Aaron didn't have the heart to move Jack, so he was woken up early on the one morning he could sleep in. Cracking open his eyes, he looked up into the smiling face of his son. "I'm hungry, Daddy."
"Oh, you are, are you? Well, let's get breakfast, then." Aaron padded down to the kitchen, smelling the delicious scent of cinnamon. Looking around the room, he noticed the oven was on, counting down the minutes to something. "Jack, did you play with the oven?"
"Oh no, Daddy, Miss Erin did, She left you a note on the counter, I swear."
Aaron looked at his son and then went over to the counter, his eye settling on a piece of paper sitting against the coffee machine. Good morning, Aaron. Georgia's flight leaves at nine today, so I thought we'd stop by and make rolls for you and Jack. Penny let me make a copy of your key last week, I hope you don't mind. The icing for the rolls is in the fridge. Warm it up for forty five seconds in the microwave before you spread it. Have a wonderful day! Erin
"I love Miss Erin. She's so nice. Daddy, why is she so sad? You didn't cry this much when we lost Mommy."
"Sometimes a series of bad things happen to a person and it just makes everything seem worse than it really is. Miss Erin is fighting to keep her demons at bay." The buzzer dinged on the oven and he turned the timer off. "Stand back, buddy." He pulled out the cinnamon rolls and set them on top of the stove and then pulled out the icing, following her directions.
"Miss Erin loves us, doesn't she?"
Aaron looked at Jack in surprise. "What makes you say that?"
"She made breakfast for us. And when she looks at you, she looks like Mommy. There's something about her eyes that looks so much like your wedding pictures." Jack took the roll from his father's hands and went to sit at the table. Aaron sat next to him, still in a bit of a daze.
"Are you upset at all the time I'm spending with Miss Erin?"
"No. I love that she's your girlfriend. She's nice, like Aunt Penelope. So, what should we get her for Christmas, Daddy? It's only five weeks away."
"Do you want to go shopping today and look for something?" Jack nodded excitedly. "All right, as soon as we finish eating we'll get dressed and go."
Jack wolfed down his food and ran upstairs to get dressed. Aaron put their dishes away and covered the remaining rolls with tinfoil before going up to change. He slipped into khakis and a polo shirt, knowing it would be warm and crowded in the mall.
By the time he got downstairs, Jack was in his coat and holding the car keys. Smiling, he picked up his cellphone and put it in his pocket before shrugging into his coat. "Ready to go?"
"Yes, Daddy. Let's get this show on the road." Jack held the keys out to him and together, they went out to the parking lot of the apartment complex. Jack got in and buckled his car seat while Aaron slipped behind the wheel. The drive to the mall was short, though they had to park about a quarter mile away, or so it seemed.
Jack held tightly to his hand as they wandered through the shops. Finally, he eye was caught by something in the import store. "I want to get Miss Erin this, Daddy," he said, pointing to a delicate Egyptian glass bottle. "It reminds me of her."
"It does, doesn't it?" Aaron carefully picked up the bottle and brought it up to the slightly bored looking young man. As he set the bottle down, the young man smiled.
"If you would like to fill the bottle with a scent, we offer an array of essential oils." He gestures to the vials behind him. "Who's this for?"
"Miss Erin. She's going to be my new mommy soon. Do you have anything pretty smelling?"
The young man nodded. "Would you like something sweet or musky?"
"I don't know what musky means," Jack said solemnly.
"How about you smell them until you find the perfect one for your special someone." Aaron watched them interact, the clerk animatedly showing his son all the different scents available.
"I think she'll like this one, Zak. Thanks for explaining all this to me." Jack slipped off the stool and went around to his father's side once more. "Can we get enough to fill the bottle, Daddy?"
"That would be fine." Zak rang then up and then wrapped the bottle well so that it wouldn't break. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, sir. Have a wonderful holiday season."
Aaron took hold of Jack's hand once again and they ventured forth into the sea of people. There were so many things that he wanted to get Erin, but he kept wondering if they were too intimate for this stage in their relationship. A book would be safe, but would it might be too safe. He sighed in frustration. "What is it, Daddy?"
"I'm trying to think of the perfect gift for Erin. Let's head over to Barnes and Noble." Jack smiled happily and they continued on to the bookstore. Aaron looked around at the myriad of books and felt overwhelmed. There was so much about Erin he didn't know.
"May I help you, sir?"
He looked at the young woman slowly. "Maybe. Have you read Robin McKinley's Deerskin?" She nodded. "Good. It's my girlfriend's favorite book and I want to get her something in a similar thematic vein. What would you suggest?"
"I think I have the perfect book for your needs," she said after a few moments. "Follow me." They went upstairs on the escalator and she brought them over to the fantasy section. "This is it." She handed him a copy of The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust. "I think your girlfriend will really enjoy this book. I know I did."
"Thank you." Aaron took the book from her hands and she went back downstairs.
"Can I get a book today, Daddy?" Jack asked, staring up at him.
"Just one, Christmas is coming after all." Jack surprised him by going past the early reader books and heading to the harder books. "This is new, buddy."
"My teacher said I need to challenge myself. I'm one of the robins during reading time." He scanned the titles and pulled out a think book. "I want this one, Daddy."
Aaron raised an eyebrow at him. "Bunnicula?"
"It sounds interesting. Maybe you could invite Miss Erin over and we could read it together." Jack smiled and handed the book to him. "Can we go out for lunch, too? Like, to the Chinese buffet?"
"We'll see." They headed downstairs and Aaron found his eye caught by an elegant, leather-bound, journal. "One second, Jack," he said, guiding his son over to the journals. He pulled it down off the shelf and fingered the supple leather absently. He knew then how he would get to know Erin better. He went up to the register and paid for his items. "All right, let's get this show on the road to Chinese food."
"Yay!" Jack started skipping next to him and Aaron smiled at his son's enthusiasm. There was no line at their favorite buffet and while Jack and he ate, he began to fill out the first page of the journal. First, he wrote a question down – What is your favorite flower and why? – and then he wrote her his response. "Daddy, did you remember that Thanksgiving is Thursday? Aunt Jessica wants you to call her with our plans. I kind of forgot to tell you until now."
"Shoot. I was supposed to see what Sean wanted to do. Too late now, I guess." Aaron's phone rang and he looked at it, seeing that he had a new txt from Erin.
"Can I read it?" Jack asked, holding out his hand expectantly.
"One second." Aaron skimmed the message and then handed it over to his son.
"Aaron, if you're home, do you want to bring Jack over for Thanksgiving? My kids will be here and it will be a good time for introductions. Erin." Jack looked up at his father. "Oh, can we? Please?"
Aaron smiled at his son. "If I'm home, yes. Otherwise, you'll be with Aunt Jessica." He typed the same thing to Erin and got a quick reply. "I'll plan on you at four, then. Bring rolls and a vegetable besides corn." He chuckled after he'd read her message and Jack looked at him in confusion.
"What's so funny?"
"One of the perks of seeing your boss is getting the holiday off, I guess. We'll be at Miss Erin's for Thanksgiving."
"Awesome! Thank you, Daddy!" Jack ran around the table and hugged him tightly. They finished eating and Aaron listened to Jack chatter on about all the things he would ask Erin's children. Somehow, Aaron knew this would be a long day for him and Erin, since this would be the first ste to integrating their families. He knew it would be best to prepare for fireworks.