I looked at Andrea first, not wanting to see the irritation I knew was on Casey’s face. Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands, calling Seth over to her. She seemed really excited about spending the day out in the country, which made me happy too. She bent down and looked at Seth smiling.
“What do you think, little man, do you want to go for a hay ride and pick pumpkins? Mr. Dex knows the perfect spot,” she said in her loving grandmother voice.
Seth nodded his head feverishly and laughed, looking over at his mother. Andrea looked up at Casey, waiting for her response. I figured since they were staring her down I might as well also. She looked really irritated but with the sound of Seth’s giggles and my big wide smile, her face began to soften. She rolled her eyes and nodded, sighing deeply as if she’d been defeated. Seth jumped up and down and took off toward his room.
“Mom, can you make sure he puts on something warm, please,” Casey said to Andrea.
“Of course, dear. You find a sweater yourself,” she said, tapping Casey’s bare arms.
I waited by the door until everyone was packed and ready, grabbing the car seat and carrying it down for Casey. I called my smaller limo to come pick us up as I waited, realizing I was in such a rush to get here that I took a taxi. Seth gasped at the car as we walked down the side walk. I put the car seat right across from where I sat so I could talk to him while we rode along. When Seth was buckled in and everyone was loaded up, we set out for the country. I pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured the adults a glass, grabbing a can of juice for Seth.
“So, Seth, do you like Halloween?” I wanted him to get comfortable with me if we were going to spend the entire day together.
“Mmhmm,” he said between gulps. “Did you know a long time ago they wore costumes to scare away the ghosts?”
“I did know that,” I said in an impressed voice.
“We learned about it in daycare,” he said. “I go there a couple times a week so grandma can get her hair done.”
“Oh.” I chuckled. “What else do you learn there?”
“I know part of my A, B, C’s now,” he said, putting his cup in the holder on his seat. “A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, emeno peas.”
“That was amazing,” I said with laughter. I watched Seth look out the windows at the passing buildings, his eyes growing wide.
“Look, mom,” he said, tapping her and pointing at one of the larger skyscrapers. “I haven’t drawn that one yet.”
“Well, we’ll have to come out sometime so you can,” she smiled, before looking up at me. “Seth really likes to draw buildings. He’s drawn half of Brooklyn already.”
I smiled and looked back at the green-eyed child. He was much smarter than I realized, especially since the only time I’d spent with him was a few minutes when we first met and then today, with the pumpkin. I was just glad he seemed to be getting used to me. I didn’t want to spend the whole day watching him hide from me like his mom had a tendency to do. I watched Casey from across the seat while she talked and laughed with Seth. The sight brought a sudden warmth to my chest. She really loved her little boy, it was obvious in everything she did. I was seeing a completely different side of her today. Whether she was angry or not, I was glad I decided to get up off the couch and go to her house.
As we passed out of the city, Seth stuck out his lip, sad that all the big buildings were gone. Casey leaned over and started pointing out the smaller businesses, especially the banks that were built to look like small replicas of Greek buildings. She explained why they looked that way and Seth listened to every word she said with wonder and excitement. It was strange, there was something about this little boy that reminded me a lot of myself when I was little. His interest in architecture was something I’d always possessed myself. Even as a little boy, I loved to help my parents scout out new locations. I shrugged my shoulders, figuring if nothing else, it would help me talk to him and understand him a little better.
Chapter 10: Casey
As we rode along, I couldn’t help but feel extremely nervous about the whole situation. My mind was reeling with confusion. I didn’t know whether to think Dex’s invitation was a sign that he was interested in more than just sex or if it was just another one of his random attempts to get me back in the sack before his next trip. The thoughts running through my mind were dangerous and I could feel a lump forming in my throat as I thought about Dex, Seth’s father, wanting to be a part of our lives. My mother had no qualms about allowing this to go on, yet she was the one person who knew the truth about Dex and Seth.
I glanced up at Dex who was staring over at me with a kind look on his face. I smiled at him weakly and turned my attention back to the passing scenery. We were getting close and I watched as we passed the empty hay fields and brightly colored trees. The limo turned left down an old dirt road with wooden cut outs of pumpkins and ghosts. Seth was so excited he could barely sit still, yelling out every animal he saw as we passed the farm and barns. The limo pulled into the parking lot and the driver let us out before finding a space. I gawked at the large white farm house and lawn full of games and events for the kids. Realizing I wasn’t holding Seth’s hand, I looked down in panic only to find him walking along in front of me with Dex. I glanced over at my mother who was looking straight ahead with a knowing grin on her face.
“No,” I said. “Don’t even entertain the idea.”
“I’m just happy to be out of the house,” she said with a guilty tone.
When we got up to the booth, Dex refused my money and paid for us to do everything. First, we played about a thousand games and I stood back laughing as Dex and Seth tried to knock down bottles with bean bags. Seth was really warming up to Dex and he even let him pick him up and pretend he was going to toss him at the bottles. His little laugh mixed with his father’s brought a tinge of sadness to my chest. I wanted to enjoy this, pretend like it was real, but I knew I would only be left with a broken heart when I had to go back home and face reality.
After the games, we took a hay ride and Dex sat close to me, looking me in the face from time to time with those big blue eyes of his. If it weren’t for the gate across the back of the trailer, I probably would have melted right off into the field. Seth clung to me tightly as we went over bumps, keeping one hand firmly on Dex’s knee. It was like he felt okay because he knew Dex was right there. When the hay ride was over, Dex picked Seth up off the trailer and put him up on his shoulders, walking through the crowd and pointing out all the different animals in the petting zoo. Seth didn’t seem to be too fond of the goats and chickens so he stayed plastered on Dex’s shoulders, pointing out every animal from a far and repeating everything Dex said. Finally, after the smelly petting zoo, we took a break and I sat down at the picnic tables, sipping hot cider while my mom took Seth to get cleaned up.
Dex sat across the table from me, blowing warm air into his hands and drinking the coffee he got in place of cider. His face was covered with excitement and I couldn’t help but feel close to him at that moment. He seemed to be having a good time with me and my family, which was very strange and completely unexpected. He turned toward me and reached out, tapping me gently on the nose.
“You look like Rudolph.” He teased. I smiled at him, my gaze locked on his.
“It’s a cold day,” I replied. “I fully expect to see snow by Thanksgiving this year. But, this cider should warm me right up.”
“I could think of several ways to warm you up,” he said slyly. “None of which would be appropriate for the Upstate Pumpkin Path and Farm.”
I wanted to ignore his comment but with the cool air and fall foliage, I couldn’t help but be swept up in the romance of it all. I leaned forward slightly as he moved in as well, letting his warm lips touch mine. It wasn’t long and passionate, or seductive and lustful, it was a kiss that meant more than that. As our lips parted, we stared into each other’s eyes, frozen in the moment. Suddenly I felt a child run straight into me and it broke the spell we were und
er. Seth climbed up into the seat and pulled his hot chocolate toward him, licking his lips. My mom laughed and sat next to Dex, taking a cider and smiling. The only thing left to do after that was pick out a pumpkin and then head back to the city.