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“And, I think we’re gonna go.” Allie drops the toys in her arms she picked up for Jadon. “Jadon, sweetie, let’s say goodbye to your grandma and grandpa and thank them for all this great stuff they got you.”
Jadon hugs my dad and Jen before Allie picks him up. Allie thanks them for everything and quickly exchanges phone numbers with Jen while a fuming Kat squares off with me.
“Allie, I’ll meet you in the car. Just one second, okay?”
She nods and heads out without a word to Kat, averting Kat’s fiery gaze. Allie is nice and can clearly tell someone—like me—to shut the hell up when she sees fit. Since Jadon was around, she bit her tongue out of respect. And though Allie acted like it didn’t bother her, I know there’s something there.
When Allie and Jadon make it outside, my parents excuse themselves into the other bedroom to put Jadon’s things in there for me.
Kat scoffs, “I can’t believe you are doing this. We’re getting married! How can you just make decisions like this without asking me?”
“You know what, Kat? We’re not doing this now. I told you earlier that if there was something bothering you, we would talk about it later.Notwhen Allie and Jadon are here.”
“Well, since you’re trying to force all of us to get along, why can’t they hear whether she can just come and dump her son on us whenever she feels like it? I’m not babysitting your kid for you when she runs off with her boyfriend, Lucas. I’m the one that will be left with watching him since you’ll be at work, and he’s not even mine.”
My gut reaction is to scream, and I hate that I need to lower my voice with my parents in one room and Allie standing just outside. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m the one trying to convince her, my son’smother, that I can take care of him.I’mthe one that wants him here. To be part of my life.Ourlife. I needed this to show her that when he comes here, he isn’t subject to turmoil. Now, because of you, she may never let him come over.”
And if she thinks I would leave Jadon alone for her to babysit, she’s delusional.
“You realize everything was fine before she showed up. Why is she forcing you to acknowledge your kid after all these years, Lucas?”
“Sheisn’t. She was trying to keep him from me after I treated her like shit, Kat. We talked about this last night. I’m the one that dumped her out of my car when I was finished with her. She’s the one that stepped up and took responsibility for whatI didtoher. If you would just listen to anyone but the sound of your own voice, you’d know that.”
“It won’t matter once we have our own kids, Lucas.”
I force out a laugh, and wonder what the hell I’m doing here, arguing about this with someone I don’t even like anymore. “We’re not even going there right now.”
Kat rolls her eyes and moves to say something, but I can’t deal with this right now while Allie and Jadon wait for me outside. “I’m taking them home. You can wait here, but when I get back, I’m setting up Jadon’s things inhisbedroom.”
I turn and storm out before she responds. At this point, I don’t care if she’s here when I get back home. I’m just embarrassed that my four-year-old behaves better than my adult girlfriend.
Outside, Allie holds Jadon by the hand while pointing to a bird’s nest in the tree outside. I know she heard the yelling from inside the house and moved as far away as possible.
“Allie, I am so sorry. I had no idea she was going to say that.”
“Lucas, can you please just take us home?”
I nod while an enormous pit forms in my stomach at the annoyance in her voice. I didn’t even say anything to Kat about the fact she called Allie a slut and Jadon a bastard. I’ll be sure to add that to the list of things to bring up in our next discussion.
If she’s going to act this way, I’m done. Allie and Jadon are part of my life and I don’t have room for this bullshit.
Without another word, Allie assists Jadon in his seat. I try to get in and buckle him for her, but Allie shoos me away.
“It’s fine, Lucas. I got it.”
Fuck. Back at square one.
The tension in the car on the way back to her house is thick enough to slice with a knife. Jadon points at objects outside while she stares at her phone, out the window, and down at her phone again. Avoiding me.
The entire time.
There’s nothing I can say to her in front of Jadon, so I chew on my lip, wondering how two hours ago she was taking my picture and we were as close to the idea of a family as I could imagine.
Jadon passes out before we make it back to the house. Before she can shoo me away again, I swoop in and grab him. She huffs and mumbles something to herself on her way to the front door, messing with the lock until it gives. She heads for the kitchen while I take Jadon to his room.
No words spoken or looks shared, and the unknown is more daunting than arguing with Kat. We have to fix this, only I don’t know where to start. She doesn’t want an apology.
Still, that’s all my brain can come up with. “Allie, look. I’m really sorry that Kat—”
