Levi's voice broke my concentration as he walked into the room. "Dad, I can't find my other sock."
"Oh, um, did you check under your bed?"
"Yes," he huffed, almost like I was the one inconveniencing him.
"Well, Mr. Sassy Pants, if you know so much, where do you think it is then? Hmm?"
I turned and leveled him with a look of skepticism. Sometimes, you had to play into it, or you'd end up arguing with an eight-year-old, and no one won in that situation.
Rolling his eyes, he turned and walked back to his room, living up to the earlier nickname. Levi was already giving me teen angst, and I wasn't sure I was ready for more anytime soon. Chuckling, I shook my head and returned to thinking.
Sipping my coffee, I flipped the newspaper distractedly. I was probably one of the few people who still read the paper, but it was one of those odd things I enjoyed, plus it gave me a routine in the morning. Yet, this morning my thoughts were all over the place, and I couldn't focus on the words. Wells and Loren both swirled in my head, making it hard to concentrate.
"Found it!" Levi shouted, running back in the room with it held aloft like a victory prize.
"Nice! Where was it?"
"Under the bed," he mumbled. I held in my laugh, deciding to be a mature adult this morning.
"Wonderful. Does it mean you're ready to go?"
"Yeah, I guess," he muttered, hanging his head.
"What's wrong, kiddo?"
Setting down the paper, I focused on my son and tried to figure out what was bothering him. Levi's feet turned inward, rubbing the toe of his shoe as he stood awkwardly. This wasn't like him. He was usually full of laughter and joy.
"Is it true?"
Standing, I walked over to him, kneeling to his level. "Is what true, buddy?"
"I heard Mom saying I wouldn't get to see you soon."
"Well, that's a lie. Nothing could stop me from seeing you. I don't know why your mom said that. What else did she say?"
"I dunno." One shoulder shrugged as he peeked up from below his lashes at me. "She told her friend you were sick and needed help."
"Sick? Well, do I look sick, kiddo?"
Levi looked me up and down as he ran his eyes over me, calculating every detail his young mind could process.
"No, I guess not."
"It's not good to listen in on your mom, bud. I'll talk with her and see what's going on, okay?"
"Okay, Dad."
Levi hugged me tight around the neck, and I pulled him close. His slight frame always made me want to hug him closer to protect him from the world despite knowing it didn't quite work that way. There were far more dangers in the world than physical ones. Pulling back, I held onto his arms as I chose my words carefully.
"Your mom and I aren't together anymore, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. Nothing is more important to me than you. Nothing. I would move mountains to spend time with you, bud. Always."
"Always," he responded, a smile on his face. I pulled him in and hugged him again before standing up. Levi had started feeling too old to say "I love you, Dad" about a year ago, so we'd adopted ‘always' from Harry Potter as our way of saying it since he'd become obsessed with the movie.
Grabbing his bag, we headed out the door, and his worries played over my mind. What was Brittni saying to her friends that would scare Levi? Frustration began to bubble up in my chest, and I prepared myself to face her.
Shuffling him out the door, we made our way down to the garage. Levi was meant to stay all weekend, but had asked to go to a friend's birthday party that was a sleepover. I couldn't deny him spending time with his friends, even if it was my night. Since his mom lived out in the North Shore suburbs where the party was, I'd agreed to drop him off early.
Unfortunately, it meant we had to drive an hour out there. Typically, I abhorred it, the traffic and pompousness were enough to give me hives. Today, though, I was excited about stopping by a specialty shop on her side of town, making the drive at least rewarding. I thought about checking on Wells again, but decided to let that sleeping dog lie for now. Things were complicated with us on the best of days, and, despite me wanting to know details, I'd learned long ago Wells wouldn't share until he was ready.