“Thank you for understanding, Ross. I know I’m still new here, and I want to make a good impression, but this is the right thing for me right now.”

“No further explanation needed. We want our employees to be happy and healthy. You deserve a vacation.”

“Will someone else be able to handle Leo’s case? I have all the files together on my desk. Karen could provide them to the new assigned attorney.”

“Yes, absolutely. Don’t even worry about it!”

Ross and I shook hands, and I promised to be back in two weeks with a clear mind and a more regulated schedule. Even my boss noticed I put in far too much time at the office and exceeded all billable hour requirements. I promised myself and Charlie I would only work late if it was an emergency.

For the next week and a half, Charlie and I spent our time together all day and all night. I told him soon enough he’d get sick of me, but he said it wasn’t possible.

I planned a ton of great adventures for us during our mini vacation. Of course, his teachers weren’t too thrilled I was pulling him out of school for two weeks, but I told them it couldn’t be avoided. I didn’t tell them we were going to an amusement park, a water park and then to his father’s wedding. I imagined they’d frown upon most of those excuses.

“Mom, can William come with us to the parks?”

“I don’t think so, sweetie. He still has to work.”

“Is he still coming to the wedding?”

“Absolutely.”

Charlie high-fived me and galloped to his room to finish packing. I needed to pack, too. As I folded clean laundry in the living room, someone knocked at the front door. I set down the beach towel in my hands and strode over to welcome my unexpected guest.

“William!” I cried when I opened the door.

He strutted inside with a new pair of Levis on his hips and a black tee shirt hugging his chest. Since moving into the halfway house, and now having a steady paycheck, William could afford to eat regularly and even go to the gym. He shed his lean, almost meek appearance, and added a sufficient amount of muscle to his arms, legs and abdomen. That and his beard stirred up feelings deep inside my belly I hadn’t felt in quite some time.

“Hey. Just wanted to stop by before you left.” He handed me a paper bag, of which I already knew its origin.

I opened the treat and inside stood a red velvet cupcake from my favorite bakery in the city. “That’s so sweet of you.”

He pulled me into his arms, and I absorbed the sweet, clean aroma of his cologne. The first time I met William, he could barely stand to be near me. Now? We hugged hello and goodbye almost every time we saw each other. My little “breakdown” seemed to knock down another part of the walls around his heart. I felt closer to him than ever, and I missed him dearly when we weren’t together. Again, the idea of having a romantic relationship with William nudged my conscience. We’d both come so far from when we met. Could we fit into each other’s lives as more than friends?

“William!” Charlie pounded across the hardwood floor and leapt into William’s arms. “I wish you were coming with us.”

“Me too! But you and your mom are going to have a great time. Then, before you know it, I’ll be there for the wedding.”

Charlie hugged William tightly, and my heart nearly burst at its seams. They’d grown quite close since they met unexpectedly all those weeks ago. The doubts I once had about bringing William around Charlie vanished a while back. I trusted William with my son more than nearly anyone else in our lives. I still couldn’t thank him enough for supporting Charlie the night of his play, when I wasn’t there. Sure, it hurt to know someone else had to do it in my absence, but I’m relieved it was William.

“You’re good with a ride to the ceremony?”

“Yeah, not a problem. A friend from work is driving me there. He has family in Pittsburgh, so he figured it’d give him a reason to go and visit.”

“Perfect, I’m glad it worked out. Then, you’ll be able to cruise with us on the way home.”

William set Charlie down and pulled something from his back pocket. “This is for you, Charlie.”

Sparkles in Charlie’s eyes illuminated his face as he greedily grabbed for the envelope.

“What do you say, Charlie?”

“Sorry. Thank you!”

He tore open the envelope, and inside was a crisp twenty dollar bill. “So you can get a souvenir at one of the parks.”

“Wow!” Charlie gazed at the bill in his hand as though Benjamin Franklin stared back at him instead of Andrew Jackson.

“It’s not much,” William whispered bashfully.

“It’s incredibly generous. Thank you.”

William hugged us each again one more time before he left and Charlie’s and my vacation began.