Chapter 12 Steven
STEVEN
The cup of coffee I grabbed on the way to work today is doing its magic as it fuels my tired body. People say that Mondays are the worst day of the work week, but I personally hate Tuesdays.
It always drags for me, and I still have so many days until Saturday.
My fingers rub against my closed eyelids, hoping to scratch away some of the tired feeling I have as I stare at my computer screen. Last night was incredible, getting to see her again. My hope is that one day, it won’t have to be just nights of sex.
While that’s a great perk, I want to be able to be open about our love. I’m ready for the backlash her father is going to throw my way. I love her, and it’s worth anything I have to endure.
She is worth it.
My attention shifts to the elevator as the doors open, and I see Becca step out with Damian clinging to her hand. Suddenly, my spirits are lifted. Today, I’ll get to get to know her son a little better.
Just another part of her life that I want to be involved in.
I watch as Damian excitedly points to me and lets go of her hand, running full force into my office. “Mr. Steven!” he exclaims. “Are you ready to show me some magic?”
Chuckling, I put my hand into a fist and hold it out to him for him to pound. As he does, Becca walks in, apologizing profusely.
“I’m sorry. He’s been talking nonstop about you teaching him a few new magic tricks.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I reply, setting my coffee back down on the desk. “I’ll take the first shift of watching him while you work. We’ll have fun, right?”
Damian nods happily, and Becca giggles as she leaves the office. Damian stares at me as he sits across the desk with his large, bright green eyes.
I wish I had been more prepared, as I hadn’t practiced these tricks in a very long time. Honestly, once I hit college and realized that the women aren’t too impressed with magic, I stopped.
Although now, I realize it was stupid of me to stop doing something I found joy in just to impress stuck-up women who only went for the jocks anyway.
“Alright, let’s start with a classic,” I say as I reach into my desk drawer and grab a stack of playing cards. I go through the process step-by-step, showing him my favorite car trick.
His eyes fill with amazement as his mouth hangs open. “How do you know which one I get every single time?”
Laughing, I do the one thing a magician shouldn’t; I show him exactly how I do the trick.
“And if you do this, their card will always be in the center of the stack.” Showing him again, he reaches for the card stack to try for himself.
The first two times, it doesn’t work, and I can see him getting visibly frustrated. Walking around, I kneel next to him, showing him again how to keep track of where the center of the deck is once he’s done shuffling.
Damian takes a deep breath and tries one last time. “Is this your card?” he asks, his voice dripping with hope.
My eyebrows rise, and I flash him a smile. “It is!” I exclaim, feeling a sense of pride. Pride that I was able to teach him, and also seeing him so excited feels like an accomplishment.
There’s something about this little dude that I can’t quite put together in my head. There’s this automatic bond between us.
Now that he’s mastered the iconic card trick, we quickly move on to the disappearing coin trick, where I pull it out behind an ear. It’s the same process of showing him a few times, watching his face twist with awe.
When it’s his turn this time, he gets it on the first try. Out of excitement, he jumps at me, hugging his arms around my neck. Instantly, I can feel that there is more of a bond between us than just magic tricks.
Something about Becca’s story is suddenly not seeming to add up. Sitting back down in my own seat, I look through the window into the lobby to see if Becca is anywhere to be seen.
When the coast is clear, I get Damian’s attention. “Hey, bud, I have a question. Why don’t I ever see your dad around?” The moment the words fall from my mouth, I feel terrible to even bring it up to him.
Am I so desperate for answers that I’m questioning an innocent four-year-old? I want to take it back, but Damian’s eyes move to mine as he sets the coin down on the desk.
“I don’t really know where he is.” His eyes grow sad but then light up again almost immediately. “But Mommy says that he loves me very much, he just can’t be here right now, but maybe one day.”
The way he speaks about a man he doesn’t even know is nice to see. He’s just a little kid, still filled with hopes and dreams.
“And she’s right,” I reply, trying to keep his spirits up. If Becca is telling the truth about a random one-night stand being the father, then the odds aren’t looking good for Damian to ever meet him.
“I think he’s a superhero, and that’s why he can’t be with me, cuz he’s saving the world.” I smile as he speaks, but I can’t help but feel sad for him and for Becca.
Whether it be a random hookup or something bad happened, it’s not fair to either of them. Not wanting to push him too far, I switch the subject and ask him about other hobbies he has.
It quickly turns light as he begins chatting nonstop about his favorite spot to camp with his grandpa and how they go on hikes and fish. I find it so easy to talk with him, especially because he has all the same interests I do.
“And, Mom is taking me away this weekend to meet Santa. She said it was called Christmas Wonderland.”
My eyes perk up because I know exactly what he’s talking about. It’s where I took her for lunch the other day. Suddenly, something clicks in my head about that date. When she said Damian’s name and then ran off, she was talking about him.
Why was she hiding having a kid? It still doesn’t make sense, unless she was worried about that detail of her life scaring me off. That’s the only thing that could possibly make sense.
Maybe it was embarrassment because it was a mistake, or maybe things ended worse for her than she let on. Did the guy skip out on her when she told him, or did he die? The questions keep swirling in my head.
As lunch rolls around, Becca steps back into my office and tries to take Damian to find something to eat in the vending machine, but I have a better idea.
“Why don’t I get us all lunch, and then Damian can show you his new tricks?” I ask, and I’m expecting her to turn down the offer, but she accepts, taking a seat across from me.
It only takes twenty minutes for the food to arrive, and Damian immediately digs into his chicken tenders with french fries while I scarf down my Italian sub.
My heart melts as Damian shows Becca all the cool tricks he spent all morning learning, and she cheers him on. Watching them interact is beautiful. It’s evident that having him changed her life for the better.
Her life is all about him now, and it’s incredible to witness the love between them.
She’s an amazing mother.
Once lunch is finished, she takes Damian with her as she continues her work. Now that my office is empty, my brain goes into overdrive.
The way she ended things still doesn’t sit right with me. And Damian is such a cool kid. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of her life? He and I have the same interests, so we’d never run out of topics to talk about or activities …
If Becca is serious this time about wanting to be with me, I’m all in. I just can’t take her breaking my heart again, so I’m scared.
Rightfully so …