"Where's mommy?" Aaron asked, carrying his toy train and walking around the living room.
"She went out for a minute," Jack said softly.
His heart broke when he watched Aaron run to the front window, his tiny hand on the glass as he looked for her.
"Buddy, she's not outside. She went out with the car for a little."
"Why? My train!" He whined, holding the plastic toy. "She makes it light!" Jack knew from that tone that he was on the verge of a temper tantrum.
"I can do that," he suggested. It took a minute for Aaron to release the train but he did, letting Jack flip the switch for the lights.
"Where's mommy?" He asked again.
Jack scooped the boy into his lap with a deep exhale. "You know how sometimes you just need a time out to calm down and feel better?"
Aaron nodded.
"Well, Mommy needed a timeout."
"She was bad?"
"No, I was the one who was bad. I wanted to take my timeout here so your mom went for a ride in the car." Jack thought for a minute as he watched Aaron processing everything. "I think maybe both of us should be nicer to Mommy. What do you think?"
Aaron nodded with a big smile on his face at the idea. "When is timeout over?" He finally asked.
"I'm not sure. I had a pretty big temper tantrum," Jack admitted.
"Just say you're sorry. Mommy's nice. She loves us." His blue eyes were so bright it made him think of Claire. He knew Kate often wondered if she was raising him as well as Claire would have; Jack knew that Claire couldn't have done as great of a job as Kate.
"That's a really good idea," Jack smiled. "Let's get ready for bed, what do you say?" Aaron nodded and ran down the hall to his room.
Jack soon heard the comforting sound of Kate's keys in the front door.
"You came back," he smiled.
"This is my house," she reminded him when she stepped back inside. Her hair was in a side French braid and still wet. She wore white linen pants and a white and navy striped nautical sweater. He immediately recognized the clothes.
"You left your house and went to mine," he realized.
"I just—"
"Needed a long, hot bath?" He raised an eyebrow. "I know you, Kate."
"Get out of my house, Jack."
"Our house," he corrected. "You may own it but we made a home here." He moved in close, his breath hot on her neck. He leaned in to offer a quick peck to her neck but she pushed him away lazily.
"I never met to betray you or lie—" Jack whispered.
"But you did!" Kate interrupted. Although she raised her voice her tone was more sadness than anger.
"I was trying to help," Jack held his palms out as if Kate were a wild animal.
"Help who? Whose side are you on?" She demanded, her voice shaky.
"There are no sides, baby. No one is against you."
"You haven't even said you're sorry," Kate realized. "You don't regret it, do you?"
"If I can—"
"Get out of my house, Jack." Jack knew this time, Kate was serious.
He knew it would take something extreme to win Kate's forgiveness. It would take a miracle.