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When lunch rolled around, he wasn’t hungry. However, he was desperate for some exercise and knew he was going to have to fit it in wherever he could, even if it meant it wouldn’t be the length or intensity of his usual workouts.
He grabbed his phone and the bag he kept in his office with some workout clothes, then left the building. It was apparent when he got to the gym that he wasn’t the only one fitting a workout in over lunch.
Thankfully, there was a treadmill available, so after he changed, he put his air pods in and found his running playlist. Though he’d told Misha to always stretch, he didn’t have the time or inclination to stretch himself that day. Instead, he set a punishing pace and tried to run from his problems.
He was a few minutes late getting back to work since he had to take a shower because of the considerable sweat he’d worked up during his run, but he didn’t berate himself like he might have another time. The workout had been necessary for his mental health. The physical exertion had left him feeling pleasantly exhausted. It was a feeling he’d missed in the past several weeks.
Now that he’d done it once, Jay decided that it might be worth coming in a bit early—if Charli didn’t mind having Peyton there a bit early too—so he could go for a workout at lunch.Getting back even that small part of his life might help him in other areas, and he needed to get back to eating healthy, too.
Once step at a time. One day at a time.
He’d focus on the workouts first and see how he felt. It wouldn’t take much time away from Peyton—fifteen minutes at most—and it would get him out of the office for a bit during the day, too. Hopefully, it would be a win-win situation.
As the end of the day neared, Jay felt his tension level rise. Every time he went to pick Peyton up, it was a trial. The boy never wanted to leave with Jay, sometimes throwing a tantrum. Each time it happened, Jay felt like he’d never be a good father.
A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. Glancing up, his eyes widened when he spotted Misha standing in the doorway.
He got to his feet, uncertain what she might want, but oh so glad to see her there. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Her tension was clear in her crossed arms. “How is Peyton doing?”
Jay shrugged. “Not very good, to be honest. Pretty sure he hates me for taking him away from his mom.”
“But you didn’t take him away, right?”
“Technically, no. She insisted I take him. But I don’t want to tell a six-year-old boy that his mom doesn’t want him anymore. Better he think I wanted him to live with me than that.”
Misha frowned. “I’m sorry it’s going badly.”
“It really couldn’t be going much worse,” Jay admitted, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.
“Was he like this before you came back?”
“Not really. I think he was a bit confused about what was going on. I guess reality sank in when we got back to Serenity because he’s been so angry since then.”
“I really am sorry to hear that. Do you have a therapist for him?”
“I had him see someone during the time we were in Idaho Falls, and it seemed to be going well. But now we’re having to do video chat with her, and that hasn’t worked at all.”
“Is there no one here in Serenity that could help him?”
“No one that specializes in kids. Gareth has put feelers out in Coeur d’Alene, so I hope that results in finding someone. I think Peyton needs the face-to-face meetings.”
“Yes. I could see how that would work better for a child.”
“It’s really hard to see a child with so much anger and not know how to help him.” Jay sighed. “Speaking of which, I need to go get him from Charli’s.”
Misha nodded. “Hope you have a good evening.”
“Yeah. I’d really like that, but I’m not holding my breath.”
Janessa appeared beside Misha, surprising Jay because she hadn’t wanted much to do with him since he’d come home. “Am I interrupting?”
“Nope,” Jay said. “I’m just getting ready to go pick Peyton up.”
“I’ll see you guys later,” Misha said. “Have a good weekend.”
After she left, Janessa ventured a little further into the office, glancing back over her shoulder at the hallway. “That was… surprising.”
