew that she needed to explain to Ryan that she loved him and that no one could ever replace him in her heart.

The next day, Owen came over, and they played with Ryan for hours, making up for lost time. Ryan's eyes started to light up again, and he started to warm up to Owen finally.

As the weeks went by, Owen made an effort to spend time with both Amelia and Ryan. They would have movie nights where Ryan would snuggle with them on the couch, and Owen would read bedtime stories to Ryan when Amelia worked nights.

One night, as Amelia was tucking Ryan into bed, he hugged her and whispered, "I like Mr. Owen now. Thank you."

Amelia's heart swelled with love for her son and the man who had become an important part of their lives. She kissed Ryan goodnight and went to bed with a smile on her face, grateful to have a loving and understanding partner like Owen and a happy and content son like Ryan.