Think Of Me

Chapter Seven

After Risa's and Aaron's official meet, all the tension in Jeanna's life started to melt away.

Her neighbor, Cristian, had asked her out to a Thai restaurant, and she actually accepted, asking Aaron if he would babysit. Giddy and completely nervous, she waited in her living room for the knock on her door. By the end of the night, she realized how silly her nervousness was. Cristian was a great guy. She already knew that, but she was glad to find that he was genuine and wasn't just trying to get into her pants. After the date, she had been the one to lean forward for a kiss goodnight. One date turned into two dates which turned into three dates... and Jeanna wasn't complaining. This was the first time she had had fun since college, and the first time she'd been seeing someone for three years.

Jeanna's good fortune continued at work where she was able to focus her attention at work successfully. Her work allowed her to get on Cruella's good side who ended up asking her to cover Vera Wang's new bridal line in Times Square. She was elated, and nothing could ruin her. She could hardly contain her excitement.

Likewise, Aaron had been spending a lot of time with Risa. He would pick her up from daycare and take her to the park or to get ice cream before bringing her home for the night. Jeanna had thought Risa was crazy for Aaron when he was her Fiyero, but now that she knew he was her Daddy, Risa was practically glued to his side. The first night Aaron brought her home, Risa cried after him, and it broke Jeanna's heart.

Jeanna was exiting the subway when she felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. (It was casual Fiday at the office.) “Hello?” she mumbled, climbing the stairs to the above ground.

“Hey!” she was greeted with Aaron's voice.

“Hey, what's up?” she asked, making her way towards Risa's daycare. She silently prayed they were going to make it to the pediatrician for her check-up in time.

“I had a question I wanted to run by you really quickly.” He paused and Jeanna mhm-ed, signaling that he could continue. “Can Risa spend the weekend with me?”

“Sure, but are you sure you wanna walk back and forth that much?”

“No,” Aaron said abruptly. “I want her to spend the night. Jacqui isn't going to be here. She's going to Florida with some of her friends. Risa can sleep in my bed or I can make a place for her to sleep on the couch.”

Jeanna frowned. As much as she really didn't want to be without her baby for a whole weekend, she had to be fair for Aaron. “Okay. I'm on my way to take her to the doctor for her usual check-up now. What time do you want to pick her up?”

“Does six o'clock sound okay?”

“Yeah, sure. We usually eat around seven, so I'll let you feed her.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Jeanna,” he said. Jeanna could hear the smile in his voice.

“No problem, Aaron. See you later.” She ended the call a few seconds before stepping into the daycare lobby.

~*~

“Are you sure you've got everything, Risa-E?” Cristian teased from his seat on the couch.

“Uh-huh!” Risa tugged her over-stuffed Ni Hao, Kai Lan luggage over to the coffee table in front of Cristian and took her equally huge backpack off, throwing it to the ground. She was practically bouncing all over the place, super excited that she was going to spend the weekend with Daddy.

“What about Geoff?” he asked, referencing Risa's beloved stuffed giraffe.

“No!” she screeched, taking off back to her room.