Page 17 of Forever Flirting

“Bye, Sperm Donor,” Mallory said bluntly. “Be careful withMYchild.”

… And with that?

Mallory got into her vehicle and threw it into reverse, backing out of the parking lot that was full of eager families running inside to play and eat. Eyeing the diaper bag, Alex glanced at his hand again and hesitated. He’d never changed a diaper in his life… It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

Hefting it up on his shoulder, Caleb leaned forward as Alex did, causing them to bump heads as he nearly nose-dived toward the concrete, only for Alex to catch him at the last second.

“Gotcha…” he grimaced and glanced at his watch. He literally almost gave his kid a concussion within sixty seconds of Mallory leaving.

Walking inside the chaotic building, he headed for the men’s bathroom and hesitated. Peering in the stalls and looking around, he didn’t see anything that was a diaper changing table.

They would have one in here, right? he thought in confusion.

One of the other men at the urinal looked at him in the reflection and Alex wasn’t sticking around to talk with some perfect stranger in a public restroom.

Grabbing a paper towel, he wet it with one hand and wiped Caleb’s face.

“Stay still…” he whispered as the little boy struggled to turn his face away, angrily yelping at him and hollering ‘Noooo’between gritted teeth.

“Yesssss,” Alex muttered in a hushed whisper. “Daddy doesn’t like snot, even if Mommy doesn’t mind it.”

Walking back out of the bathroom, he headed to his car and opened the back door – only to have the little boy turn and physically climb up his shoulders like a spider monkey.

“Noooo!” Caleb hollered angrily.

Alex plucked him off, setting him in the seat and literally struggling with the toddler who was arching his back, fighting him angrily with every second, and squirming like someone had greased him, then finally managed to buckle him in – only to hear Caleb screaming bloody murder angrily.

Alex looked at the boy, shocked, as his son continuously slammed his arms down angrily on his car seat several times, glaring at him, and jutted out his little jaw, before opening his mouth and shrieking again.

Alex slapped the door shut just to mute him for two seconds – and walked around to the driver’s side of the car, feeling a sinking sensation in his soul as he opened the door to hear the shrill screaming in full force once more.

“Greeaaaat,” he muttered, yanking the zipper open on the diaper bag.

This was ridiculous.

His Nana was going to have an utter field day at Alex having his rear-end served up to him on a silver platter by some thirty-pound version of himself sitting in poop.

Poop… that smelled.

Alex made a face and started the car to get the air-conditioning running as Caleb kept screaming angrily at him in gibberish, getting angrier and angrier by the second.

“Would you hang on a second?” Alex muttered, looking back at his son. “There has got to be something in here for you to play with… ah ha!” Grabbing a diaper – he handed it to Caleb who grew quiet and looked at him in confusion and bewilderment.

“Poohey?” Caleb said in a high-pitched voice, looking at Alex in confusion. “That… poohey? Ewwie poohey?”

Alex felt his heart turn over at that sweet, hopeful expression – and realized just how much he needed this chance. Yeah, this was going to be a helluva learning experience, but if he could just reach him… maybe he would have a shot at getting to know his son.

… And boys liked cars, gross stuff, and destroying things.

“Yep, ewwie poohey,” Alex smiled. “Let’s go meet Nana – and change that Poohey diaper. I promise.”

“Poohey!”

“Poooohey!” Alex crowed, making the little boy laugh in delight as they smiled at each other once again. Yes, this was going to be alright, somehow, in some weird fashion.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later,Alex was walking up to his grandmother’s home, and saw her standing at the doorway.

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