Long Time No See

Who would've thought

I didn't move when I woke up. I shifted in the bed, lifting Eric's heavy arms off of me. Once I grabbed my phone I realized was only 5 am and the perfect time to send out my email. I didn't have it in me to get my shit together and drag myself in to that office.

It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the light of my phone in the dark room. Even with a the brightness turned all the way down the phone was too bright. I don't care if I was making to much noise as I shifted upwards to compose my message. I knew that Rachel would probably work from home to and ultimately be grateful I pulled the trigger first.

After reading and re reading the email I slid out of bed and headed to the living room where I bust out my laptop after cracking my sons door. One thing about me is that I didn't know how to go back to sleep once I was up. Plus with everything on my mind the sleep wouldn't have been peace.

As I sank in to the sofa I realized that it smelled like Eric making my heart soften just a bit before throwing myself in to my work. I bet myself I could finish my expense report and the company expansion plan before 8 am leaving Rachel to close out the account and make plans for the second trip. Normally I would have included a plan to split work in the email but I had time today.

•

I worked in silence for about an hour before I decided to have soup for breakfast. I put my computer to the side after saving and closing the documents. I don't even make it off of the couch before Aden let me know that he was away. My breakfast had to wait because his bath was more important. Even with all of the bullshit I still tried to make sure Eric had a peaceful slumber. Part of my watching my noise level is because I wasn't ready to deal with him.

I picked Aden up letting him snuggle up to me as we walked across the hall and in to the bathroom. I filled the tub and checked the temperature before undressing him. I could tell he was still tired because of how cooperative he was. If he was wide awake he would want to splash in the water, reach for toys, and make it a whole lot harder for me to get him clean. He got a little fussy towards the end but bath time was the best it had ever been.

"I got you." I immediately wrapped him in a towel. Aden hates to be cold and this would go down hill if he wasn't warm in 2.5 seconds.

"I know, I know." I said taking him back to his room for stage two. The tears formed in his eyes but never fell as I diapered and clothed him. He was in my favorite pajama set that my homegirl Nya got him for Christmas. It was made just like his father's first professional jersey and reminded me of simpler times.

"Look at you." He held on to my index fingers and bounced up and down.

"You hungry little boy. Mommy is starving." I opened my arms allowing him to slam into my chest. My armed wrapped around him. I opted to make both of us oatmeal so we both could have a good breakfast. I turned on the TV making sure that his chair was positioned so he wouldn't miss a second of his favorites. He was good and occupied.

By the time the oatmeal was done cooling and Aden was four spoon fulls in Eric was just getting up. It was just about 8am and time for me to get back to work.

I could hear his footsteps which made me turn slightly to the hall way. I got a glimpse of the how confused he was when he woke up and I wasn't there. Once he came in to Aden's view food didn't matter. Aden automatically tried to squirm out of the chair with his arms extended in Eric's direction.

My heart sank. I always preached the narrative that my son wouldn't know who he was if we broke up today or tomorrow. Now I wondered how hard it would be if we did. To make matters even worse, Aden didn't even have this energy for his real father.

I stepped back to let a shirtless Eric take my place. I handed him the bowl and spoon.

"I won't if..." He started. I had dug to my serving of oatmeal while Aden's eyes darted back and forth.

"If you aren't comfortable." He said in reference to feeding Aden.

"Don't if you don't plan on staying around Eric." I said without even noticing. He continued where I left off which was supposed to give me an answer. I took the bowl back in to the living room to continue working. The plans that Rachel and I came up with would be great if the company decided to use them. I typed away on my computer for what seemed like a long time before they joined me.

I watched Eric sit on the floor with Aden and entertain him as I checked my email for any updates. Once I looked up I could see him reading the back of Aden's onesie. He poked his lips out and shook his head.

"You gone have to come harder than this if you want to make me mad." That was in no way what's I was trying to do but it was cool that he thought that.

"Make you mad?" I looked up from my work. I sent my last email. I would have never been able to work this fast in the office.

"You wanna get me back or something? I'll let you punch on me if that will get us back to where we need to be."

"Get you back? I'm not even that type of girl. Plus I play to win." I replied with out even thinking. I wouldn't stop until he was actually hurting the way I was that night.

"I know you aren't." I stuck my neck out not knowing if I heard him correctly. I waited until he sat on the couch next to me to continue. I put my leg out in order to put distance between us but he only lifted it and put it on his lap.

"Excuse me?" It was only 9:39 am and I was about to get out of my character. Aden found his way on to my lap.

"If you were you would have gotten ole boy fucked up at the event." I laughed at him.

"It's so funny how you can y'all like that but it would have been different if I would have ran down on that bitch like I wanted to." I waited to defend her against my disrespectful comments. He looked in the other direction before returning his eyes to me.

"Don't forget I wasn't always sweet corporate Amari." I rolled my neck.

"Like I said. If you really had a malicious or evil bone in your body neither one of y'all would have left in fucked." He was right.

"I'm just asking you to let me know what I need to do and how many times I need to do it..."

"It's not going to change the fact that you embarrassed me. Then to have sex with her at your parents event? You couldn't have waited till you got home?" He was shocked that I let that bit of information slip. He licked his lips slowly causing his eyes to widen.

"Yeah exactly." I tried to take my leg off of his lap but he simply grabbed it.

"She wasn't even worth that to me anymore. I used a condom and before you snap she had to rubber. I didn't intend on smashing." He said prohibiting me from getting up.

"Im sorry if that's hard for me to believe. I'm just trying to protect myself Eric." I started fro unpack some of my true emotions. I have been here before and I didn't need to go back.

"We were to invested in each other for me to have allowed my judgment to get us here. So invested that I hate that you think that you have to protect yourself from me." He held a firm grip on my leg.

"Who would have thought?" Just as I thought, leaning in to softly kiss his lips would make him let me go and wanting more.