“You can’t hate shopping this much,” Lucas teased as he put his arms around Aiden’s shoulders. Aiden shrugged his shoulders and didn’t say anything as they entered the mall. “You’ve been quiet all day bud, everything okay?”

Aiden didn’t say anything again as he shrugged. When Lucas had picked Aiden up that morning, Aiden wasn’t his normal, happy self but Lucas didn’t think anything of it. Even during the fitting for the equipment, Aiden wasn’t being his usual self and that was when Lucas started to worry. Something wasn’t right. He stopped, bending down so he was at Aiden’s level.

“What’s up?” Lucas asked. Aiden shrugged his shoulder for a third time and Lucas shook his head. “No, something’s up, what’s wrong?”

“You are leaving next week,” Aiden whispered.

Lucas’ heart broke at the sound of his kid’s pathetic little whisper. “Aiden I told you I leave a lot. I’ll call you.”

“I just got used to having you around me all the time and now you’re leaving and I don’t want you to go,” Aiden said in a rush as he talked with his hands.

“I don’t want to leave either, bud, but I got to. It’s my job.”

“I know,” Aiden said kicking the ground. “I just wish you could stay all the time.”

Lucas bit his lip because he wished the exact same thing. He took Aiden’s hand in his and Aiden looked up at him. They shared a long sad look before Lucas couldn’t take it anymore and looked down at Aiden’s Nikes. He hated that Aiden was upset and he hated that he was the reason. He wanted to wrap Aiden up in his arms and hold him as he tried to reassure him that he would be back. They might be getting close but even he would be a little weirded out by some guy hugging him that wasn’t his dad.

“Me too, bud,” he said quietly. He stood up, Aiden’s hand still in his as he started walking into the mall. Levi leaned against a wall on his phone when Lucas and Aiden reached him. Lucas looked up and saw that Levi leaned up against the Apple store’s wall. The windows were full of advertising for the iPad 2 and when Lucas focused on the sign, a slow grin came across his face.

“Doesn’t that iPad have video chat or something like that?” Lucas asked. He remembered seeing a commercial for it and the more he thought about it, the more he needed an iPad.

“Yeah,” Levi answered without looking up at him.

“Come on, Aiden.”

Lucas had just found a way to make his son happy.

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

After buying two iPads and all the accessories, Lucas walked out of the Apple store feeling pretty damn good. Aiden was walking with a little more pep in his step after being told that he was going to be able to talk to Lucas pretty much whenever he wanted.

“It will be like he never left,” the guy told Aiden and the biggest smile came across Aiden’s face.

“That’s so cool!” Aiden gushed as he skipped beside Lucas out the store. “We can talk all the time while you’re gone.”

“Yup, no reason to be upset, right?”

“Nope!” Aiden gushed as he ran ahead towards a crane machine. Lucas dug a quarter out of his pocket and handed it to Aiden as he switched the bags around in his hand.

“That was a lot of money you just spent, Lucas,” Levi said quietly beside him when Aiden had ran back to the machine.

“Yeah, and the day is still young.”

“The paternity papers haven’t even came in yet. Stop blowing your money on him.”

Lucas cut Levi a look that shut him up. “We’ve discussed this Levi. Drop it.”

Levi shook his head before walking away and leaving Lucas alone with Aiden, something Lucas was starting to think he liked better. He used to be extremely close to Levi, but lately Levi hadn’t been Lucas’ favorite person. He didn’t like that Levi didn’t believe that Aiden was his. Couldn’t he just look at him and tell?

Lucas knew from first glance.

“Where are we going next?” Aiden asked, bringing Lucas’ attention to him.

“Clothes stores. What kind of clothes do you like?”

Aiden shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, Mom just buys them. I like what you’re wearing.”

Lucas looked down at his bright blue Billabong shirt and ripped up jeans. “Well I don’t think they have kids Billabong here. You’ll have to come out to my house in California; we’ll go shopping out there for clothes like these.”

“Cool! Can my mom come?”

Lucas smiled. “I’d love for her too. She used to love it out there.”

“Awesome, we’ll have to talk her into it.”

“Will do buddy, so come on, let’s go get some clothes.”

They started off towards the Gap when Aiden pointed towards Tiffany’s. “That’s my mom’s favorite store. We always go in there and look but she never buys anything.”

“Why not?”

Aiden shrugged his shoulders. “Too expensive.”

“Hmm,” Lucas said before smiling down at Aiden. “Wanna go look for something for her?”

“I don’t have any money,” Aiden laughed as he bounced beside Lucas.

“Well I do. Come on.”

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

“You spent a lot of money Lucas,” Aiden said as they made their way back to the truck.

Lucas shrugged his shoulder as Levi said, “He always does, bud.”