Officer Daddy

Chapter Seven; What to do now

"Colten! Put that fork down right now!" I scolded him.

"Sorry mommy. I was just hungry and you were taking forever!! And it was just sooo tempting!" Colten whined.

"Colten you know-" I was cut off by Dawson.

"Colten, if your mother told you not to eat yet then you have to listen to her. Even if she is a little grumpy some times." The last part was whispered. Colten answered with a giggle and a nod.

I was amazed. Colten would've surly fought me on the matter. With Dawson he just accepted it and nodded. Is a male figure that important in his life? Is that what i'm doing wrong? Should I even risk letting Dawson in this close to Colten and I?

All these questions are running through my head as Dawson bumps fist's with Colten. They both grin and turn towards the table. Dawson makes a plate for both Colten and himself. I smile and make myself a plate. I have a lot of deciding to do...

We finish dinner and I get up and start on the dishes. Hey, I made the mess so I'm going to clean it up. Colten grabs Dawson's hand and begs him to go play with him. Dawson laughs and tells him to go ahead and he'd be in the living room when he finished helping me with the dishes.

"You don't have to help me, you know." I said while I scrubbed at a stubborn crumb.

" I know, but you've had a rough day. And you're technically my guest still." Dawson responded and picked up a rag to dry the dishes I already washed. He pauses for a moment and glances at me, "You know something?" He asks.

"Well, I do know a lot of things but I have a feeling that you are aiming towards something a little bit more specific." I retort.

Dawson deadpans at me. "We know nothing about each other and you are living with me, so I think we should get to know each other."

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow your roll there, Mr. Cop dude. I never said i would live with you. I'm staying a few days at most!" I exclaimed.

"Little miss, what's better for your son right now? Going on the run, with no money, not a solid roof over your head, no clothes, no food... All while you have a mad man shooting at you! And judging by the things he threatened, I don't think Colten would be around for long if you get caught. I'm a cop. I can protect you. I'm going to let that sink in. I'll be in the living room with Colten." Dawson stormed out of the room.

As the words sunk in i slowly slid down the counter until my butt was firmly planted on the hard wood floor. I have no choice here. The only semi safe option right now for Colten is to stay here.... Unless he stays here and i leave.. I love him too much to risk his safety. I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. And if it comes down to it then I will leave him here. Dawson is a good guy. He's also a cop, if anything he would take him to an orphanage. But, i have a feeling he would keep him with him until i came back. For now, I'm not going to think about that. It's my last resort.

A warm drop of water fell onto my thighs. I reached up and wiped away the tears that were spilling down my cheeks. I got up and finished the dishes quickly and made my way into the living room. The sight was truly beautiful. Colten was giggling and flailing his arms about like a bird as Dawson spun him around in his arms. I smiled and watched silently from the door jam of the kitchen. Colten was the first to spot me.

"Mommy, Mommy!! Look, I'm a birdie! Like the one we saw on the window sill!" Colten giggled as he referred to the day we got evicted. I gave him a small smile as a response. Dawson glanced back at me and gave me a nod as he set Colten back safely on the floor. He ruffled Colten's sandy hair and grinned at him. Colten was watching Dawson with such happiness. His pretty blue eyes sparkled with joy. My heart melted.