I wasn’t sure how long I’d sat there, purging my emotions as I came to terms with the fact that my son would never be my little boy again.
I took a deep breath, stood up, and left the sanctity of my closet, then wondered what the hell my next move was supposed to be.
I moved to where my phone was charging on my dresser and picked it up, scrolling through the names until I found the one I wanted.
Luckily, I’d had the courage to finally ask Cade for his phone number before I left his house after we’d had sex – unprotected sex at that.
Yeah, so that happened. And it was more magical than I’d ever imagined … other than the unprotected part, that had been an oversight on both of our parts. Something I’d been wondering how to bring up the next time I saw him…
“Wilkes.”
His rough voice soothed me, even as it caused my belly to dip.
“Hey, Cade, it’s Lila … Do you have a minute?”
“Yeah, darlin’, what’s up?”
“Um, well, at dinner my ten-year-old son showed me how he learned how to do the shocker, then I walked in on him watching a video about it and masturbating.”
I heard his deep chuckle, then he muttered, “Never a dull moment.”
“Cade,” I tried not to screech, but I felt the panic clawing at my throat again. “He’s ten.”
“It’s natural, Lila, nothing to freak out about.”
“Too late … What should I do? Talk to him?”
“His dad’s in the picture, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, babe, then give him a shout and let him handle it. No kid wants to talk about this stuff, but he really doesn’t want to talk to his mom about it. Just tell him you’re sorry you overacted, that it’s normal, so he doesn’t feel like a freak, and let his pops handle the nitty gritty.”
“Okay, I think I can do that,” I replied, already feeling better about the whole situation. It was a talk best had between a father and son. I’d call The Douche right away. “Thanks, Cade.”
“Anytime, darlin’. I’ve gotta go, but can meet up this weekend.”
“I have the kids this weekend.”
“How about lunch on Friday?”
“Perfect.”
“See ya.”
“Okay, thanks again, Cade.”
I called my ex as soon as I hung up with Cade and told him everything. He surprised me by saying he’d be right over, so I hung up and went to apologize to my son for overreacting, hoping I hadn’t scarred him too terribly.
Scanning the aisles as if I’d never been in this grocery store before, I read the labels as I wandered slowly. Grocery shopping was one of my favorite things. I loved to try new things and get ideas for new dishes to make my kids try. Luckily, they weren’t as picky as most kids their age, and would usually try anything once.
Maybe it was just the act of shopping I liked, no matter what the merchandise was.
I was trying to decide between a coconut curry sauce and butter chicken when I heard a throat clear deliberately next to me.
I turned my head to see who was trying to get my attention and saw a pretty woman who didn’t look familiar.
“Hi,” I said, uncertain what she wanted.