Luca rattled off plans for tomorrow, and the smile slowly faded from Ali’s face. Before he could tell the kids he was leaving in the morning, I made a mental executive decision and told Luca we’d love to do all the things he suggested. Ali’s face wrinkled, and I knew he was about to spill the beans. I couldn’t let that happen. Not when the kids were enjoying him so much. I was previously okay with him missing Alessia’s birthday, but after seeing them together and witnessing the love in her eyes, I can’t let Ali go home. He’s already here. I already paid for everything, and I’m sure he can swing two more days of PTO.
“It’s the weekend, Ali,” I said with heavy emphasis on weekend, hoping he’d catch my meaning. “Surely there will be all kinds of events you don’t want to miss.”
“You’re right,” he said after a few moments of contemplation.
Though I expected him to comply, I was surprised he did so quickly and without contest.
The food came, and we enjoyed a nice, drama-free dinner. Afterward, the kids went to the bathroom, leaving me and Ali alone for the first time. At first, we smiled awkwardly, eyes bouncing all around to avoid contact. But then I thought of something rather important to say.
“You know… I wasn’t sure how you being here was going to work. I originally told Luca no.”
Ali chuckled. “He always gets to you.”
I smiled bashfully. “You’re not wrong. But now that you are here, I’m really glad you came.”
He nodded. “Thanks for letting me tag along… And for taking care of everything. It…it really helped.”
“Don’t mention it. You should know I don’t mind you being around. I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel about being around me.”
He nodded again.
“Luca is gonna live at home for a while, so I imagine Alessia will, too. If you ever want to come by and hang out with them, I’d welcome that.”
He smiled. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”
I smiled back, and we sat in silence again for a beat.
“Listen,” he said, “I want to apologize for how I acted at Alessia’s last birthday. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and realized I was just jealous of your ability to give our kids things I couldn’t. Who knows how long it would have taken me to save up for a trip like this. You’ve given them this experience and so many other things. I’m happy they’ve experienced life beyond their neighborhood. I just wish I could do more for them. But my ego shouldn’t block their development. Thanks for taking extra care of our children.”
I was blushing so hard. Deep down, I’d been wanting to hear him say something along those lines ever since he left me. Him taking the kids and saying he didn’t trust me affected me much deeper than I’ve ever admitted. Even after he clarified his statement, saying he didn’t think I was an unfit mother, I’ve been trying to prove that to him this whole time. When you admire someone, and they express a sentiment like that, it’s damaging. He already had enough to side eye me for. I didn’t need him also looking at me sideways because of my parenting. But he gets it now! I’m not someone who flashes my money in other sims’ faces. That’s nowhere near any part of my personality. Even spoiling the kids has never been my goal. I just want them to live life to the fullest, having everything they need and a few things they want.
“Ali… What you give them can’t be measured in simoleons. And, I appreciate you saying that.”
He winked. “Don’t mention it.”
