Betrayal and Moving On

Bribe Date Plead With Child

"Mason! Alex just pulled into the driveway," Mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

Shit. After not hearing from him all week, I thought for sure he wouldn't be back. I looked at the clock. It was 12:30 on Saturday afternoon. I shut my laptop and went downstairs.

I took a deep breath. 'Tell him no,' I thought to myself. The doorbell rang and I held my chin up and walked to the door and opened it.

Alex was grinning really big.

Cradled in his arm on his hip was his son.

The toddler was adorable. He had a shock of black hair and chubby cheeks. He had his daddy's gray eyes, opened wide as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. He was dressed in the cutest little denim overalls and a white t-shirt.

"Hi, Mase," Alex said. "This is Aiden. Aiden, this is my friend Mason."

"You are something else," I mumbled as I shook my head. "Using your baby to manipulate me."

"Is it working?" he said with a grin.

"Come on in," I sighed.

"Oh, can you hold Aiden for minute? I need to get his bag from the truck."

I held my hands up and shook them. "Oh. No. Uh-uh. I don't-- I'm not good with--"

"Just hold him, ya big baby."

Alex held out Aiden and pushed him to my chest. I put my arms around him, holding him under his butt with one arm and my other hand on his back. Aiden gripped my shirt in his fists and laid his head down on my shoulder. I melted.

"Oh, my! Who is this?" Mom asked as she walked into the living room.

She tickled her hand on his back. "What's your name, honey?" she asked him in a sing-song baby voice.

"Aiden," he said and blinked his eyes.

"Aren't you precious?" she said as she squeezed his cheek.

Alex walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Okay, buddy. Let's get you changed."

Alex took Aiden from me and looked at Mom. "Mrs. Weston, do you have some place I could change Aiden's diaper?"

"Just do it on the couch. He doesn't have anything we haven't seen before."

Alex laid a blanket on the couch and put down Aiden and began unbuckling his overalls.

"Okay then," I said. "I'm gonna give you some privacy."

"You are such a baby," Alex laughed. "Man up. Come on. Sit down."

I reluctantly sat down on the other end of the sofa and turned my head away and focused on anything but the naked baby at the other end of the sofa. Mom and Alex chatted while he changed Aiden's diaper.

"Okay, you can look now, Mase," Alex chuckled.

I looked over and Aiden had a fresh diaper on and Alex was putting his overalls back on. Mom picked up the dirty diaper and I cringed as she took it to throw it into the garbage.

Mom returned a few seconds later.

"I hope you washed your hands," I said to her.

Alex laughed and picked Aiden up and set him on my lap.

"Hold him for a second. While I go wash my hands," he said pointedly.

Mom was looking at me with a wide smile on her face.