Deal Breakers (Dealing with Love 1)

What the hell is going on? I look at them trying to figure out what’s making her freak out so suddenly. I look at Nathan again as he’s squirming in her arms. His eyes are starting to water, totally tugging on my heart strings. Oh fuck, his big brown eyes. His dimples. His skin tone. I think I’m a little slow from the hangover but there’s no denying the fact that I’m staring at a living picture of my four-year-old self.

“Holy shit,” I echo.

DEVYN

I WALK INTO THE coffee shop across the street from Jackson’s condo. Rainey is towards the back holding a squirming Nathan in her arms. She’s talking to some guy as she spots me and gives me a panicked look. Nathan sees me at the same time and she sets him down so he can run up to me.

“Mommy!”

I pull him into a hug. “Hey, big guy! Did you have fun at the zoo this morning?”

“I did!” he says excitedly. “I got to see hippos, lions, and a bunch of monkeys that were dancing all funny!”

I laugh. “Dancing monkeys?”

Rainey joins us. “Yeah, they were dancing. You know how monkeys like to dance a lot?”

Humping monkeys. Got it. “Ah, dancing. Yeah, that’s really cool, bud. What else did you see?”

“I saw—”

“Devyn, we need to have a big talk,” a deep voice interrupts.

I look away from my son who’s still talking up a storm. My jaw drops when I see his furious father standing right behind Lorraine. “Aw, crap.”

DEVYN

RAINEY GRABS NATHAN’S HAND. “Hey, buddy, can I ask you a favor?”

Nathan looks up to her. “Whatcha want, Aunt Wainey?”

“Do you think it’d be okay if we went for ice cream and then I can drive you home afterwards? I’m really craving some mint chocolate chip and I think Mommy and her friend here need to have some grownup talk.”

Nathan tugs on my capris. “Momma, can I? Can I? I w

ant some ice cweam!”

I ruffle his hair. “Sure, buddy. That would be fine.” I mouth thank you to Rainey.

She nods as she leads Nate out the door.

Riley waits for them to round the corner before saying, “Let’s go back to my place. I don’t think a public venue is the right place to have this conversation.”

“Do you live nearby?”

He tilts his head towards Jackson’s condo building. “Right across the street.”

My eyes bulge. “Across the street? Like, right across the street? The red brick building?”

Riley laughs sardonically. “Yep. I believe you’re familiar with it.”

I gulp. “Yeah, I am.”

He jerks his head. “Follow me.”

My eyes wander throughout the lobby looking for any sign of Jackson. I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m going to Riley’s…I’ll tell him. I just don’t want to run into him right now because it would exacerbate the already tense situation. I relax marginally when we step inside the elevator and he presses the button for the third floor, two levels down from Jackson’s unit.

There’s no way he hasn’t put the pieces of Nathan’s paternity together. Nate is Riley’s little mini me. It would only take a matter of seconds for him to see that, I’m sure. He doesn’t say a word as we ride the elevator to his floor and walk down the hallway. I have no idea what he’s thinking. He’s obviously angry but is that because he feels cheated out of knowing his son? Or because he has a son and doesn’t want to be shackled down? Will he want to be a part of Nate’s life?