Page 15 of Forever Flirting

I hope that works?

I would be available the entire time, so even if it’s late in the afternoon – I’m game. Whatever we need to do, I just want to see my son.

Thank you,

‘The Sperm Donor’

(…as you say)

* * *

Alex clickedsend and braced himself.

He was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. If he was there for five days, Mallory could find time to fit him in – and that was it. He certainly didn’t want things to get ugly between them, but he did want to bond with his son somehow.

Opening another window – he bought his airline ticket, because he was going home whether she liked it or not.

CHAPTER6

MAESTRO

Alex was in heaven.

The withdrawal was bad from his smoking habit, but being around Caleb and his grandmother - smoking wasn’t an option. He wasn’t going to fall off the wagon, because he couldn’t give up his shot with his son – and wouldn’t dare smoke around Caleb or expose him to it.

Alex was back home, had a car rented, and was on his way towards Yonder. The email from Mallory had been curt, just like all the other ones. She was supposed to meet him at the McDonald’s off the main road in town, refusing to let him pick up his son at her home due to privacy.

As he pulled up, he saw Mallory standing there with a crying toddler in her arms – and hesitated. He had no idea how to handle an upset child!

Turning off the car, she didn’t say two words to him, but whispered something to Caleb who turned to look at him curiously, his lip turned downwards as he sniffled and shivered physically.

“Let me get his car seat strapped in,” Mallory said bluntly, handing him Caleb, who immediately squirmed to get away.

Alex had no idea what to say or how to hold him… and his son had a clear trail running out of his nose to his upper lip. This wasn’t the chubby baby that he’d held months ago. This was a little boy, a toddler, and a very unhappy looking one.

Ughhh, he thought horrified – and smelled something just as foul.

“Is he sick?” Alex asked bluntly. “His nose is running.”

“So wipe it,” Mallory snapped, hefting the car seat out of her vehicle and opening the back door to his rental car. “A little snot never hurt anyone, Sperm Donor.”

“Can you quit calling me that?”

“Maybe…” she said, disappearing into the back seat of his car and installing the car seat, yanking hard on the seatbelt and letting it retract as it ratcheted the contraption down tightly.

“Hey Caleb,” Alex said quietly. “Do you know who I am?”

The toddler stared at him with the same hazel eyes – shoved a finger into his mouth, and then licked his upper lip where the mucus was.

Alex gagged.

He couldn’t help it. This was the first time he had really been around a child, and this was anything but what he was expecting… and then felt something warm on his hand.

“Uh… Mallory?” Alex said, freaking out as he realized that Caleb’s diaper was leakingsomething, or the kid just went to the bathroom directly on him.

“What?” she hollered and glared at him. “If this is about his nose again – no, he isn’t sick. He has another tooth coming in and a little bit of drainage. Jeez… Would you just suck it up? Be an adult!”

“I think there is…waste,” Alex swallowed hard, “… c-coming out of his diaper. He does wear a diaper, right?”

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