Evan - Family Check-In

 

She made a FaceTime call from the car around Bs bedtime; she and Evan were driving to dinner. 

"Hi, mommy," B said, "what are you doing?"

"Driving to dinner," Emily said.

"You look really pretty," B said, echoing what I was thinking.

"Awww, thanks sweetheart," she said. "I tried to look extra pretty tonight."

"Why?"

"I'm having dinner with my special friend, Evan," she said.

"Your boy friend?" B smiled.

I heard a deep, masculine laugh, Emily looked over, smiled. "Yes, my boyfriend," she said, "I wanted to look pretty for him. Men like when girls look pretty for them."

His hand moved over, touched Emily's nylon covered thigh just below the hem of her short dress, briefly,  an innocent acknowledgment, but more. Emily smiled again. 

"She does look extra pretty for him," I said. "Mommy asked me to pick out her dress." Emily and I had talked about this before, affirmation that her spending time with Evan was something I supported. "I hope I did a good job."

"You did," B said.

"Why don't you say goodnight to mommy and go take a shower so I can say goodnight, too."

"Okay," B said, "goodnight, mommy, love you."

"Love you, too, sweetie pie."

B scampered off to the shower.

"Was that too much?" Em asked. Evan's hand moved back to her thigh, lingered there.

"Saying you wanted to look pretty for him? N...no...I mean...that's okay," I said.

Emily looked over at him. "She's off the the shower?"

"Yes," I said.

She smiled at him, a smile really meant for both of us. "I wanted to look pretty for my boyfriend," she said.

He squeezed her thigh. "Success," I heard him say. He lifted his hand, gave a 'wrap it up' gesture.

"I think my boyfriend wants my undivided attention," she said.

"Of course," I said. "You...you do look really pretty."

"Men like it when their girlfriend makes a special effort and looks pretty for them," she said, smiling again, at him, at me. 

"Okay," he said.

"I know," she looked at him. "Gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay. Love you."

"I love you, too." 

Was it too much? It was on the edge, but no, it wasn't too much. We don't flaunt it to B, but we don't hide it, either. She knows her mom has a special friend. A boy friend. We don't lie about it. She knows she goes to see him a few times a year. At her age, there is no sexual implication, of course. Just affirmation that Emily having a boy friend...a boyfriend...is normal and something we all support.

Of course, I'm sitting here typing this, leaking, as I have been all week. The leaking a physical show of my support. The angst, well that's something else.