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I took Robin in my arms and followed Jade to his room. I put him in bed and hesitated for a second before kissing his forehead. Jade closed the door when we returned to the living room and finally had time to talk.
"I want him to sleep over at my place on Sundays, too," I began.
I needed more access to Robin, having already missed so much in his life. I wanted to tuck him in and tell him bedtime stories. But most importantly, I didn't want my son living in this place. My grandfather had already expressed concern over Robin being raised in a manner befitting a Fletcher, and I agreed with him.
Jade stilled. "We had an agreement, Michael," she said haltingly.
"I'm changing it. Can't you see? Robin needs the best tutors and access to everything I can offer him."
She glared at me,and firecracker Jade was back. She had been so sweet and gentle with Robin that I had almost forgotten that she had this other side. Her passion was contagious, and I had to admit that I wanted her to use it more productively, like ripping off my clothes and making passionate love to her.I might have been wrong about her, I thought.
But despite howbeautiful and spirited I found her, she was still so irritatingly stubborn, and it got on my last nerve.
"Wouldyou rather take extra work for the rest of your life to afford to give Robin what he needs? And all to prove to me that you can?"
I understood pride,not foolishness, and this was what she was doing.
"We had an agreement,Michael. And if you want this to work, you can't keep changing things," she said fiercely, bright spots appearing on her cheeks.
I'd hadthe best time with Robin today, and this argument was now souring my mood. I mentally took a step back and wondered if this conversation was worth it. It wasn't. Not right now.
"Fine,"I replied, and Jade visibly relaxed.
I was backing down now,but I'd be damned if she thought I was letting this go. Robin was special and needed to attend a better school that could handle his genius. And if I had anything to say about it, he wouldn't be living in this run-down apartment anymore.
Jade tookout another album and gave it to me. This one was mostly just Robin, and each page had Robin's milestones written in Jade's neat handwriting.
"You can have this one,"she said softly.
"Thank you,"I said, surprised that she was giving me this. "I didn't know people still did these in this digital age."
She laughed."There's something about photo albums that I love, and I don't know why. My mom did something like that for my sister and me; it's nice looking back at the memories."
There was a picture of Robin sitting with a small keyboard and a wide smile. I held up the album and showed it to Jade. "When did he start playing?"
"When he was almost five.I was doing some work for an instrument shop, and I would take him to work with me sometimes if I couldn't get anyone to babysit. The owner started teaching him just for fun and to keep him occupied while I worked. He said Robin was a natural and gave him that keyboard when I left."
Jadeand I talked about Robin for a while, and before I knew it, we had spent an hour sitting and talking. It felt good, I admit, but I wasn't here for Jade, only my son. I had to remember that.
"I have to go,"I said before standing up. "See you Wednesday?"
Jade walked me out,and I drove home feeling like a different man. I had a new determination in life now: to be the best father I could be.
19
Jade
It felt like I hadn't taken a break for the past few days, and I sighed in relief as I tilted my neck and massaged it. My whole body was on fire, but it was all worth it knowing that the extra income would cover a lot. Not only did I need to help my sister, but I had just received an email from Robin's school with another list of things he needed, which meant I needed more money to get them for him. I contemplated asking Michael for some help, but I couldn't muster the courage to go through with it. We needed to have the financial talk at some point, but it felt too soon for me. Michael and I hadn't found that even ground yet.
"Am I working you too hard?"
Jordan's voice startled me out of my thoughts, and I turned around to look at him. He wore his usual uniform: black jeans, a white shirt, and a black apron. It was a simple look on anyone, but he somehow looked like a million dollars in it.
"Sorry, just having one of those days. But I'm done here for today, getting ready to head out."
He smiled, revealing that dimple that made all the ladies swoon. I wondered why I hadn't just fallen head over heels for Jordan. He was really sweet, and it would have made my life much less complicated than having any feelings for Michael Fletcher. I had broken up with Jordan after realizing my feelings weren't going any deeper, and I couldn't see a future with him. That didn't stop me from appreciating that he was a handsome guy, though, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"I had missed that smile," he said, making my cheeks heat up.
