Okay.

“Hey,” Fallon said cautiously.

“I wanted to let you know that I can’t see you anymore,” Chase said in his annoying voice.

Fallon raised an eyebrow begging herself not to let the giggle she was holding in escape. “Can I ask why?”

“You lied to me. You said that Aiden’s dad wasn’t in the picture.”

Fallon’s heart stopped. What the hell did Lucas do?

“I said he wasn’t in my picture. He is active in Aiden’s life, though.”

“Well he just cussed me the hell out and told me if I didn’t stay away from you and Aiden, he would kill me.”

“For the love of God,” Fallon groaned as she put her face in her hand. “Why did he do that?”

“He’s crazy!”

Fallon rolled her eyes. “I doubt that, you must have done something to him.”

“Whatever, stay away from me.”

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.”

“I thought I was gonna eat soup while we talked,” Lucas said but before he even got the whole sentence out, she shook her head.

“No soup for you. Say bye, Aiden.”

Aiden looked up at Lucas. “I’ll see you Thursday, bud. Have fun tomorrow.”

“I will,” Aiden said and Lucas placed his hand on his head. “Bye.”

“Bye, bud.”

Lucas walked through the house and out the door. Fallon followed behind him and slammed the door. “What the hell, Lucas?!”

“Listen that coach is an ass**le 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.

“Nothing,” Fallon said as her breathing pick up from him being so close.

Lucas searched her face. “How is that fair? He is mine too,” he said in hush tones.

“He may be yours Lucas, but I’ve raised him for the past seven years. I know what’s best.”

“That’s not fair Fallon, I want to help. I want to be included.”

“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.”