The Secret of Xavier

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

       "Are you ready for today?" Mom asked.

       "Nope."

       Mom sighed. "Trust me, I'm with you on this one. Unless you were an unfit parent, there is no reason why Jolie should be fighting for fully custody."

       "Yeah, I know," I said.

       "Are we bringing Xavier with us?" Mom asked.

       "No, I'd rather not have him there, because it would confuse him even more," I said. "Nova offered to watch him. He'll be happy to go over there. He really loves Nova."

       "Really now?" Mom asked.

       I raised an eyebrow. "Before you even think about it, no. I'm not looking for a relationship right now, not when I have Xavier."

      "Yes, who loves Nova a whole lot," Mom said. "Are you expecting to be single your whole life just because you have a son."

       "No, I'm just not looking for a relationship right now," I said.

       "Uh huh."

       "I'm not."

       "But you like her."

       "Mom, you're starting to sound like a teenager."

       "You didn't deny it."

       "We should be getting ready to leave," I said before heading upstairs into Xavier's bedroom where he was coloring in one of his coloring books, his tongue sticking out in pure concentration. "Do you want to go to Nova's house?"

       Xavier looked at me, his eyes lighting up. "Yeah! I love Nova!"

       "I know you do," I said. "Come on, let's get ready."

      Xavier walked over to me and asked to carry him, so I gave him a piggy-back ride down the stairs, which caused him to laugh the entire time. 

       I put his sweater and shoes on, then I grabbed the diaper bag before the three of us left. My car was the one with the carseat, so we got into there instead of using Mom's car. That and I loved driving, and Mom didn't mind being in the passenger seat.

      I drove to Nova's house and once I pulled into her driveway, I got out of the car then I got Xavier out. I grabbed the diaper bad and held Xavier's hand before heading up the steps to Nova's house.

      Shortly after I knocked on the door, Nova answered it. "Thank you, again, for watching him," I said.

       "Yeah, of course," Nova said. "I love spending time with him."

       Xavier threw his arms around Nova's legs. "Hi, Nova!"

       Nova smiled and bent down to hug him back. "Hi, Xavier."

       Nova stood back up and I handed her the diaper bag. "Everything you need will be in here," I said. "There are also a few snacks in there, but I don't know if it's enough to keep him full because he loves food."

       "Don't worry, we have a lot of food," Nova said.

       "Thanks," I said. "Oh, but he's allergic to bananas."

       Nova nodded, then I knelt down in front of Xavier. "I have to go somewhere, so you're going to stay with Nova, okay?"

       "Okay!" Xavier said. Normally, he didn't do well with being away from me or Mom, so we were never able to get a babysitter. One of us had to always be home, so we never were able to work on the same days.