Trying to Score (Assassins) Read online

  “Lucas is leaving?”

  Fallon nodded as she smiled compassionately at Aiden. “Yes baby, that’s his job. He’ll be gone for a little bit, but he’ll be back.”

  “Oh,” Aiden sat for a moment and then got up. “I’m gonna go take a bath and get ready for bed.”

  As Aiden disappeared upstairs, Fallon knew something was wrong. Not only did Aiden not eat all his food, but he never wanted to take a bath and go to bed.

  After cleaning up downstairs and doing the dishes, Fallon heading to her room to change into some pajamas before going to Aiden’s room. Aiden lay in his bed playing his DS and looked up when Fallon came in.

  “Hey,” he said quietly before going back to his game.

  “Hey babe, can I sleep with you tonight?” Fallon asked with a silly grin.

  “Sure!” Aiden giggled as he scooted over and pulled the blankets up for her. Fallon climbed into bed with him and snuggled close, rubbing her nose against his cheek. Aiden’s giggles filled Fallon with all the love in the world and she closed her eyes as she basked in it. “Mom?”

  Fallon opened her eyes to Aiden looking at her. “Yeah?”

  “Lucas doesn’t have a wife.”

  Fallon smiled. “I know.”

  “Do you think he is handsome?”

  Fallon giggled, her cheeks warming. “What kind of question is that?”

  “A good one. Do you?”

  Fallon shrugged her shoulders. “I mean he isn’t ugly.”

  Aiden laughed out loud as he snuggled closer to Fallon. “He’s really nice Mommy, and he likes me a lot.”

  “I know, honey,” Fallon whispered as he yawned.

  “And he likes you, he says you’re beautiful.”

  “Did he now?” Fallon asked with a smile.

  “He did,” Aiden said as he yawned again.

  Fallon knew what Aiden was doing. He wanted Lucas as his daddy, and since Lucas was, Fallon paid it no mind as she snuggled closer to her baby. She didn’t have to be with Lucas for Aiden and Lucas to have a relationship, and he would soon know that.

  When she felt Aiden’s hand come up under her cheek, she smiled as she closed her eyes.

  Being in bed with her baby boy was pure heaven.

  **********************************

  “How does that feel bud?” Lucas asked as he backed away from Aiden.

  “Tight,” Aiden complained. Lucas chuckled as he smiled down at his little guy. Lucas was convinced that Aiden was the cutest little hockey player in the world. After an hour of picking out all the equipment in the Aiden’s favorite color, blue, Lucas and Levi got him dressed to make sure everything fit. The equipment was a perfect fit in some places and then too big in others, but Aiden would grow into it all. Lucas never felt such pride as he did when he was looking down at Aiden in his gear.

  “You’ll break it in, bud,” Lucas reassured him before bending down beside him. “Hey Levi, take our picture.”

  Levi pulled his phone out as Lucas and Aiden put big grins on their face. “Good one guys.”

  Aiden smiled over at Lucas and he could see the excitement in Aiden’s eyes through the caged helmet.

  “You look awesome, kid,” Lucas said as he stood. “Okay, let’s take it off and go shopping.”

  “Do we have to? Can’t we can skate instead?” Aiden asked as Lucas undid his helmet.

  Lucas smiled as Levi laughed. “We’ll skate all day tomorrow. I wanted to go pick some stuff up at the mall today. It’ll be fun.”

  “I don’t think you are right on that one,” Aiden said. Lucas pulled his practice jersey up and over his head.

  “I’m always right, kid,” Lucas said with a grin as they continued to undress him.

  After getting everything packed up in Aiden’s new hockey bag and loaded up the truck, the three guys left for the mall. When Lucas pulled into the parking lot for the Green Hills mall, he heard Aiden sigh. Lucas chuckled as he got out the car, thinking that Fallon and Audrey had traumatized the poor kid from going shopping. Lucas waited for Aiden to get out and noticed the kid was moving extra slow. Levi walked ahead of them and Lucas stayed back, watching Aiden out the corner of his eye.

  “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