Page 20 of Baby for the Professor
“Anytime,” I said with a growl and swatted her behind before she was out of my office.
Chapter 12
Sabrina
I studied my notes while having dinner in the office. Today I would have my first exam in Jackson’s class. I had been studying hard but was still nervous. I was washing my lunchbox when my mom called.
“Hi honey, your dad got into an accident on his way home. He’s okay, but he broke his leg and needed surgery. I need to go to the hospital now. Do you think you can skip your class for the night?”
“Oh God, Mom,” I said, shocked by the news. “Of course, Mom. I’ll see you soon.”
I packed my things quickly and left the office. I should text Jackson and let him know, but I hesitated. I couldn’t skip the exam. Jackson made it clear he wouldn’t allow any make-up exams, and I didn’t want to make it difficult for him. I could probably take Aiden with me to the class. The kid could stay quiet for hours if I gave him the right incentive.
An hour later, my son and I were on our way to the econ building. I carried Aiden in my arms so we could go faster because I was running late.
“This is your school, Mommy?” Aiden said as he glanced around excitedly.
“Yes, honey.”
“It looks like a park!”
“It sure does!” I say, stamping a kiss on his smiling face.
My heart thumped hard against my rib cage as I imagined Aiden meeting his dad for the first time. Not as I had planned at all. I had meant to tell Jackson about Aiden but kept postponing it. Tonight might be a perfect chance.
My phone chimed with a message from Jackson.
Where are you? You missed the review. The exam has started.
I smiled and texted him back.On my way.
I made Aiden promise to be quiet again before we reached the classroom. Jackson smiled when he saw me, but his smile froze when he saw Aiden. He stood up from his chair and went to us. "What happened?” he asked me, his gaze wandering between me and the child.
"I know. I'm sorry. It's a long story, but I have to babysit my son. Is it okay if I let him sit next to me? If not, can I take it another day? I’ve brought a hundred-piece puzzle for him to build, and it should keep him busy and quiet."
He was staring at Aiden so intensely that I wondered whether he had heard me. But he processed my request and nodded a moment later. "He can stay, but he can't sit next to you because you'll be distracted. He'll sit at the podium with me."
"Are you sure?" Was he offering to babysit Aiden for me? "Thank you so much!"
Curious eyes fell on us when we entered the classroom, but thankfully, they didn’t linger.
Jackson moved a combo desk to the podium for Aiden to sit. I handed my son his backpack containing the puzzle and a bottle of water and went to a seat in the back to take the exam. For the first few minutes, I couldn't concentrate on the exam. I kept glancing at the front, my son sitting next to his dad.
Aiden sat facing the board so that I couldn't see his face, but I could see Jackson's. He was holding a book but wasn’t reading it at all. Instead, he was gazing at Aiden most of the time, and the smile on his face showed his fascination for the child.
My heart warmed at the picture, and I wanted to cry.
When I finished the exam, the classroom was already empty. I looked up at the front and gasped. Aiden was asleep—in Jackson's arms.
I walked up to them in a hurry. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I went overtime." It was eight-thirty, half an hour before the class’s ending time, but the exam was supposed to have stopped half an hour ago.
"It's fine. You started late,” Jackson said with a warm smile.
I took Aiden from his arms. "I'm so sorry to trouble you. Thanks for keeping an eye on him."
"Anytime. He's a good kid. Like you said, quiet. Is he always like that?"
"Not always. Sometimes he talks nonstop. But today, I made him promise he’d behave.”
