“No,” David agrees immediately. “This is me stepping back into something I can actually sustain that won’t leave Mason wondering how I feel about him. Calls every week. Visits I don’t cancel. Time I show up for instead of promising and missing. With the promotion, I can schedule out my calendar with hard dates, instead of letting deadlines run the show. No more blaming work for my absences.”
“What you’re proposing is stability for Mason.”
“Yes,” David says. “And accountability, too. This will eliminate the resentment issue and give me the chance to cordon off guaranteed time with him.”
The knot in my chest loosens just a fraction. “So, he’ll get less time with you overall, but you’ll be more present for it?”
He nods. “Yes. And zero chance of me cancelling on him means he might actually get more time with me. Which I would really like. My son needs to know I’m a man of my word when I have the option to be. Plus, the promotion means I’ll have the funds to do whatever he wants when we are together. Ice skating, trips to Disney, to the beach, whatever he wants.”
“I’m not sure how this will work, but it sounds a lot better than the way things have been. We’ll formalize it. Through lawyers. Everything clear and in writing.”
Relief flickers across his face. “Thank you, Harper.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” I add. “I’m doing it for Mason.”
“That’s why I trust your opinion on this. You know him better than I do.” He sighs. “With some luck, that won’t always be true.”
“How so?”
“If I get the visitation thing right now, then maybe he won’t hate me when he’s older. Father is a title you get when you knock someone up. I want to be hisfriend, too. I want to be someonehe likes.” He pauses. “Hell, I want to be someoneIlike. I can’t do that if I’m always neglecting my son. So, I have to love him enough to do this the right way, even if that means fewer chances to see him. Quality over quantity. He deserves that and more.”
A hard knot lodges in my throat, and I pat his knee. “You’re a good man, David. The fact that you’re figuring this out now when he’s young will go a long way toward you two being friends as he gets older. I’m certain of it.” I text Aiden that it’s time to come home. “Do you want to say goodbye before you go?”
“I was hoping to get some alone time with him. If that’s okay for your schedule. I know I dropped this visit on you on short notice—sorry for that.”
“We’ll make it work.”
Aiden and Mason come home a few minutes later, and David meets them by the door. “Hey, buddy. Want to hang out for a bit?”
Mason nods enthusiastically and stands, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his room. I hang back, giving them the privacy David asked for. I retreat to the kitchen, where the silence presses in around me.
I don’t eavesdrop. I don’t need to. I hear the cadence of their voices through the shared wall between the kitchen and Mason’s room. David’s voice is low and careful, the tone he uses when he’s trying to get something right. Mason’s voice rises and falls with questions and interruptions, the way it always does when he’s processing something important.
Aiden joins me, smiling and curious. “David’s different today.”
“I’ll explain later.” I listen intently, and Aiden joins me.
Time stretches.
I make tea I don’t drink. I stand by the window and watch clouds drift lazily across the sky, wondering how something as ordinary as a Saturday morning can carry so much weight.
After a while, the door opens, so we scatter across the kitchen, pretending to be occupied with other things. David steps out first, his expression tight and emotional in a way he’s clearly trying to keep contained. Mason follows, quieter now, dinosaur tucked under his arm instead of animated in his hands.
David stops in front of me. “He’s a good kid. You did that.”
I swallow. “We both did.”
He shakes his head slightly, but doesn’t argue. “We talked it out.”
My chest tightens. “And?”
Mason’s brow scrunches like when he’s confused. “Daddy is gonna visit less. But he’ll cancel less.”
“That’s the plan, buddy,” David says, ruffling his hair. “And when we visit, it’ll be longer and we’ll do more stuff.”
“Can we go to the park?”
He smiles. “We can do whatever you want.”
