Little Bit Yours 💜

Three

The next morning was sunny and bright, so Audrey walked Braeden down to the park a few blocks away. "Mama, can we get ice cream after the park?"

She laughs, looking down at him as he grins widely, holding her hand as they walked. "Maybe we can get lunch after the park, and then ice cream."

"Okay!" He exclaims excitedly, jumping up and down a little as she laughs.

He releases her hand as soon as they reach the edge of the park, racing away from her. She chuckles, finding a bench where she could keep an eye on him. He was an adventurist and was constantly taking risks, but she also knew that it was no good to hover over him all the time. So, she mostly lets him go, only cautioning him to be careful every so often. Having kids definitely kept your heart rate up, that was for sure. She smiled when he came running up to him holding a little blonde girl's hand. She leaned her elbows on her knees and grinned at the little girl. "Hello there."

"Mama! This is Olivia! Isn't her hair pretty?!" Braeden pats Olivia's hair as Audrey laughs.

"Yes, honey." They were gone as quickly as they were there as a man walked up to her. She glanced up to find familiar blond hair and big green eyes in front of her.

"Audrey? Is that you? Audrey Parker?" The man smiles down at her as she stands up to greet him.

"Adam Michelson... hi!" She quickly greets her old high school boyfriend, taking in his appearance. He was definitely still attractive, big dimples etched in his cheeks. The biggest difference being that now that he stood in front of her as a man and not a boy any longer. She glances down quickly to see he wasn't wearing a ring on his hand.

Adam pulls her into a hug, the girl that got away, closing his eyes as he takes in her familiar scent. "It's so great to see you." He smiles at her as she pulls away. "That one is mine. I assume the little boy that has captured her attention is yours?"

She laughs, looking to where Braeden and Olivia were playing and giggling. "Yeah, he's mine. His name is Braeden. How are you?"

Adam motions back to the bench as they sit down together. "I guess my daughter takes after me more than I thought. We have a thing for Parkers..." He smiles at her blush as she turns slightly to face him, and he rests his arm on the back of the bench. "I'm really good. Especially now seeing you here. I heard that you have moved to the west coast."

She nods with a sigh, looking away for a moment, his eye contact, a little intense as old feelings resurface. "I did. But I just moved back. My father is sick, and I accepted a job as a junior associate at a firm here. Randall and Thompson?" She glances up at him at the question as he smiles and nods.

"Yeah. They're a great firm. David is a really nice guy. Outside of the courtroom anyways."

They both laugh as he absentmindedly begins to run his fingers gently along her arm. "Yeah, I've heard that. I've only been introduced to everyone. I don't officially start until Monday. So... what are you up to? You became an attorney too, right?"

"That's right. I work at Jones and Coburn. That is where I met my now ex-wife actually. She is the daughter of Brad Jones."

"Oh..." She smiles, stifling a giggle at him sliding in the fact that he was single. "You guys co-parent well then?"

"We do..." He shrugs, nodding. "We are amicable. We just weren't meant to be married is all. I still love her. I mean she gave me Olivia. I'm just not in love with her. What about Braeden's father?"

"Um..." She shakes her head, hanging it down to stare at the ground as she answers. "It's just me at the moment. He isn't exactly involved. It's complicated at the moment."

"Fair enough." He pulls out his phone, handing it to her as she looks back up at him. "Maybe we could catch up? With or without the kids around..."

She chuckles, putting her number in his phone before texting herself to save his number later. "Are you asking me out on a date, Michelson?"

He blushes slightly as he stands up. "Not yet..." He laughs as she smiles, and he motions to Olivia. "I need to get her back to her mother. It was really great to see you, Addie."

She pulls him into a hug this time, lingering longer than before. When he finally pulls away, he still remains close, fiddling with the ends of her dirty blonde hair. "It was nice to see you too, Adam."

He turns away and walks a few steps before turning back to her with a grin. "Actually, I will ask you on a date. Next Saturday, I have plans to attend a charity gala put on by the city. Money goes to building low-income housing and to the local food bank. I could use a date..."

She giggles, blushing slightly as he waits, hopeful, for her answer. "I would love that. It would be nice to get out of the house and do something normal."

He grins at her, reminding her of the boy in high school briefly. "It's a date then. I'll text you later this week about it."

She nods her agreement with a smile in return. "It's a date. See you later, Adam."

Braeden runs up to her after Olivia leaves with Adam. "I'm hungry."

"Let's get lunch then, little one."

***

After lunch and a sundae, Audrey feels Braeden pull on her arm as they walked home. She stops on the sidewalk and crouches down to his level, taking in his serious demeanor. "What's up, bud?"

"Is Olivia's daddy my daddy?" He asks, the feeling of a knife piercing her heart as she groans, shaking her head.

"No, he's not sweetheart. Why?"

"Is my daddy dead?" Another knife to the heart as she swallows hard, closing her eyes momentarily, shaking her head.

"No. Of course not. It's just complicated... I promise that you will meet him soon. Okay?"

Her answer seems to placate him as he plasters on a huge grin. "Can he come to my birthday party?"

She nods softly, ruffling his hair. "I'll ask him. Let's go home." Instead of going straight home, she stops at her parent's house a few blocks away from her own. She lets herself in, setting Braeden up in the living room with a snack and the tv, finding her mother in the kitchen. "Hey mom."

"Hi sweetie. What are you doing here?"

Audrey sighs, plopping in a chair at the kitchen table. "I ran into Adam Michelson at the park with Braeden. Apparently, he has a daughter now..."

Nancy turns to smile at her, sitting across from her. "I've seen photos. I'm still in touch with his mother. She's a beautiful girl. How did it go?"

"Really good actually. He's still very attractive. Moreso even. He even asked me to go out with him to a charity gala next weekend." She hesitates slightly as her mother watches her, waiting for the real reason she was there. "And... Braeden asked about his dad again. I told him I'd see if he could come to his birthday party."

Nancy nods, smiling as she reaches over the table to grab her daughter's hand. "I think that's a really great idea. Though you should probably have them meet one on one first. Not in front of a bunch of people."

"I know." She groans, resting her head on the table. "I know you're right. I'm just not sure how to bring it up."