Luca
When we got back home from the park, I saw Eliahn standing looking so fucking beautiful it hurt my heart. I couldn’t stay there while she hugged our son after spending the whole night out with Troy.
When Aiden tried to call her, and she didn’t answer, the only thing that went through my mind was that she was somewhere and he was probably feeding her breakfast or at least that is what he should be doing if she slept over at his house. Well, that is after he had her over and over and over again.
I didn’t stay for more than I needed to and then took off toward my parents’ house. When I pull up to their house, I park in the circular driveway. As I push open the front door, I yell, “Mom, Dad,” and hear my mother shouting from the kitchen. I walk through my childhood home, my pictures lining every wall.
Walking into the kitchen, I spot my mother pulling something out of the oven. “Smells good in here.” Going over to her, I kiss her cheek. “Is that eggplant parm?” I ask, looking at the goodness in the glass baking dish. She smiles, her black hair styled just as it’s been for the past ten years.
“Yes,” she tells me and places it on the stovetop. “Why are you here so early?” she asks me, putting down the baking gloves.
“I have some news,” I say, and she suddenly looks worried. “I’m fine; everything is fine,” I reassure her. “Where’s Dad?”
“Outside trying to clean the pool,” she says, looking toward the backyard where my father wrestles with the long cleaning rod. “Don’t tell him, but I hired a pool guy.”
I laugh at her and then walk outside where I hear my father cursing and swearing. “I hate this fucking pool,” he says, looking up when he hears me snickering. “Honest to God, I don’t know why we still have it.”
“Hey, Dad,” I say, lifting my arm.
“Hey, son,” he says, taking the net out of the pool. “What time is it?”
“He’s here early,” my mother informs him. “He has some news.” My father stops what he is doing, looking over worried. His eyebrows shoot together. His own black hair is pushed to the side with some of it falling onto his forehead. “But he isn’t dying.”
He puts down the long pole and comes over. “Should we sit down?” he asks nervously, wiping his hands on his jeans.
“Yeah,” I say, pointing at the patio set that they have. They both share a look. My father goes over to my mother and puts his arm around her, and I know he’s trying to calm her down. Out of the two, she is the one who goes just a touch overboard.
They sit next to each other, my father placing his hand on my mother’s on the table. My parents have been together for over forty years, they still sit side by side and watch movies together, and they still laugh together. His eyes still light up when she walks into a room.
“Something happened last weekend,” I start saying and then look down at my own hands crossed on the table, my thumb tapping the table. “Jeez, this is harder than I thought.”
“Son,” my father says, leaning over and putting his other hand on top of mine. “Whatever it is, we love you.”
I smile at both of them, my mother’s eyes filling with tears. “Remember that cruise I went on with the boys?” I start at the beginning.
“Yes,” my mother says softly, trying to blink away tears.
“Well, it turns out that I have a son.” I finally come out and just say it. My mother gasps, and my father’s mouth hangs open.
“What do you mean, you have a son?” my father asks.
“Well, I met a woman on the boat and …” I shrug my shoulders, not comfortable with telling my parents about my sex life. “I didn’t know her last name, she didn’t know mine, and, well, she ended up pregnant with my child.”
“Oh my God,” my mother says under her breath, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Yeah,” I say. “When I went to my boss’s barbecue for his daughter, it turns out it was her, and she had my son.”
“What is his name?” my father asks, and I take out my phone, pulling up a picture of Aiden and me that I took at the park yesterday.
“His name is Aiden.” I hand him the phone, my chest beaming with pride. “He’s got my eyes.” My mother reaches for the phone first and sobs when she sees him.
“When can we meet him?” she asks through her sobs. “Can we meet him?”
“Of course, you can meet him,” I say. “I can see if I can bring him over next weekend.”
“That would be amazing,” my father says. “So,” he starts talking and then looks at my mother, “does this mean you’re not gay?”
“What?” I shriek. “Of course, I’m not gay.”
“There is nothing wrong with being gay,” my mother tells me, “and we would love you either way.”
“I’m NOT gay!” I yell at them.
“Son.” My father shakes his head. “It’s fine. We understand.”
“Dad, I like women, and I’m attracted to women and only women,” I tell him, leaning forward. “All women, every single part of a woman.”
“You like women?” my mother asks me, more shocked I like women than that I have a child.
“Why would you even think I was gay? I had girlfriends in high school,” I ask them.
“Son,” he starts. “You haven’t dated in six or seven years, not one talk of a single woman, so we just assumed you were scared to tell us that you were gay.”
“Well, I’m glad I cleared this up for you guys. I’m not gay, and I have a child,” I tell them. It makes me wonder if I really give off a vibe that I’m not into women?
“He is so beautiful,” my mother says while she looks at his picture. “He definitely has your eyes.”
“Does he like to play sports? Where has he been this whole time?” my father asks, and I spend the next hour going over all of Aiden’s likes and dislikes. My mother goes inside and sets the table, then pops a bottle of champagne open to celebrate.
She packs me leftovers even though I tell her not to, and I make my way home. My phone buzzes one time and then again and again. When I turn on my street, my eyes look over at Eliahn’s house to see it’s pitch black.
Grabbing my phone and leftover bag, I walk inside the house and grab a beer from the fridge, going to the living room with my laptop and flipping on the television. I bring the bottle to my lips and take a pull when my phone beeps again.
I see I have seven messages from Eliahn; opening them up I literally spit beer across the room when I see a picture of what looks like a vagina, but it’s almost purple. I drop the phone and start to choke and then cough. What in the fuck? “She wouldn’t send me a picture of her vagina,” I tell myself. “Is she sexting Troy and sent it to me instead?”
I look at the phone, seeing that seven pictures have come through, I see the bubble pop up at the bottom with the three dots, and I drop the phone like a hot potato.
When it beeps, I look at it, and it’s from Eliahn.
Eli: I’m so, so sorry. Aiden must have sent them to you.
I don’t answer her. I don’t do anything, but then another text comes in from her.
Eli: Please tell Lauren I’m sorry, and I meant no disrespect.
My eyebrows pinch together. Why the fuck would Lauren care? I answer her this time exactly that.
Me: I don’t think my assistant cares that you send me a vagina picture. I mean, I guess she would care if you sent it to her directly.
I press send and look at my phone, watching the bubble coming up and then leaving and then coming up, and finally, she answers.
Eli: You don’t have to lie about your relationship.
“What in the ever-loving hell is she talking about?” I get up now, not even caring, and go straight over to Eliahn’s. I knock softly, and she doesn’t answer, so I take out my phone and call her.
“Hello,” she says quietly.
“Open the door,” I tell her.
“Are you outside?” she asks me, and I hear her walking somewhere in her house. Then I hear the lock turn and unlock as she blocks her body with the door. “This isn’t the best time.”
“Are you naked?” I ask her with a smirk.
“No!” she yells, raising her voice. “I’m not naked.” She opens the door, and I see her in a white robe.
“We need to talk,” I say.
“We really don’t need to talk,” she tries to say, but I walk in anyway.
“Come in, why don’t you?” she says sarcastically.
“What was that crap about Lauren?” I ask her, standing in front of her with my arms crossed across my chest.
She puts her hand up. “You don’t have to do this. You guys are together, and I get it that you are downplaying it for Aiden.”
I’m not even sure I want to answer her or not, so I throw my head back and laugh. “First thing’s first, Lauren is not my girlfriend.” She rolls her eyes. “She’s married.”
“Oh my God. She’s your mistress!” she shrieks, putting her hand on her chest in shock. “How could you?”
“She isn’t anything to me but my assistant. She’s married to Austin, Noah’s best friend. They have three children, but two come from a previous relationship.” I get it all out before she twists the words somehow.
“So you aren’t with her?” she asks, finally getting it. “But she was in your house.”
“Yes, because we have a huge case coming up, and I needed to prep, but I couldn’t show up at the office with a swollen face. Nothing,” I tell her, “and I mean, nothing has ever happened between her and me now or before. Or ever.”
“I just thought,” she says softly, and I want to go closer to her.
“No, you assumed without asking me. Just like I thought you sent me your vagina pictures,” I say, and then my eyes open in horror. “It is your vagina, right?”
Her eyes pop almost out of her head. “I would never send you a picture of my vagina,” she says, “especially not one that looks battered and bruised like that.”
“Well, you did spend the night with your co-worker.” I throw it out there.
“I didn’t spend the night with my co-worker,” she starts to say. “I mean, I was at his house, but I wasn’t with him.” She shakes her head.
“You’re allowed to be with whoever you want,” I tell her even though it tastes like coal in my mouth.
She throws her hands up in the air. “I’m not with anyone. Especially not my co-worker.”
“It’s fine; it’s okay,” I tell her, and she just gets angrier.
“He’s married to a man.” She throws up her hands. “So even if I was with him, you have the equipment to satisfy him, and I don’t.”
“So you didn’t hook up with anyone last night?” I ask her.
“Of course not,” she says, confused. “I drank too much, so they took me home.”
“Really?” I ask with the biggest sigh of relief.
“Did you think that I actually spent the night with someone I just met?” she asks, and I cock my head to the side. “That was different. I was nineteen and horny.”
I laugh at her. “And you’re not horny now?”
“Get out.” She points at the door.
“It’s a simple question,” I ask her, waiting for her to answer.
“Let’s not make this anymore awkward than it has to be. You’re Aiden’s dad, and we have to co-parent,” she says.
“What if I want more?” I ask her, and I can’t believe the words that just came out of my mouth.
“What do you mean, what if you want more?” she asks me, her voice going quiet.
“I mean, what if I told you I want to be more or at least see if we can still be more?” I lay my cards on the table.
“You mean date?” she asks me, pointing at her and then me. “You want to date me?”
“It’s not the dumbest idea,” I tell her. “I mean, we did have amazing chemistry, and we created a pretty cool kid.”
“Yes,” she whispers, and I don’t know exactly what she is saying yes to.
“Yes to what?” I ask her.
“I want to date you.” She smiles, and I go to her this time. Standing right in front of her, I hold my breath right before I lean down and take her lips with mine.