Lucas looked up and grinned. “I know.”

“Just letting you know,” Aiden said. When he gave Lucas an exaggerated wink, Lucas couldn’t help but laugh.

The kid was trying to fix them up.

Was it sad that he was actually excited about it?

Lucas shook his head before he looked over at Aiden. “Alright AJ, enough about that, let’s go.”

“AJ?” Aiden asked with a confused look on his face.

“Yeah, Aiden James, it’ll be your nickname from me.”

Aiden face lit up as he jumped up from the chair. “I’ve always wanted a nickname! Cool! AJ, I’m AJ now!”

Lucas laughed freely and from the heart, because his kid was freaking awesome.

************************************************

Aiden was an awesome kid, but — and there was only one but — he had the most horrible taste in music. Lucas didn’t think it could get any worse, but with every track it did. Lucas was determined to expose the kid to something better, no matter what Fallon said. Aiden was Lucas’ kid too, damn it, and he deserved the right to help Aiden in selecting good music.

After suffering through another half hour of that awful boy band, Lucas finally pulled up at Rocky Top Wines. Lucas got out, and then let Aiden out before they both walked, well Aiden skipped, into the building. No one was there as they made their way up the stairs to the elevators. Aiden obviously knew the place like the back of his hand and he led the way to Fallon’s office. When he threw the door open, Fallon looked up surprised before a wide grin came across her face.

“Hey honey!” she gushed as she stood up, wrapping her arms around him when he came to her. As she kissed his temple, her eyes met Lucas’ and it felt like someone had knocked him in the gut. Her beauty still did that to him. With Fallon looking up at him through her long eyelashes, her honey caramel colored eyes fixed on his, Lucas found that he was having a hard time catching his breath.

“Hey Mommy!” Aiden exclaimed as he broke apart from her. Fallon smiled down at him, cupping his cheek in her hand.

Lucas’ heart melted. Lucas loved watching Fallon when she was around Aiden. Even with her trying to hide the fact that Lucas made her nervous, he could tell that she would lay down her life for their son, and that alone made him love her more every time he saw her.

“Did y’all have fun?” she asked and Aiden nodded his head quickly.

“The best day ever!” he exclaimed as he threw a fist in the air. Lucas saw Fallon cringe but only for a second before she masked it with a bright fake smile. He hated that smile, especially when she pinned him with it.

“Did you like the CD?”

He chuckled. “I think my ears are still bleeding.”

She smiled before looking down at Aiden. “Well Aiden, say…”

“My name isn’t Aiden no more,” Aiden said so matter-of-factly.

Oh shit.

“Excuse me?” Fallon asked. She glanced over at Lucas before looking back down at Aiden.

“I’m AJ! Lucas gave me that nickname, isn’t it awesome Mommy?”

When Fallon looked up at Lucas as if he had just disfigured their kid, he knew he was in deep shit and that Aiden’s new nickname wasn’t as awesome as they both thought it was.

***********************************

AJ!?

AJ!

How can someone go and change such a beautiful name into something so horrid!

AJ?!

Ah!

Fallon felt like she was gonna kill someone, and she had her sights set on Lucas Brooks.

“Not so much, Aiden James,” she said through her teeth, “Lucas can call you AJ but I’ll call you Aiden,” she added, trying to keep her cool, but damn it, it was hard!

“No Mommy, I want everyone to call me AJ. AA has a nickname and now I do too. I like it.”

Oh Lord, help me to not kill my baby’s father, Fallon thought as she moved a stray piece of hair out of Aiden’s eye.

“I don’t like it much honey, Aiden is such a nice name. Mommy took a long time picking it out,” she tried to reason, but Aiden wasn’t having it.

“I’m too old to be an Aiden. I’m an AJ, right Lucas?”

They both turned to see Lucas inching his way to the door.

Coward.

Fallon gave him the dirtiest look imaginable and loved that he squirmed under her gaze.

“Well buddy, I mean, how about, well,” Lucas said, trying to get something out, but he wasn’t succeeding very well. “I got it bud, how about only I call you AJ,” Lucas then looked up at Fallon before saying, “It will be our thing.”

Oh well played, Lucas Brooks, well played, she thought, since she knew he said that to get to her. They always used to say that to each other. Everything was their thing; that was probably why she wasn’t over his ass.

“Okay,” Aiden said reluctantly before flopping down in one of her big chairs.

“Aiden James, you need to tell Lucas thank you for today and tell him bye,” Fallon said, not liking the way her son was acting. He could be so moody sometimes.

A grin formed on his beautiful little face as he ran to Lucas, wrapping his arms around his middle. Fallon watched as Lucas’ eyes drifted shut some, as he rubbed his hand up and down Aiden’s back. “I had a great day,” Aiden said when he looked up at Lucas.

Lucas took a deep breath in and smiled widely at her son. “Me too, buddy, the best.”

Fallon was sure that Aiden’s grin couldn’t get any bigger as he looked up at Lucas. It made it hard for her to catch her breath as she watched them together. Guilt washed over her, and she felt like she needed to apologize again, even though she knew she wouldn’t.