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I arrivedat Union Station in DC at 6:30 pm on Sunday.The train ride wasn’t new to me — my mom’s job here meant frequent trips for me, and I preferred the train to flying because it gave me uninterrupted time to work on my novel.Eight hours later, I had written a solid ten thousand words, and I was feeling pretty damn proud of myself.
Mason offered to pick me up at the station, so I was waiting on the curb to find him.It was only a few minutes before he pulled up with an adorable little boy strapped into a car seat in the back.He rolled down the passenger window.“Candace?”
I nodded.“Yeah.You must be Mr.Davis.”It would horrify my mother that I just hopped into the car, but I had the advantage of seeing his face all over the place during his campaign last year.He got out of the car, coming around to grab my suitcase and put it in the trunk as I sat in the passenger seat.
Back behind the wheel, he said, “Nice to meet you.That’s Wyatt in the backseat.”Mason mesmerized me.He was so much better looking in person.And hisvoice.Oh my god, I just wanted to keep him talking.
“Hi!”Wyatt chirped, waving his hands wildly.They were covered in something that I hoped was chocolate.Doesn’t smell like shit, so there’s that.
“Thank you so much for joining us last minute.Unfortunately, his mother is indisposed for a while, so I’m doing the solo parent thing,” he said, zipping through the streets.
“No problem.I’m sure Wyatt and I will have a great time.”I smiled back at the child.
“Mason, I is sticky,” Wyatt called out from his seat, fingers splayed in front of him.He calls him Mason?
Mason pulled at his neck.“It’s okay, buddy.We’ll be home soon and we can wash up.”
“Will mama be there?”
I noticed a small flinch from Mason, but he responded with a cheerful tone.“No.But Candace is coming home with us to play.”
Wyatt nodded thoughtfully as he tried to wipe his hands on his pants.I grabbed some hand wipes from the backpack on my lap and turned to offer them to Wyatt.“Do you want to wipe those?”I asked him.
He smiled brightly, taking the wipes.“Fank you.”
“Good job using your manners, Wyatt,” Mason praised.Wyatt fumbled with the wipes, not really doing a good job cleaning up, despite his concentration on the task.“Just be warned,” he whispered to me, “somehow he’ll be even more messy.”
“I not messy.I clean the mess,” Wyatt announced.
“You’re doing a great job, buddy,” Mason said, making eye contact with Wyatt in the rear-view mirror.
We parked in the garage of a large apartment building.Letting Wyatt out of his car seat, Mason gave a couple of extra swipes at him with the baby wipes before setting him on the ground next to the car.
Mason went to the trunk to retrieve my suitcase.“I can get that,” I offered, slinging my backpack over my shoulders to free up my hands.
“Nonsense.”He took the suitcase and wheeled it to the elevator.When we arrived at our floor, he looked at Wyatt.“Hey, Wyatt, can you lead the way to our house?”
“Yesss!”Wyatt cheered and took off down the hall and stopped in front of a door.I followed behind, impressed that this child listened so well.Maybe this was going to be easy after all?
Mason unlocked the door and opened it.Wyatt ran through the living room, jumping on a chair and the sofa before proceeding to a bedroom to the left.“Sorry.He’s excited,” came Mason’s voice behind me.
Just fucking talk all night, please.
I looked around the apartment.In front of the door was a small kitchen area with seating at a large island.It was open to a living room area.There were also a series of other doors down a short hallway thatI assumed were bedrooms.
I followed Wyatt to see he had crawled up onto a bed.“Can I sweep in here with Candace, Mason?”The small boy asked.
“You have your own bed.Remember?We just bought new train sheets.This one has boring white sheets.”
Wyatt’s eyes lit up.“My bed has trains,” he explained to me.
“I heard.That’s so cool!”
“Wanna see?”He jumped off my bed and pulled at my hand.I guess we’re going to see his room.He pulled me across the living room to one of the rooms to the right.
“Wyatt, maybe Candace wants to settle in first,” Mason said chasing after us.
The boy gave his dad a look that said, ‘why the hell would she want to do that?’“It’s okay.And you can call me Candi.”I said.
