“Where’s my boy? There he is!” He plucks Aiden from the group and bear-hugs him. I can tell my son’s a little embarrassed in front of his friends.
Last night when I picked him up from the fun center, on the way home, I asked how it went with his dad. He said little. Not compared to every hockey class with Eli, where afterward he’s abuzz with conversation, filling us in on every detail.
“Hello, Jerrod,” Mom greets him coldly with a steely gaze. He simply nods at her. Like me, she once welcomed his involvement in our lives. But when she saw him kissing a woman at a restaurant and told me about his cheating, she turned against him. If not for her, I might never have known the extent of his extramarital affair.
“Okay, let’s get the party underway, shall we?” I start, focusing on what’s most important today—giving Aiden a party to remember. I explain about the car-building stations, aboutthe ramps and testing cars, and finally about the competition and prizes.
They all select a station and set about to work. Mom takes the table on the right; I’m on the left. Jerrod joins Aiden and immediately starts hovering, criticizing, and trying to take over.
“No, buddy, build it like this.”
“Careful, don’t mix the sets.”
“Hey—look at me when I’m talking to you.”
He laughs too hard at jokes that aren’t funny. Takes pictures nonstop. Posts a video with his arm slung around Aiden’s shoulders, narrating it like he’s auditioning for Father of the Year. Every touch of Aiden’s shoulder or ruffle of his hair feels calculated, every laugh of his feels forced and grates on my ears.
Jerrod’s charm snaps on like a light switch, bright and blinding to the person he really is. I hate that some piece of me still remembers the man I thought he was, back when he was my friend, helping me get through a tough time.
My stomach churns watching him. Thank God Eli isn’t here; who knows how long he would have held out before decking him. I wonder what the younger me ever saw in Jerrod in the first place.
Aiden drifts away from him every chance he gets, gravitating back to his friends, to me, to the floor where he can justbe. But Jerrod clings to him, and negatively assesses the car Aiden built for the competition. He corrects him, suggesting he build it another way. Our son’s shoulders hunch.
“But I like it this way,” he states quietly.
“Sure, sure. Just trying to help. You wanna win, don’t you?”
Mom can hardly stand to watch it all, and conveniently leaves to smoke somewhere, and doesn’t come back. I remind myself to breathe. This party isn’t about us. It’s about Aiden. Mostly, despite Jerrod, it works.
Aiden eats too much cake and gets frosting on his nose. When he opens gifts, he’s excited about every single one, and thanks his friends with his typical sweetness. I count the minutes to when the party over, when Brenna is the first parent to arrive to pick up Brady.
“Oh, it looks like you had so much fun,” she beams, licking her thumb and swiping at remnants of blue icing from his cheek. I send Aiden over to him with a party favor bag to say goodbye.
“Thanks, Aiden. And Happy Birthday. Can we go skate now, Mom?” Brady asks.
“Are you going to the rink?” Aiden tilts his head.
“Yes. There’s an open skate. If we hurry, we just might make it for the last hour. Coach Eli even said the bounce house would be set up today even though it’s for the party tomorrow,” Brenna replies, bundling Brady up to leave.
Right in front of Jerrod, Aiden turns to me. “Mom? I wanna skate, too. Can I go see Coach Eli and the bounce house? Please?”
Jerrod’s jaw tightens enough that I see it. I’m probably the only one in the room who notices the air shifts.
“Coach Eli, huh?” he says lightly. Too lightly. “You see him plenty, though, don’t you?”
“I like skating with him.” Aiden shrugs.
“Have fun, Brady,” I shout and see them out, avoiding the questions in Brenna’s eyes. I keep busy getting the rest of the boys bundled and make sure they have everything, until one-by-one they leave, and it’s just us three.
The shop suddenly feels too small for us to be safe. An icy wave passes over me. Not that he was ever physical with us; his bark was always loud, no bite. Plenty of threats when he didn’t get his way. Leaving us neglected for long periods when it suited him. A life Aiden and I finally left behind when I found out about his cheating.
Jerrod gets up from the floor where Aiden was playing with one of his new toys. “Hey. Get your coat on.”
“Where are you taking him? The party is over. I thought you’d go back to your hotel now.” I fidget with my hands.
“I’m here for my son.” He steps closer, crowding the air right out of my lungs. “While I’m in town, I’m spending every minute with him. You can pick him up at the hotel later tonight.”
My heart drops. “Jerrod?—”
