Ted stands just a few inches above me and now that we're in person, face-to-face, I know I've seen him before, just can't place him. He's still holding Jadon, and I get that he's known him since he was born, but there's a strong sense of wanting to pull him away from Ted.

He looks between Jadon and me as he assesses the subtle differences and similarities between us. He's calculating and putting it together.

I know he's got an opinion of me, and I don't blame him, but Allie and I are moving past that. Hell, Tom is getting over it each day, too. But there's something else going on here with lifelong buddy, Ted.

"You're Jadon's father," he says.

Again, I hold a hand out to introduce myself. "Lucas."

He takes my hand and shakes it. Slowly. "The eyes," he looks between both of them. "The same ones."

"Weird family trait on my mother's side."

"Uhuh..." he breaks the handshake and turns to Jadon. "Hey, bud, why don't you go see if mommy is ready, yeah?"

Jadon runs upstairs, though it's unnecessary.

With a thumb over my shoulder, pointed up the stairs, I cockily inform him of Allie's current status. "She's getting dressed right now." His eyes crinkle in the middle with a possessive glare. "She'll be down in a minute."

"She's getting dressed..."

"Yeah. Had to fix her hair, too, it was a little," I wave my hands around my head like the asshole I know I'm being. I don't care what the fuck Ted thinks of me. He's a tool standing here in a toolbag suit, and he's about to take Allie on some lame overnight trip. "It was just all over the place, you know?"

And there it is. Set in stone, solidified, made permanent. Ted whoever-the-fuck hates my guts. I nailed her first and made a kid while he... what? Screwed around throughout his college years when he could have prevented all of this from happening by asking her to his fucking prom?

I've made my mistake, I know that. I didn't give her a chance once. But this guy? He had years and still hasn't done anything about it.

I'll bet he's the type to lay on his back and make the woman do all the work. I'd also wager he goes first every time.

"You just decided to drop in after five years, Lucas? Why now?"

Oh, he's ready to draw blood, too. "Actually, I only found out a short time ago. But I'm here now. We're working things out, Allie and I are."

His lips purse at that. "You and Allie?"

"Yeah," I smile like the cocky asshole I know he thinks I am. "We had a good talk this afternoon over drinks." Smoothies count as drinks, right? At least, for vegans?

He's got that flickering muscle movement in his jaw and his eyes drag up the stairs. "Is that so?" He looks back at me. "She just suddenly reached out to you after telling everyone for years she didn't even know who you were? That's interesting."

I'm about to give him the fucking what-for when Allie's heels click against the floor upstairs and we can hear her talking to Jadon. She rounds the top of the stairs with her bag in one hand while she grips the rail.

It's amazing what she was able to do in a few minutes. Her hair is styled with loose waves down her shoulders and the dress fits her perfectly like it was made for her. She's even wearing heels, which I know she's not a fan of. She told me today. But Ted is kinda tall, so I see where she's coming from. She has silver earrings that poke out every so often, and she looks stunning.

Yeah, Ted's a lucky bastard. He's won the fucking lottery and I know he fucking knows it.

She notices both of us staring when she gets halfway down the stairs, and whatever she sees in either of us sends her into a quiet panic. Her red-painted lips form a small "O."

"Te-"

"Allie, can we speak privately?" he asks her. She nods and her eyes shoot to me quickly while Ted makes his way up to her. He makes his way up to Allie and pulls her in for a long and disturbing pornographic kiss.

Okay, not really porno material, but my son is standing right here watching it. The second Ted's hand goes for Allie's ass, my hand goes over Jadon's eyes. Classy move, dude bro, real fucking appropriate to do in front of her kid.

They're upstairs for a while, and I wondered if he wanted to swing his dick around in a little pre-date action. I mean, she looked amazing in that dress, so I wouldn't blame the guy for getting caught up in it. But every so often he raises his voice just enough I can hear him downstairs. He's not yelling, but they're... talking.

Meanwhile, Jadon has been asking questions about things he and I can do now that I'm his dad. He's asked if he has any brothers and sisters and if I have a dog. He wants one, but Allie doesn't allow it. He fires one after another, and not all of them are linked to one specific topic but jump all over the damn place. Tom seems to think it's funny.

Tom missed the entire exchange with Ted while he was putting dinner together, so he has no idea, but I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough. The three of us are sitting down to a meal mostly made of something called quinoa which was weird at first, but Tom showed me his secret to making it taste better.

It's bearable.

Allie and Ted come downstairs by the time we are nearly finished when Jadon gets up from the table, running straight for her, and hugs Allie around her legs telling her she looks pretty. That's right, my son, your mom is absolutely gorgeous.

Allie bends down to pick up Jadon and sits at the table with him in her lap and he dead-on looks right at me. "Are you gonna marry mommy?"

Tom chokes on his beer. Ted stands behind Allie with a hand on her shoulder. Possessive asshole much?

"Umm, no sweetie, mommy is with Ted, remember?"

"Oh," he looks down.

"Plus, daddy has his own girlfriend. Her name is Katrina," Allie tells him. Yeah, and she doesn't know about you but, she's going to act like a two-year-old when she finds out.

"Is she pretty, mommy?"

"Yeah, she's really pretty. I saw her earlier."

"Is she prettier than you?" he asks her.

"Oh, she's way pretty, but you know, I'll bet she's really nice and will be excited to meet you."

"Oh. But what does she look like?"

Allie chews on her lip and I'm curious to know what she really thought of Kat. Kat doesn't like other women, and she would target Allie like she was a buck in deer season. "You remember that Carrie Underwood you saw on the TV?"

Jadon makes a noncommittal nod.

"She kinda looks like that," she says. I know Kat's blonde, but she's nothing like Carrie Underwood.

Allie looks up to me and says, "He has a crush on Carrie Underwood, so that's where it comes from."

I nod, understanding what she's doing. I guess that's why she tried to build up Kat for him by saying that she was prettier than his mom. In truth, I don't think so. I know Kat thinks she's a supermodel, but really, they're both beautiful.

Kat is beautiful in a more superficial way, and Allie is more...real. Natural. She doesn't need makeup or anything to be beautiful. Kat used to scare me when she would take her makeup off because I didn't recognize her.

"How would you feel about meeting daddy's girlfriend and your other grandpa and grandma tomorrow?" Allie asks him.

"Will you be there, mommy?" he asks.

"Well," she looks at me then at him, "No, I'll be with Ted tomorrow. But I'll be back tomorrow night and you can tell me all about it."

Jadon starts to pout. "No, I don't wanna go without you." He crosses his arms and turns his head away. Yep, just like I thought.

"Honey, why not? You can go with daddy and see your other family. You'll have another grandpa and then you'll also have a grandma! You've never had one of those before!" she says, trying to cheer him up. Jadon's not having it. If Allie's not gonna be there, neither will he.

"Hey, bud," Ted bends over to get Jadon's attention. "Mommy and I are going to be gone for the night so she can get a break. What if we brought you back a surprise? How's that sound?"

Jadon continues to pout. I know this is the type of behavior to not support, but I'm supporting it. It's in my favor. I want her to come with us and meet Jen and see my dad.

Allie sighs and closes her eyes. "Jadon, you can go meet Lucas' family and then tell me about it over ice cream. This is a Jadon and Daddy visit, though. No mommies allowed."

With tears in his eyes and a wobbling lip, he looks to me. "You don't want mommy to come?" He's already got the cry down pat. Damn, this kid is good. I wonder how long he's been manipulating her like this if he thinks he can do the same to me.

By the sound of Ted's frustrated sigh, he knows the move, too.

Oh, Allie, you're doing great, but you have to teach him some things.

She turns her head to look at Ted and I see the fresh markings of a hickey on her neck. Really, Ted? You couldn't wait until you left? My turn. "Of course I want your mommy to come, but remember, she's going away with Ted on a trip. They have someplace to go just for the two of them."

I'm an asshole.

"Ted, can we talk outside?"

Great. Another "talk" in private.

She sets Jadon down in his seat and after they go out the front door, Tom makes a throat-clearing sound.

"What?"

His brow is arched. "I saw that." He points to Jadon with his fork. "We talked about that, Jadon. If you're finished eating, go put your plate in the sink and wash your hands please."

Jadon, donning a serious face that is not-at-all upset, takes his plate and I know he's smiling to himself right now.

Tom's watching me. "He's a good guy, Lucas. He loves her. Don't mess with a good thing because you feel jealous over something you didn't even want in the first place."

My jaw feels tight. "You'd rather her be with the guy that slept with half the girls at my school?" I know that has to be it, and I'm putting my next paycheck on that one.

"You don't even know him."

Oh, but I do. I know Ted all too well. I'm no saint, but neither is he. He just hides it well.

"She's happy with him, Lucas. You suddenly showing up doesn't change things. And I saw Katrina with you earlier. You have a type, so stick to what you know. My daughter doesn't need you disrupting her personal life because you and Ted want to mark territory."

"I didn't do anything."

He scoffs. "You know she spent hours getting ready and looking forward to a night off. She deserves a break once in a while. You're here for bits and pieces, but you're not the one shopping, cooking, cleaning, working a full-time job, and balancing school while raising a child. You drive her to work in the mornings a few times and think it means something? That's nothing by comparison. I see you making efforts, but you could have cut that shit instead of watching Allie like the only woman that walked by your caves."

"If it bothers you, you could have said something, too, Tom."

"You're the adults and the parents. I did my part already. My daughter is doing well considering her situation. You and Ted need to work it out or don't speak to one another. But that little boy can sense the tension already. Don't you dare make him uncomfortable. And if you want Jadon to accept Katrina in your life, you need to show him you can accept Ted in hers. That's the only way you'll all be able to work it out."

Tom sets his fork down and takes a drink of his soda. "And for the record, I like you a hell of a lot more than Ted. Kid doesn't know shit about football and spends way too much time on his phone, but he loves her. You hardly know her."

Tom gathers his plate and mine and stands. "But if you're thinking you want to work things out with Allie, you best figure some things out before you break her heart."