Ch 15
1044 Words
"Wait! You can't leave."
"Wanna bet? I can do what the hell I want." Allie started to make her way back into the house to grab their bags when Jake stepped in her way. "Move!"
He let out a deep sigh and looked at her. "Please. Don't leave. We need to talk. We need to talk like adults and not yell at each other. Let's sit and talk and then you can yell and scream at me tomorrow."
"I was going to approach this as a mature adult. You, you just wanted to put all the blame on me so you feel better about yourself."
"Can we stop attacking each other for two minutes and talk? Calmly? Please, Allie. I am begging you. We can't leave things like this. Think about what it would do to Dominic."
She knew that realistically, she could not leave so abruptly. She could not do that to Jake's parents. They genuinely were good people and she did not want to hurt them any more than she already had. She just told them they had a grandchild. She could not rip him from them before they were able to establish that bond. "Jake, I swear, if you start attacking me one more time, I will leave. I am not going to do this."
"I promise I will try and remain calm and not raise my voice. Are you hungry? I can make us some breakfast while we talk. Unless you want to go somewhere and grab a bite to eat."
"You can cook?"
"I would have you know that I am an excellent cook."
"We will see. So what are you going to make?"
"Depends on what my mom has in the kitchen. Come on." Jake held the door open for Allie and let her go in first. She hesitated for a moment but went inside.
She knew that they had to clear the air about things. There was no getting around it. She had to let Jake know about their son's life the past seven years and what he could expect in the future. "Just so you know, I did not come here to get anything from you. I am not expecting anything at all. I will not be coming after you for child support or anything like that. If after everything, you want a paternity test, I completely understand and will not fight you on it."
"No, there is no need for that. My mother knew it the minute she saw him. s**t, everyone knew it the minute they laid eyes on him. There is no denying it. Did that bother Steve at all?"
"Did what bother Steve?"
"Pancakes or bacon and eggs?"
"Pancakes are fine."
"How much he looks like me. Did that bother Steve? I mean, I don't know if I would be able to handle looking at a kid and seeing someone else."
"If he had any issues with it, I never knew it. He never said anything or acted any differently." Allie fiddled with the placemat on the table while Jake stood mixing the batter and starting the pancakes.
"That's good. It is good to know that he didn't treat him weird because of it."
"He was good to us. Steve made sure that we were taken care of. The house and car are mine free and clear, no payments. Dom's tuition is paid for the next 3 years."
"Tuition? He is 7. What do you mean tuition? Did he already start a college fund for him?"
Allie laughed. "He goes to a private school for advanced learners. It may shock you but our son is extremely smart and advanced. Like ridiculously smart. Once he finds a subject he is interested in, he finds every book that he can and learns as much about it as possible. I don't think that he is your average seven-year-old boy. I am sure you will come to learn. That is if."
"If what?" Jake slid a plate of pancakes after setting two plates and silverware along with it. "Syrup? Butter?"
"Yes, please."
Jake retrieved them from the refrigerator and sat down at the island bar across from Allie. "Eat up. Tell me what you think."
Allie popped a bite of pancake in her mouth. She had to admit that it was pretty good. "Not bad," she smirked at him. She popped another piece in her mouth. "Okay, they are pretty good."
"Thank you. so, if?"
"If what?"
"You said, that is if, and then stopped."
"I'm sorry. I just assumed that you would want to get to know Dominic more and work on being a part of his life. I know this is a lot to throw at you. You can take your time processing all of this. Like I said, I did not come here looking for anything. I just want to give you time to figure out what roll you are going to take in his life, if any."
"Allie-"
"If you don't want that is fine. I get it, Jake. This is a lot to take in after all of these years. No one would expect you to just be so willing to hop into a roll you had no idea you were auditioning for. Don't worry. No judgments, no attitude from me."
"Allie-"
"I want you to really think about it. There are some things that I think that you should know and should be a part of your decision. I will not allow you to pop in and out of Dom's life. You can't show up whenever you get the urge to play Daddy and then get bored or something and disappear until you need to feel better about yourself. You are either all in or all out. There can be no in between with Dominic. I will not allow it to happen. My son is my first priority. When you make your decision you can let me know, and we can work out some kind of visitation schedule so he can come see you and your parents."
"Allie, can I say something now?"
"Sorry. I just wanted to get that all out while it was in my head."
"What makes you think that I am going to settle for visitation?"
- Writer
