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Reagan gave me a funny look. “Who?”
“You. I remember a certain someone getting sassy at times when it wasn’t always appropriate.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, first off, every time I had an attitude is because the situation called for it, and, secondly, if anything, Bobby is more like his father…” she trailed off on that last word, saying it extra slow as if realizing something. She stared right at me, getting almost panicky.
“What does that mean?”
“What does what mean?” Her eyes fled from my face and to the door of the diner. She was trying to backtrack as if I hadn’t just heard her hint very strongly at something.
“You know what I mean, Reagan. Who’s his father?”
“Ummm…” I could sit here for as long as it took. I needed an answer. “Aiden, I —”
“The pancakes are here!” Bobby yelled. The waitress was over a few seconds later and placed a large stack between Bobby and me. Reagan’s French onion soup was next.
“Is there anything else I can get you today?”
“No, we’re fine,” Reagan shook her head. “Thank you.”
The waitress left, so it was back to the three of us. Reagan turned her attention to helping Bobby with his food. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to talk about this in front of him. I didn’t know the whole situation. From the looks of it, Reagan was going about this all alone. I didn’t want to blow into this kid’s life and fuck things up, but I felt like I deserved answers. Somehow, I was going to get them.Chapter Nine - ReaganThat lunch with Aiden was bizarre and came very close to being a tragedy. I almost let the whole truth out of the bag. I couldn’t believe I was so careless. Bobby was right there. He didn’t know anything about his dad. I had done my best to keep him from feeling bad about the situation, but naturally, he had questions. And they had only been getting more and more frequent. Soon, I was going to have to make some kind of choice before the whole thing blew up in my face.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Huh?” The spoon I was holding in my hand slipped into my almost empty bowl of soup. It was enough to knock me out of whatever trance I was in. It also got a little bit of soup on my scrubs. “Dammit!”
“That’s a bad word.” Bobby gave me the pointed look I always gave him whenever he was being a little heathen.
Aiden wasn’t totally wrong when he said Bobby was like his mother. After spending every day of his life together, the little guy has picked up a few things from me.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll find some way to make up for it.”
“Ice cream?”
I snorted a laugh.
He’d already been treated so much today after getting kicked out of school for bad behavior. I didn’t want Bobby thinking this was what he could expect when he’s done something wrong, but he was a smart boy. I was sure when we had our conversation later tonight, he’d understand what he’d done wrong. And it wouldn’t hurt to have it over a bowl of ice cream.
“Okay, ice cream, but only one scoop tonight since you weren’t a very good boy today.”
“Okay.” He seemed a little down, but I could see a hint of a smile on his lips. Bobby was thinking about the ice cream he was going to eat tonight, I knew it. That child had my entire heart.
“It’s time to drop you off at Grandma’s baby. I have to get back to work.” He nodded.
While I was talking with my son, Aiden got the check. He threw some cash down on the table that was way beyond how much our meal cost. Aiden always liked being generous. I knew his mother wasn’t a fan of his large tips or giving twenties (sometimes bills larger than that) to homeless people. She would say he was throwing money away. I always looked at it as Aiden just paying his good fortune forward. It was something that endeared him to me. I was glad that part of his character remained fully intact.
I made sure we had everything. Bobby was notorious for leaving behind at least one thing. I knew there wouldn’t be any time for me to stop by the diner tonight if my son left the smallest of trinkets. When I was satisfied with my triple check, the three of us walked out together.
“So, you’re taking him to…”
“My mother’s. I texted her before picking him up, so she is expecting us.”
“Oh, I’ll follow behind you guys.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. Aiden was spending a whole lot of time with Bobby today. I was still processing how to feel about that. He had to suspect something at this point. Why else would he be following the two of us around? Maybe he still wanted to talk, which was a daunting prospect.
