Authors: Toni Aleo
As Lucas got into the truck, Aiden didn’t say anything as he buckled his seatbelt and pulled out of the parking spot. Lucas drove off as he tried to control his anger. It was truly a blessing that Aiden came into Lucas’ life. Lucas was quick to throw a punch but now that he knew Aiden could see him, he decided to use his words instead, which was probably for the best.
When Fallon’s meeting ran a little over its end time, she was worried that she wouldn’t beat Lucas and Aiden home, but she thankfully had. Being alone gave her time to finish up a few things that needed to be done before she could spend some time with her little guy. She had missed Aiden so much and couldn’t wait to see him. After doing the dishes and putting some soup on the stove for dinner, Fallon was sitting at the kitchen table in front of her laptop when her phone rang. She glanced down at the display and saw that it was Chase.
When the line went dead, Fallon couldn’t help but laugh. Not only was that the second time she had been hung up on in one day, but going to baseball practice tomorrow was gonna be awkward. She wasn’t mad, because she knew that off the ice, Lucas didn’t fight unless he had a reason. If Chase was telling the truth, he had to have done something to Lucas, or to Aiden.
Fallon looked at the clock. Lucas must have taken Aiden for ice cream because they were running a little late. As she went back to work, she tried not to worry but it didn’t work. She knew in her heart that Lucas would have called if something was seriously wrong, so she took a deep breath and continued on the report she had to get done before the next day. She might not trust Lucas with her heart, but he was good to Aiden and she believed that he loved Aiden dearly, so Fallon wouldn’t worry.
**********************************
Fallon was standing at the stove when the front door opened and Aiden walked in. Fallon knew instantly something was wrong because Aiden usually ran everywhere. “Hey buddy,” Fallon said as Lucas walked in, shutting the door behind him.
“Hey Mom, I’m gonna go get changed,” Aiden said, detouring for the stairs.
“No sir, come eat first,” Fallon said as she eyed him. He wouldn’t look her in the eyes as he made his way to the kitchen table as if it was his death sentence. “Everything okay?” she asked as she glanced over at Lucas.
Aiden didn’t say anything as Lucas moved his hands through his hair nervously. “We need to talk.”
“Okay, do you want to sit down and eat some soup?”
She figured if he wanted to talk privately, he would say no to the soup, so when he said yeah and sat down, she shrugged her shoulders, thinking that whatever the two were nervous about was no big deal as she went to get two bowls.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she filled Aiden’s Spiderman bowl up with the fresh black bean tortilla soup. It was Aiden’s favorite and she was hoping that Lucas liked it. Fallon decided that she would question her need for his approval later as she went to lay the soup down for Aiden.
“I pulled Aiden from baseball.”
Fallon looked over at Lucas and blinked twice before placing the soup bowl down slowly so it wouldn’t scald her child. Lucas brought his bottom lip into his mouth as he looked into her eyes. “It’s hot Aiden, be careful,” she said as she turned to go to the front door. “Let’s go outside, Lucas.”
“Listen that coach is an asshole and I’ll be damned if the best kid on the team is going to be in the outfield. So I told the dude that.”
“No, you threatened to beat him up, and who cares where Aiden plays as long as he plays?”
Lucas face scrunched up. “How did you know that?”
“Chase called me to say he can’t see me anymore because you said all that,” Fallon said, giving him only the gist of the conversation.
“Like you care if he doesn’t want to see you, and he deserved it. He’s lucky I didn’t pound his face in. I’m sorry, Fallon, I’m not going to make Aiden play something he doesn’t want to.”
“You don’t get to make that decision, I do!” Fallon yelled as her temper rose. “I am Mommy, and I make the decisions for him.”
“So what does Daddy get to do, Fallon?” Lucas asked, taking a step towards her but Fallon stood her ground. She wasn’t going to let him think he could run things.
“And I am letting you be included. I haven’t said shit about him spending all this time with you, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let you come in and try to run shit.”
Lucas scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “So this is a power thing? You are trying to show me who’s boss?”
Fallon glared. “I don’t have to show you anything.
I
am the boss.”
A heated moment passed between them as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Lucas’ lips were parted as one side pulled up a little while Fallon’s eyes narrowed even more.
Why did everything turn into flirting with him?
When Lucas’ gaze fell to her lips, Fallon took a deep breath in. “Don’t go over what I said again,” she said with nothing but anger in her voice. She had to stop being affected by him, or she would go back to the way she was — when she used to bend every which way for him. She would never let that happen again.
Lucas took a deep breath in as he took a step back. “I’m not getting into a power struggle with you. Aiden doesn’t like baseball. I’m thinking of him and what he wants, while all you are thinking about is trying to show me who’s boss and keep him in something that you are comfortable in because nothing else matters but you.”
Fallon’s mouth dropped at his accusations and anger filled her as she took a step towards him. “Are you calling me selfish because I don’t want my son to quit something?”
“I’m calling you selfish because you only want what you want. Hockey is a sport. You want him to play a sport, why not hockey?”
“Because it’s stupid!”
“No, because it’s my sport and you are scared that if you are around me and my sport, you’ll go back to the way we were. I get that you are scared that it will be the way it was, but don’t you get that we aren’t those people anymore? I’m not going to hurt you or Aiden. I care about you both. Fallon just give it up. This power struggle shit is getting old.”
Lucas looked down at her as she just stood there in complete shock, not able to form a word. When she didn’t say anything, Lucas shook his head and went down the stairs.
Fallon couldn’t control her breathing, she felt like she was going to pass out or fall into a puddle of tears. She hated that he knew her so well that he knew what she was thinking, what she was scared of.
He drove her crazy!
When Fallon didn’t say anything, he turned back around and headed towards his truck. Fallon watched as he got in and started it, before pulling out the driveway without giving her even a second glance. She felt like falling against the door and crying but knew it wouldn’t do any good, and plus Aiden might hear her. Fallon took a deep breath and headed inside, seeing that Aiden was still sitting in his chair, his head hung low.
There was no way she was mad at her baby, and Lucas, he was right. It was a power struggle on her end and she had to learn to deal with it. He had told her many times he wasn’t going anywhere when it comes to Aiden. Fallon had to put what happened between them aside when it came to Aiden, but with other things not so much. She would never trust him with her heart again, and she needed to keep reminding herself that she could not sleep with him.
Fallon’s pulse kicked into high gear, because if Aiden asked if Lucas was his dad, Fallon had no clue what to do. She couldn’t lie to him, but she also wanted Lucas there for that.
“Why don’t you now? It’s so awesome! We went to the arena today. I met all his trainers and all kinds of people. I got to run on the ice and slide across it, and Lucas chased me around and fell twice!” Aiden gushed as he giggled. Fallon smiled as he went on. “He bought me a new jersey and told me I could come to all the games I want. He said you can come too. Thursday, we are going shopping for all my equipment! He’s so cool.”
“Okay,” he said with a grin. She may not be able to watch Lucas play but she’d be damned if she ever missed her baby boy play. Even if that did mean that Lucas would probably be sitting right next to her.
Crap.
They both went back to eating as Fallon sat thinking that the next 11 years were going to be torture. When her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts, she looked down seeing that it was Elli. “Hey.”
“Hey girl, listen, I have dates for the campaign. Lucas will be out on road trips for the next three weeks, and then there is break before the playoffs. We want to do it then.”
“Lucas didn’t tell me he was leaving,” Fallon said with her feelings a little hurt…for Aiden’s sake, of course.
“I mean it’s not like he’ll be gone three week straight, but gone three days back two, you know. So we just figured that week before the playoffs would be best,” Elli said. Fallon nodded as she grabbed a writer’s pad, writing down the dates.
Fallon nodded as she smiled compassionately at Aiden. “Yes baby, that’s his job. He’ll be gone for a little bit, but he’ll be back.”
“Oh,” Aiden sat for a moment and then got up. “I’m gonna go take a bath and get ready for bed.”
As Aiden disappeared upstairs, Fallon knew something was wrong. Not only did Aiden not eat all his food, but he never wanted to take a bath and go to bed.
After cleaning up downstairs and doing the dishes, Fallon heading to her room to change into some pajamas before going to Aiden’s room. Aiden lay in his bed playing his DS and looked up when Fallon came in.
“Hey,” he said quietly before going back to his game.
“Hey babe, can I sleep with you tonight?” Fallon asked with a silly grin.
“Sure!” Aiden giggled as he scooted over and pulled the blankets up for her. Fallon climbed into bed with him and snuggled close, rubbing her nose against his cheek. Aiden’s giggles filled Fallon with all the love in the world and she closed her eyes as she basked in it. “Mom?”