“Daddy!” He gets up and runs to me. His teacher looks over at me, and the grin is instantly wiped from my face. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Green eyes stare back at me. The same eyes that I sketch over and over each night, hoping that by drawing her, I’ll get her out of my head. Her eyes widen with surprise as Max jumps into my arms.
Chapter Nine
Sophia
He has a son.I stare at him in shock. I should have seen it. They have the same eyes, and Max is covered in tattoos, just like the guy searing me with his look. He’s clearly in shock like I am. Neither of us has the ability to look away or speak. The last time I saw him, he was walking out of my bedroom and now he just walked into my classroom. I haven’t been able to stop myself from looking for him for the past two weeks. Everywhere I went, I just wanted to get a glimpse of him again. He’s either avoiding me at the gym, or our paths just didn’t cross.
He tears his gaze from me and smiles at Max before ruffling his hair. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest at seeing the two of them together. They look so much alike. “How’s my buddy doing? I’m sorry I’m late. Daddy got stuck at work, but I came as fast as I could.”
“It’s okay. Miss Lane was here with me. I got to draw with her. Were you giving someone a cool tattoo?”
“I was.” He smiles down at him. “Why don’t you go getyour things and let me talk to Miss Lane real quick?” Max nods his head before running off to his cubby.
I get up off the rug and will my legs to work as I walk over to him.
“You’re Max’s teacher,” he finally says, meeting my eyes. “He talks nonstop about you.”
“You’re a dad.” The reality of what I did sets in. I slept with one of my student’s dads. After the last single dad I dated of one of my students, I swore I would never do it again. Things got very messy really quickly, and it interfered with my job. I didn’t even sleep with that guy. This is so much worse.
“Yeah, I am.” He runs a hand through his hair and hesitates before continuing, “I’m sorry about the way things ended last time. I shouldn’t have just left like that. My life is…” He looks towards Max, and his face softens. “It’s complicated, and it's not just me I have to think about.”
“I understand. What happened between us can’t happen again anyway. I’m his teacher, and I can’t be involved with a student’s parent like that. If things got messy, my job would be at risk, and I love this job.” There’s no way, after what happened last time, that the school board would be happy with me dating another parent. I can’t risk it, no matter how badly I still want him.
He nods his head and turns to Max when he comes running back over. “Can you thank Miss Lane for staying late to watch you?”
Max runs to me and throws his arms around my waist, giving me a hug. I see the pained look in Travis’s eyes as they meet mine. I bend down and hug him back, my heart in my throat as he squeezes me tightly. “Thanks for hanging out with me, Max. I had fun drawing with you.”
“I had fun, too.” I run my hands through his soft hair before he walks back over to Travis.
“Thanks again for taking care of him. I’m sorry I was late. I’m trying to juggle work and his schedule. It was much easier when my brothers were close to watch him. Some days are harder than others to get here on time, but the thought of having a stranger watch him for me until I get off work doesn’t sit right with me. I’ll do better next time with my scheduling.”
“What days do you need help with?” The thought of a stranger watching this sweet boy doesn’t sit well with me either.
“I have a full schedule at work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Why? Do you know someone you trust who may be interested in watching him for a couple of hours on those days?”
My heart skips a beat that he trusts me enough to suggest someone for Max. “I could do it,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
“You?” He asks, surprised. He looks between Max and me. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than babysit.”
“Max is a great kid. I would love to hang out with him for a bit until you get off work. I could take him home with me, or it might be better for him if I take him to his house so he could play with all his toys. He would probably be bored at my place.” I know I’m rambling, but I can’t help it. The reality of what I’m doing is starting to sink in. I should be distancing myself instead of putting myself more in his life. I just cave every time I look at Max.
“Please, Daddy? Miss Lane is so much fun. I could show her my dinosaur and train collection. I bet she loves cars, too. I have the best Hot Wheels ever.”
“I do love fast cars.” I can’t help but grin at his excitement.
“Yeah, I remember.” Travis’s lip turns up a bit. He’s probably remembering me leaving him in the dust that night in the parking lot. I bite my lip to stop from laughing. His eyes dartdown to my lip before meeting mine. The greys darken before quickly avoiding mine.
“I guess I’m outnumbered on this one. We can give it a try.” He laughs as Max jumps up and down.
“Yes! Miss Lane is coming to my house!” I grin at his happy face.
“I’ll need your number.” He pulls out his phone, and I give it to him. “This Friday is good then? I can bring an extra booster seat when I drop him off at school for you to use while we try this arrangement out.”
“Friday is good.”
“Okay then. I’ll text you the address and anything else you need to know about his schedule.”
Nodding my head, I follow him to the door.
