Page 33 of Baby for the Professor
I nodded foolishly, although I wasn't convinced. He must have felt something other than friendship for that woman. Any man would. The woman had a model's figure and was also a genius, according to her online ratings.
Chapter 19
Jackson
Ever since the tennis day, Sabrina kept a distance from me. She didn't linger after class and wouldn't reply to my texts as frequently as before. And she refused to let me see Aiden the coming weekend again.
Despite my eagerness to be with the boy, I understood I had to take one step at a time, so I didn't push her. However, after two weeks of lack of communication, I became restless. I missed Aiden, and I missed her. Seeing her in class wasn't enough. I craved being alone with her.
After class, Sabrina was going to leave, but I stopped her. "Sabrina, please stay for a minute. I need to speak to you."
"I'm sorry I have to go," she said.
"It won't take long."
She sat down and fiddled with her phone.
I quickly took care of the other students' business and turned to Sabrina. "I can walk with you to the parking lot if it saves you time."
"Sure."
We were silent until we were out of the building.
"What happened to you, Sabrina?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong? You seem to be keeping yourself and Aiden from me on purpose."
She paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, Jackson. But I need time to accept this new relationship between you and Aiden. I don't know you enough. I'm not sure whether it's going to work. He's all excited about you right now. He wouldn't stop asking about you for a whole week. I'm just worried that..."
"Worried about what?"
"That this cozy picture won't last? You would find a new job and move away later, or move on to a relationship with another woman? That can't be good for the child."
My jaw fell at her words. I had no idea she had all these concerns. "How could you have so little faith in me, Sabrina?" I stopped in the path and put both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to meet my eyes.
"You can't blame me for that. You weren’t in the picture for a long time. He's all I've got, and I have to make sure he doesn't get hurt."
"I promise it won't happen. I'll always take care of him no matter what..."
Her eyes shimmered, but she didn't smile. "Thanks for wanting to do that. But it might be easier said than done."
"What do you want me to do then? How can I convince you?"
"Nothing. You don't have to promise. I just need this to slow down."
"How slow is slow to you?" I asked. "I haven't seen him for nearly two weeks."
"Okay. You can see him once a month.”
I didn't like the sound of it. She sounded like she was bargaining a business transaction.
"I'm afraid it isn't enough for me. As his father, I'm entitled to more. You're being unreasonable. If you insist on it, I'm afraid I'll have to get shared custody."
"You wouldn't!” She looked furious. "You were absent from his life for five years. You can’t just pop up from nowhere demanding custody!”
"Sabrina! Again, I'm sorry I didn't know about my son's existence. But you shouldn't hold that against me either. I have the right to see Aiden."
"No you don't!" she said and pushed my arms off her before storming out of the classroom.
"Wait!" I shouted. Dammit. I blew it. Why the hell did I bring up the custody thing and make her panic?
