Page 48 of Catching Our Moment

Kelcie

I tried texting Aaron again to check on him. Before he finally responded, I’d been about to call James again to find out if he had taken away Aaron’s phone.

Aaron

Mom, Dad made me leave with him. Are you going to come get me?

Me

Yes, honey, don’t worry. Your father and I had a miscommunication.

Aaron

I don’t like it here, Mom. This wasn’t the plan. I was supposed to watch the games with Grace tonight. She was making chili. I want to come home.

Me

I know, honey. I’ll be there this evening.

Aaron

Is Shaw coming? Dad is saying bad things to Ms. Amber about you and Shaw. I can hear him from the other room.

I’m sure he was. James’s anger was in full tilt.

Aaron

Dad and Ms. Amber are arguing about where I’m going to live. Mom, I don’t like this.

Son of a bitch. I decided to call Aaron and let him hear my voice. I didn’t care what James thought.

“Hello?”

“Hey, honey. I know you don’t like to talk on the phone, but?—”

“Mom. I don’t like them talking about you, and I don’t want to live here.”

My boy’s tone was edgy and panicked. I needed to be there to talk him down, to hold him tight and help him calm down.

“Honey, it’s okay. Your father is…” I said and then realized I was going to make excuses for this man—again. Well, not this time. “Your father is being a jerk.”

“He’s being an asshole,” he said, and I heard the tears in his voice.

“Okay, yes, you’re right,” I said, and we both got quiet for a beat.

James’s voice broke the silence. “Aaron, get off the phone. You’re supposed to be doing your homework.”

“I’m talking to Mom,” Aaron said. “And I don’t have any homework.”

“Give me that phone,” he said to Aaron, and then to me, he said, “Where are you?”

“I’m at the airport. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“It will be too late to bring Aaron back. He will stay here this evening,” James declared. “You shouldn’t be giving in to his demands all the time.”

Aaron began to yell in the background, “No. I won’t. I won’t stay here with you. I need to get home. I belong at home. This was not the plan.”

“Do you see what you did now?” James sneered at me. “You had to call and ramp him up. Now, I’ll have to deal with the fallout—again. You spoil him by letting him win all the time.”

“This wasn’t the plan. I’m supposed to watch football. I’m not staying here!” My son was screaming at his father.

“James, let me talk to him,” I said.

“I think you’ve done enough.”

Click. He hung up on me.

I called back immediately, and it went to voicemail. “James, I will be there at 9:00 to pick up my son as per our custody agreement.”

I disconnected and stared at my phone as tears ran down my face. What had I done? My poor boy was having a meltdown. His father couldn’t handle him, and I wasn’t there.

“Kelcie?” The car had stopped in front of a small plane. We were on the tarmac, and Shaw was trying to take my hand. “Babe, we’re here.”

I jumped out of the car. “Open the trunk.”

Shaw was in front of me, saying words I didn’t hear.

“Open it. I have to leave. I have to get home,” I said, refusing to look at him. I didn’t know why—probably because he was the person in front of me and the only one I could take out my fear and anger on.

Shaw grabbed the suitcases and motioned for me to the plane.

We were at the stairs, and Shaw greeted the man who had taken our baggage.

I made it up a few steps before rounding on him. “You’re not going,” I said. “You need to stay here, and I don’t need you?—”

“You don’t want to need me to be there for you,” he shot back. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Aaron. And from what I heard, he needs both of us. So stop wasting your energy arguing with me about this. I’m going to see you home. We will decide what happens after that.”

I stood a few steps above him and glared down at him.

“You’re wasting time. You can glare at me on the plane. Move it,” he said, glaring right back.

After we were belted in our seats, the stewardess took our drink order.

I stared out the window and didn’t say another word as Shaw continued to make calls. A stray tear would occasionally run down my cheek, and I would try to casually catch it before Shaw could see it.

It wasn’t rational, my hostility toward him. But right now, I couldn’t worry about him…I couldn’t worry about us. My only thoughts were about Aaron and what he was going through.

“God, he must be so confused,” I said to myself.

He reached over, took my hand, and broke our stand-off by saying, “Grace said James was ranting about several photos of us out together this weekend on the internet. I guess, with Riley trying to milk more publicity out of our break-up, the media has found us…interesting.”

“What kind of photos?” Horror filled me. Oh my God, did someone get a photo of us in his condo?

“Nothing like that.” He put his hand over mine. “They were innocent, just catching us kissing and laughing. Nothing inappropriate.”

“Then why is James doing this?” My voice broke.

“Because he’s a jealous bastard.”

“My son is losing his shit right now, and his own father doesn’t seem to care.

I told him what would happen. Hell, he knew what this would lead to—Aaron losing his shit.

What is wrong with that man?” Thank God we were on a private flight because I was losing my shit now too.

“What does he hope to accomplish from this?”

Shaw held my hand, squeezed it lightly, and said, “I don’t know, babe. But I’m sure we will find out.”