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“So maybe you just haven’t gotten to know him very well yet.”
Max shrugged but didn’t say anything. He just stared down at his green base.
Well, this was off to a great start. They hadn’t been together for five minutes and already they’d run out of things to talk about. Jeff scanned the mountain of Legos and smiled when his gaze landed on a Lego baseball bat. “You want to build a baseball stadium?”
Max’s head lifted and a grin spread across his face. “Yeah, a really big one, as big as my house.”
Jeff eyed the giant pile of Legos on the floor. “We might need to go to the store for more pieces.”
Max giggled. “Yep.”
“Good thing I brought my credit card.”
The little boy giggled again, and Jeff felt it like a shot directly to his sternum. “Good thing.” Max pushed a pile of green bases toward him. “Build.”
“I’m on it.” Never in his wildest dreams had he expected spending a Sunday playing with Legos to feel like this. It should be boring playing with a kid’s toy, but he found himself wanting to build the most elaborate stadium just to see the look on Max’s face.
They’d just joined a couple of base pieces together when Kia walked in. “What are you guys building?”
“A giant baseball stadium. It’s a good thing he brought his credit card,” Max gushed.
Kia laughed. “Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“Cuz we’re gonna have to go to the store.” Max looked over at him for confirmation.
“Absolutely. We don’t have nearly enough pieces to build a life-sized stadium.”
Kia’s eyes widened. “Yeah, that’s not happening. You can build the biggest stadium you can with the pieces you have.”
“But mom!” Max groaned.
“Don’t ah mom me.” Kia sat on the floor. “Now, do you want some help?”
“Yeah.” Max pushed pieces toward his mom.
Chapter Seven
Haditreallyonlybeen a week since he’d found out he had a son?
Jeff parked his car in front of Kia’s small house. He eyed the neighboring houses. Newly planted small planters sat on the front stoop of Kia’s place filled with colorful flowers, making it look homey. A forgotten soccer ball lay on the front lawn. The yard looked different from the first time he’d been here. Like maybe she’d cleaned it up for the first meeting and now she’d didn’t need to bother. He found the lived-in look comforting.
He pushed open the front gate and smiled as he looked at the chalk drawings along the path leading to the house. Max’s stick figures intertwined with Kia’s more elaborate artwork. The two blending into each other seamlessly, much like mother and child.
The first couple of visits with Max had gone well, all things considered, but they were strangers figuring out their way. It wasn’t fair, but he was jealous of the ease and comfort between Kia and Max.
He put a hand against his stomach. Nausea warred with excitement in the depths, making him regret the breakfast he’d eaten. He could face down a hundred-mile-an-hour fastball with no thought, but the idea of spending time alone with a five-year-old made him break out in a cold sweat. What if they went out today alone and Max didn’t have fun? Maybe he should see if Kia wanted to go with them. Maybe it was too soon to go out by themselves. He glanced at the elaborate chalk snake that curled around trees and cars on the sidewalk. He needed to nut up. There was no way Kia would let him take Max out alone if she didn’t think Max would be okay.
He jogged up the three steps to the front door and rapped on the screen door. After several seconds, Kia pulled the door open and his stomach tensed again. Except this time it had nothing to do with Max. Would he ever get used to his body’s reaction to her? How could a woman look that good in yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt? Her chestnut hair was half-in-half-out of some kind messy bun, making it look like she’d just rolled out of bed and damn if he didn’t want to mess her all the way up.
A warm smile spread across her face as she pushed open the screen door. “Thank God, you’re on time. Max has been ready to go for the past hour. I was just about ready to force him to organize the Tupperware cupboard, so he’d stop bugging me about the time.”
He chuckled. “Ah, I see how it is, child labor to instill order among the chaos.”
Kia’s amused laughter rang out as she threw her hands in the air. “Gotta do what you gotta do. Just you wait, you’ll see.” She stepped away from the door. “Come on in.” Turning, she yelled, “Max, your dad is here.”
The sucker punch that hit him in the gut every time he heard himself called dad landed hard. Running footsteps sounded down the hall a moment before Max barreled around the corner. “You’re here,” he whooped.
And damn if that sucker punch didn’t hit even harder than the last. “I am. You still want to hang out with me today?”
