Lucas laughed before they started for the exhibit. As they walked, Aiden asked, “Do you have a daddy?”

Lucas looked down at Aiden, but Aiden wasn’t looking up at him like he usually did. Lucas looked up at the sky, a small smile on his face. “I did, but he died a long time ago.”

“Oh,” Aiden said as he leaned against the rail, looking in at a red panda. “Do you miss him?”

“I do,” Lucas said with a nod, “He was the best.”

“What was his name?”

Lucas swallowed loudly. “James.”

“Like my name and yours.”

“Yup.”

Aiden nodded, and Lucas wondered if he knew that Lucas was his dad. Aiden looked away before quietly saying, “I don’t know my dad.”

Lucas couldn’t breathe as his heart hammered against his chest. Sweat gathered between his shoulder blades while he didn’t know what to say. So he just stood there, watching the panda climb a tree.

“My mommy says that he lives in another state. That’s why I can’t see him,” Aiden went on, but Lucas still could breathe or even forms words.

Neither one of them said anything as they left the exhibit and headed to the next one. His heart told him to tell Aiden that he was his daddy, but his brain knew to wait for Fallon. Not only because he didn’t know how to tell the innocent little boy, but because if he wanted even a glimmer of chance with Fallon, he needed to play by her rules — even if he didn’t agree with them.

He looked down to see that Aiden was looking up at him with sadness in his eyes. Sadness that didn’t belong there, and if Lucas said those four little words, they could maybe make Aiden happy. But what if it scared him, or hurt him? Lucas didn’t know, so he had to wait it out, and give Aiden a chance to see that he could be a great dad. Just like his dad was.

“Do you want to know your dad?” Lucas found himself asking a little while later when they were walking towards the flamingos.

Aiden’s head bounced up and down. “Yeah I do, but I won’t be able to till I’m older.”

“Why when you’re older?” Lucas asked. Aiden shrugged his shoulders.

“’Cause then I can do what I want. I can get on a plane and fly to the state he’s in or I can drive there. Right now Mommy and AA do everything for me. I gotta wait till I can do it myself.”

Lucas smiled. “You got it all planned out, huh?”

Aiden grinned up at him. “Yeah, I’m pretty smart.”

Lucas laughed. “You sure are. Come on, I saw an Icee hut that is calling our names.”

“You saw it too? Awesome,” Aiden gushed as they headed for the Icee hut. Lucas loved that Aiden planned things, and he hated to be the one to break up his plans, but he was pretty sure Aiden wouldn’t mind in the long run. Aiden was going to know his dad, and hopefully love him.

Chapter 14

“So do you think my mommy is pretty?”

Lucas looked up from the four hotdogs that sat in front of him. Aiden had mustard all over his face, a hotdog in each hand and a big grin on his face. Lucas smiled back, loving that the kid ate like he did, but a little confused by the question.

“Yeah, I do. Why?”

“Just wondering. A lot of dads think my mommy is pretty. Like my coach, he’s in love with my mom. AA always teases her.”

Lucas raised his eyebrow. “What coach?”

“My baseball coach.”

Lucas’ face scrunched up. “You play baseball?”

Lucas hated baseball, loathed it. Stupidest sport imaginable!

“Yeah,” Aiden groaned. “Mom makes me. I hate it.”

Aiden really was his kid.

“Me too, that’s why I play hockey,” Lucas said, hoping that Aiden would ask to play. That would make his day even better.

“Yeah, it’s dumb, but Mommy likes it, so does Grandpa. I have a game tomorrow, but I don’t want to go ‘cause the whole time Coach smiles at my mom. It’s gross.”

Lucas laughed, hiding the jealousy that ate at him. “Does your mom smile back?”

“Sometimes. They are weird.”

Lucas nodded before taking a bite of his hotdog. When he looked over at Aiden, he was looking up at him with his eyes wide. “Do you wanna come to my game tomorrow?”

Lucas smiled as he nodded again. “I would love too.”

“Cool!” Aiden said before he started stuffing his face. They ate in silence, with the random sounds of animals and families around him. Lucas was having the best day of his life; he just hoped Aiden was having a great day too. He seemed to be — he was always smiling — but maybe he was just a happy kid. Lucas hoped that he would tell Fallon that he had a great day, hopefully that would help things between them.

The whole day he thought of her in those extremely tight jeans. Her ass was delectable in them, and he was convinced that if he didn’t have to listen to that horrid music the whole way to the zoo, he would probably still be hard. Fallon was just that hot, and man how he wanted a taste of her again.

Aiden had polished off his fourth hot dog before looking up at Lucas. “Do you have a wife or kids?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. No wife, bud.”

He couldn’t answer the other question and was glad when Aiden asked, “Why not?”

“Just haven’t found the one yet.”

“Oh, well my mom doesn’t have a husband or boyfriend either.”