Allie

Shit.

Dammit!

FUCK!!

How? Why?

Why, in all the applicants in all the world would he hire him? How and why would Lucas-freaking-Kennedy end up working for my father?

This guy ruined my life, and he never even asked my name before he did it! Well, I can't say that Jadon hasn't been a blessing in disguise, but I would have preferred to have him a little later in life and in a position where his father would actually care if he existed.

I remember Lucas Kennedy and the way he conned me into the back of his car, making false promises of 'forever' and bullshit. I was so stupid and naïve.

I need to call Charity. She has always been good with advice. She helped me through the beginning of the pregnancy when I was too afraid to tell my dad. Even after that, she helped me when everything was too awkward for him.

He wasn't comfortable helping his teenage daughter pick out breast pumps and nursing clothes. Made sense, he always thought my mom would be the one to help with that stuff, but after she died, it was just the two of us having to figure out a lot of stuff.

Pregnancy and a baby were not on his list of expected life events for the daughter who was graduating high school. Also, I probably could have waited until after the ceremony to tell him, but I threw up while heading to the stage to accept my diploma, so the jig was up at that point.

I was supposed to go to USC when I graduated. I was accepted early and got a really hefty scholarship to go pre-med, but when we found out I was pregnant, that dream went down the toilet. I wasn't going to be able to raise a baby and go to school all alone and so I stayed back to raise Jadon.

Even though I had to give up on my dad's dream of me going to college and all that, I would do it all over again for this little boy. He made my life worth living. After we got into the hang of things, I was able to apply and get into an online university and have been working on getting my degree in Business.

My plan is to open an organic catering company with a completely vegetarian and vegan menu along with a regular menu upon special request. After I got pregnant and wasn't able to keep any meat or dairy down, I just took out all animal products from my diet and became a vegan.

It wasn't really by choice, but by appetite, and even after I had Jadon I was so used to the lifestyle that I just never switched back.

I've tried to get Jadon to eat things like meat and drink milk but he won't do it unless I eat it. For four, he's quite stubborn and caring. I'm guessing he got the stubborn part from his father.

Ugh, Lucas.

I kept tabs on him, making sure he actually left this town and was not likely to end up back here, with the possibility of running into him ever. Well, now that was a failed endeavor on my part.

My dad always takes Jadon to practices and we never miss a game. Sooner or later Lucas will take one look at Jadon and eventually put two and two together. Unless he really is that self-absorbed as he was five years ago and doesn't notice anyone but himself.

Yeah, let's assume the latter but still try to keep Jadon as far from him as possible. The last thing I need is my dad seeing them in the same room long enough and then realizing Lucas is Jadon's father. It's not that my dad is super observant of these things, but I don't want to chance it.

Particularly because Lucas and Jadon share the same damn eyes. And nose.

It took one ring for Charity to pick up. "Hey there, mama, what's up?" Charity is currently in San Francisco celebrating her graduation from college.

"We have a problem." I look in the rear-view mirror to make sure Jadon is still asleep. "You know the coach my dad just hired?"

"No, but let's say I know what your dad is up to these days."

"Well, it's Lucas Kennedy." I hear the phone drop on the other end and can make out the faint curses. When she finally picks it back up again, she takes a deep breath before asking me about how I feel.

"I honestly don't know what I'm going to do, Charity. Jadon spends a lot of time with my dad on the field already, and if I pull him out too quick, he's going to want to know why."

"Why don't you put him in an early start daycare or something? Just say it's so he can start learning or getting ready for pre-kinder-care or whatever it's called."

"Oh, that's a great idea."

"I know, that's why you always call me," she deadpans through the phone.

"Alright, I'm pulling up now, gotta look for daycare. Talk to you soon, have fun in SF!"

"Love you!"

I hang up and get Jadon settled on the couch knowing he will be up soon and will want to go play in the backyard before dinner. Grabbing my laptop, I furiously start looking into some of the local daycares.

Since I work for my old high school until I finish my last few courses, I get a discount for working in education. I narrowed my choices to three locations all near the school so I wouldn't be too far from Jadon.

I sent in applications to them and set up two meetings for Monday morning and the other Tuesday afternoon so I could go check them out. I let the front office manager know I would need a few hours out of the office to tour the facilities and see if Jadon could fit in there.

Once that little fire is extinguished, Jadon wakes up and heads out back to play for a bit while I make dinner. Not long after, Ted shows up and heads out to see Jadon after he came in and hugged me.

About a year ago, Ted graduated from Boston University and came home to intern at a local accounting office. When he came back, he took me out on a few dates and admitted that he always had a small crush on me in high school.

I didn't go into detail about how much I dreamt of his golden surfer boy hair or his long arms wrapped around me while he told me he loved me. I kept it simple with an "Oh, I liked you, too."

When we laughed about how we both were too nervous to admit things to one another, we ended up deciding to try this out. I was hesitant at first, with Jadon, but Ted had come to the hospital to visit me after Jadon was born and instantly loved him. He has always been "uncle Ted" to Jadon and they absolutely love one another.

Ted asked if I wanted to move in a few months ago, but due to past insecurities caused by Lucas-freaking-Kennedy, I'm not going to move in with anyone unless there's an actual commitment.

"Hey babe," Ted comes back inside, hugging me from behind as I stir the quinoa and cauliflower mix I'm making to go into tacos for dinner. He kisses my cheek and dips a finger in the pot to taste it. "Oh damn, that's spicy. Man, you're such a good cook."

"Thanks. Where's Jadon?"

"Well, he and I ended up having a mud fight and well... I'm going to need your help getting him cleaned up."

"Are you serious?" I turn off the stove and set the pot aside before I head out back and am immediately under fire.

Jadon and Ted prepared an entire arsenal of mud and made themselves a barrier so they could fling mud at me while under the protection of some old delivery boxes.

I scream and laugh grabbing some mud and hiding by a tree in the yard. "Jadon! Are you really going to turn on mommy?" I hear his whispering with Ted before he confirms his four-year-old treacherous ways with a clump of dirt hurled in my direction. "Ted? Are you so against me now?"

"Yeah, babe. It's boys versus girls today."

"Oh? I guess boys sleep in one room tonight while girls sleep in the other room then if we're going by those rules." The next thing I hear is Jadon's screams and laughter while Ted carries him on his shoulder out from behind their little protection barrier. We are all covered in mud, laughing hard.

"Alright, as cute as this is, none of you are coming in this house until you're all cleaned up," my dad calls from the slider.

"Oh hey dad, dinner is ready," I laugh while rubbing mud off of my face.

"Okay, you three hose off, and then let me know when you're ready. I got some work to finish up."

"Grampa! Uncle Ted and me got mommy! She's all dirty now!" Jadon laughs.

"And you did a great job, kiddo! You got your mommy good!"

Jadon beams at having my dad's approval. Ted walks over with the hose and holds the running water over Jadon while I scrub the dirt off of him and strip him out of his shirt and shorts.

"Hey, can you go change your underwear and get on some clean clothes?"

"Okay, mommy. Can I still play in my room?"

"I'll come to get you for dinner in a bit, okay?"

"Okay!" He runs inside to his room.

I turn back to Ted to start rinsing us off, but he has other plans. I can see it in that smirk. "I don't know, babe, I think you look good. You're like my dirty girl or something."

"Oh, yeah?" I smile and look up at him. When he doesn't say anything, he just stares down at me with those deep blue eyes he always has before he tries to get lucky.

Even though we have been together for a year now, I made a conscious decision during labor that I wasn't having sex again until I was married. I refuse to put myself in another delivery ward and deal with the aftermath without a commitment of the diamond variety, at least.

"Ted...we should really get inside."

He blinks out of whatever daze he apparently was in and agrees. We hose one another off and he tickles me a bit, but we eventually make it inside.

In the middle of dinner, my dad admired the tacos. It took him a while to get used to my diet, but after two weeks of me secretly feeding him vegan-only food, I told him he hadn't even noticed. He was angry at first, but eventually wore down and stopped complaining about it.

"So dad," I clear my throat, "I'm going to be putting Jadon in a daycare so he can start interacting with other kids and start learning a bit early."

My dad drops his napkin and looks up at me. "You're taking him away from me?" He even has the sad eyes.

"I mean," I struggle to respond, looking at Jadon then up at Ted, who was rubbing my thigh under the table for support. "Well, it's just that he spends too much time around you guys and all the players. He needs to interact with kids his own age and get ready to be in school."

And never meet Lucas-freaking-Kennedy.

I watch Jadon again who is in his own world, making a mess on his plate. My dad just sighs and nods his head. "Is it going to be every day or can I still have him on Mondays and Tuesdays or something? I mean, everybody is so used to having him around at practices and in the training room."

I don't want to chance it, but my dad is completely attached to Jadon and wants to instill sports into him. He really took on the fatherly role when Jadon was born and has done every dad thing with him so far. I'm sure if Ted wanted to take things more seriously down the road, and become more of the father figure to Jadon, my dad would not make it an easy transition. I guess I can compromise with him.

If Lucas is the assistant, that means he will be in the weight room with the players that need to bulk up while Dad has players running drills on the field, so they won't be near each other. It could work.

"I guess he can come in the afternoons if that works."

"Great!"