The Wright One

HANNAH

I tuck Caden into bed and he stops me before I leave the room. “Mom, am I ever going to have a dad?”All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

I look at him confused. “What do you mean sweetie?” He never asks this question.

He shrugs. “It seems like all the other kids have dads or stepdads even, I just don’t. Brodie said that his parents don’t live together but he still has two. I just don’t get why I don’t.” Ok, so I figured this would come some day. But did it really have to come today? Today after I saw Justin. Is this some cosmic sign that Justin needs to be a part of Caden’s life?

Sighing, I walk back into the room and take a seat next to him. “Are you saying you want to meet your dad?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

I nod my head. “I’ll see if I can track him down. If you want to meet him, I’ll make it happen alright? Just promise me something.”

He looks up at me with eager eyes. “What mom?” Those damn eyes. I see Justin every time I look in his face. I hate that but love it at the same time.

“I don’t want you to think your dad is so awesome that you don’t want to hang with me anymore. Can you do that for me?” I give him a smile so he knows I am joking. Even though I kind of think that a little bit.

He laughs. “I would never want to not hang out with you mom. You are the best.” To make his point he sits up and hugs me. “I love you mom.”

“I love you too bud.” I hugged him back. “Alright, get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.”

I tuck him back in and head to my own bed.

Running into Justin today was frightening. I mean I knew it was going to happen at some point. I really hoped that he wasn’t doing his own interviews for the company. Luck was not on my side today. I change into my bed clothes and slip into the bed that I have hated my whole life. Literally this is the bed I have had my whole life. In the room I grew up in.

I look up at the ceiling, in no way is my brain ready to stop working. My stupid brain wants to focus on the last time that I talked to Justin. It was the next school day after our little trist.

Justin looked so good, like he always did, with his jeans hanging low and his biceps on display for all to see. I kept getting flashes of what we did this weekend at his house. I didn’t even know how to approach him after what happened, but I figured I needed to say something.

As I was walking up to him, Candy, a blond cheerleader, plastered herself to his side. He pulled her closer with his arm around her waist. He looked at her like she was the only girl in the world. Suddenly my world fell apart. I let him do that to me and he didn’t even care. It looks like he just went and got himself another girl.

I hold back the tears as I approach him. “Um, Justin, can we talk for a minute?”

He looks at me confused. “Sure shoot.” He is such an asshole. He knows I would never talk about what we did in front of everyone. Candy is sneering at me. I am on full display right now and he doesn’t even care.

I take a deep breath gaining the courage that I need to get through this. “Alright, I don’t want to be your tutor anymore. I think you should find someone else.” I turn on my heels. That is all he gets from me. He thinks he can do that to me and get away with it. Let’s see if his grades will like that. Not that it seems he really cares. Did he even really care enough to want a tutor? It seemed like for a while he was fighting it. Then all of the sudden he started flirting with me. It was nice and I thought maybe he started to like me after spending so much time with me. But I was just a game to him. Something to pass the time.

I feel a hand on my arm and I quickly yank it back. “Hannah, please don’t be like that.” He tries to give me that charming smile. The one that got him into my pants in the first place because I thought he was different. But he isn’t, he’s the same. Just the same as any other asshole jock on the face of the planet.

“I’m not being like anything. It is obvious you aren’t serious about your grades and I am not going to help you any more. Maybe your new girlfriend can help you.” I feel like I am about to explode. I want to slap him in the face. But I was never one to make a scene or be violent. So I will just settle for ignoring him after this.

Candy pipes up. “Oh, I can help you so much Justin.” She gives him a flirty little smile. She could not be any more obvious. I mean at least he will get what he wants out of tutoring anyway.

I wave at her. “See, you are taken care of. Just do me a favor and leave me alone. I mean it’s not like you even liked me anyway.” I push past him. He isn’t going to con me again. Fool me once, but you will never fool me again.

A few weeks after that I found out I was pregnant. I was horrified. I held off telling my family as long as I could. But when I told them my dad flipped out and kicked me out of the house. My mom just sat there in silence like I was the shame of the family. Just like that I was on my own.

I had an Aunt in Fairview that was actually really nice and she took me in and helped me get on my feet. I don’t know where I would have been if she hadn’t taken us in. She was really a life saver and I will thank her for that to my dying day. But she died a couple of years after I had Caden. I was there to help her with her cancer treatments, but she was another victim to the crap storm that is cancer. Then I was on my own again. I thought about calling Justin then, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He was in college, just starting his life, he didn’t need that kind of news. I needed to do this on my own. At least that was what I thought.

I have been doing things on my own for so long that I don’t even know how to do things with someone else. But maybe Cole is right and working with Justin is the right step. Caden wants to meet his dad. Justin has a family that would accept Caden. I don’t need them to accept me. Just Caden. If they don’t then they are the ones missing out. Then he can have the life that he deserves. As long as he is still in mine.