He frowns. “But you don’t like me.”
I exhale deeply. “I just don’t want to play happy families, Cam.” I shake my head. “Just leave it. Please.”
“Can’t we even be friends?”
“Sure,” I reply flatly as I stare out through the windshield.
He frowns. “What do you mean sure? Is that to shut me up?”
“I mean, sure, get out of the car. I’m not having this conversation with you. I’m done. You are not my friend, Cameron. You’re my son’s father and nothing else now. We have been over this a million times. Stop bringing this up.”
He stares out the front window. “Wow,” he mouths sarcastically.
I swallow the lump in my throat and stare straight ahead. “What do you want me to say, Cam?” I whisper.
“I want you to scream at me. I want you to punch me. Anything is better than this ice queen treatment you’re giving me. I can’t stand it.”
I nod as I purse my lips, and I turn to him. “I would do all of those things if I still cared.”
His sad eyes hold mine.
“I don’t, Cam. I’m sorry, I just don’t. Move on. I have.”
“Hello, Ash,” Cameron’s deep voice travels down the phone. It’s Wednesday, around lunchtime.
“Hi, Cam.” I smile.
“I have a problem.”
I frown. “What’s that?”
“Abigail just rang me and she can’t work this week because her husband is sick.”
Cameron has a nanny the days he has Owen because he leaves so early in the morning. Abigail gets Owen up and ready for the day and drops him at preschool. She then picks him up and watches him until Cameron gets home.
We interviewed for her together and she’s a really nice middle-aged lady with her own grownup children. Owen adores her and it’s working out well.
“That’s okay. We can just leave this week then and you can pick up next week.”
“No,” he replies quickly. “That means I won’t see him until the weekend,” he answers in a panic.
I widen my eyes. “So what do you want to do?”
“Well, I was thinking if I could just have him at night and then come over to your house and tuck him into bed, and then he can sleep at your house so Jenna is there.”
I frown. “Yeah, I guess. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good. I’ll pick him up about five and then we will be back about eight? Is that okay?”
“Yeah, fine. See you then.”
I’m lying on the sofa in my flannelette pyjamas when they come bursting through the door. Owen is on Cameron’s shoulders and they are laughing and wrestling.
“Hello?” I call from my relaxed position. Jenna is out for dinner with her boyfriend.
“Hey, Mom.” Owen laughs as he leans down and tries to eye gouge Cameron.
“That’s it.” Cameron laughs as he flips him over onto the couch.
Owen squeals in delight and wrestles harder.
I frown as I try to watch the show on television. “Can you two go away?” I sigh with a shake of my head. “What happened to my nice, quiet son? Where did he go?” I ask myself.
“He was a wuss,” Cameron teases.
“You’re a wuss.” Owen screams as he launches himself at Cameron again.
They wrestle into the kitchen, and then I hear a bang as the bin knocks over.
“That’s it!” Owen screams. “I’m getting you bad now.”
“Oh, yeah, tough guy. Bring it.” Cameron laughs in delight.
They both growl as they wrestle.
“Cut it out,” I yell over the television.
I swear to God, he’s turned him into an animal.
All this testosterone is bloody noisy. “Owen, it’s nearly bed time,” I call out.
“Okay,” he calls back.
“Dad’s reading to you tonight,” I add. Ha, sucked in. It is his night, after all.
“I’m reading Diary of a Wimpy kid,” Cameron calls.
“You’re a wimpy kid!” Owen yells.
“I’ll give you wimpy kid.” Cameron growls and Owen squeals in delight.
I roll my eyes as I turn the television up louder so I can’t hear them.
They wrestle up the stairs, and moments later I hear the shower turn on and peace is finally restored.
I have a cup of tea and finally, when I think the book reading is over, I head upstairs to say goodnight. Owen’s door is closed and I stand outside, leaning against it as I listen to the two of them talk.
“I’m going to try and jump tomorrow,” Owen says.
I frown as I listen.
“Yeah, you can do it. I told you that,” Cameron replies. It sounds like Cameron is walking around tidying up as he talks.
I smirk. What the hell are they talking about?
“Hey, Dad, play our song,” Owen says.
“What… now?”
“Please?” Owen begs.
“Okay, just one last time.”
I narrow my eyes as I listen to them and then I hear a song play on Cameron’s phone. I’ve heard it before on the radio. It’s Justin Beiber singing a song in Spanish with another man.
Cameron’s voice rings out as he starts to sing to the words in Spanish, then Owen joins in and their combined voices ring out happily.
Despacito.
I lean my head up against the wall in the semi-lit hallway as I listen. How many times have they sung this song together?
I smile softly in the darkness as their husky voices ring out.
They know the words and it’s in Spanish.
This is it. Everything that I dreamed of Owen having is right here.
Cameron loves him. With all of his heart he loves him.
Even after everything I have been through, it’s insignificant and means nothing because my son is finally happy.
Really, really happy.
As I listen to them sing together with tears in my eyes, I’m grateful for the relationship that they have.
This is how it was always meant to be.
The phone rings. It’s a Friday night, and Cameron was supposed to be here ten minutes ago to pick Owen up for the weekend.
He called in sick today and he had surgery scheduled that had to be cancelled. So he’s either really sick or something else is going on. I wanted to call him, but I stopped myself. It’s none of my business.
I glance at the screen and the name Cameron lights it up. I frown as I answer.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Ash,” his groggy voice whispers.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately ask.
“Nothing.” He pauses. “I’m just not well.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He hesitates. “I can’t come and get Owen, though. Please apologize to him for me.”
I frown, this is weird. He’s never missed a visit.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask.
“I’m guessing a virus. I’ll be fine.”
“You sound really sick.”
“Sorry, I know you had plans for tonight,” he says.
For the first time in a long time, Jenna and I were going to dinner and a late movie tonight. Damn it. “That’s okay.” I sigh. “Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good.” He pauses as if wanting to say something and I wait on the line.
Is he ok?
“I’ll… I’ll call you later,” he murmurs and then he hangs up.
I stare at the phone in my hand for a moment. That was weird.
“We can’t go tonight, Jen. Cam is sick,” I announce as I walk into the kitchen.
“Fuck it,” she whispers under her breath.
“Go and have hot sex. That’s what I’d be doing if I was you,” I mutter dryly as I open the fridge. I now have to find something to cook. Bloody hell. I really needed a nice night out with lots of wine.
“Ugh, that sucks.”
“We can go next week.” I sigh.
“Yeah, okay.” She smirks as she watches me study the contents of the fridge. “What are you going to have for dinner?”
I frown as I continue to look inside the depressing fridge. “I might take Owen out for pizza actually.” I shrug. “I’m not in the mood to cook.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” she asks.
“Nah, that’s okay.” I smile and kiss her on the cheek. “Go do your thing. We’ll make our own fun.”
An hour and a half and a huge stomach full of pizza later, I find myself pulling up in Cameron’s driveway with Owen in the car.
I can’t stop thinking that something is wrong. His call was off and has left me feeling uneasy.
Part of my job as Owen’s mother is to make sure his father is safe, I justify to myself.
There is nothing weird about me checking on him. I’m just being a responsible mother.
“What are we doing?” Owen calls from the back seat.
“Umm, I just want to check on Dad. He’s sick and I want to make sure he’s alright.”
He smiles, unbuckles his seatbelt, and is out of the car before I even turn off the engine. The guard opens the gates on sight and I walk through and up to the front door. Owen has already gone in. The door must have been unlocked.
“Dad,” Owen calls as he runs into the kitchen and I take the stairs two at a time.
Something is definitely off here.