Time slowed.
Son?
That word, son had just come out of Logan's mouth hadn't it?
'Max this is my son, Ben.'
Maybe she'd hit her head and didn't remember it or someone slipped something into her soda at work.
Son?
Logan had a son.
Her mind was stuck on that and forgot the anger and attitude that was supposed to emerge. She was pretty sure if she looked in a mirror right now her entire head would now be blonde that was the only reason to explain how her mind was stuck on repeat.
She'd asked. She had to have asked after Valerie, any other ex's buried deep within one of Margo's walk in cedar closets? Any more ex's or kids she should know about…She had to have asked that. At least after Daphne…Right, she'd asked?
Maybe she thought she hadn't had to ask after finding out about not only an ex-wife, but an ex-fiancée and now a kid. That meant he'd been in enough of a relationship with someone to have a kid. That was a lot for someone who was only 31 wasn't it? Wait how old was the kid?
Another look at the kid that was now starting to hold a vague similarity to Logan. Four, five? When had he divorced Valerie? Before Eyes Only he'd said, when was that? 2 years? Almost three?
How long had they been married? The plethora of questions started to slow as the real question was starting to settle into her head, did she know anything at all about Logan?
Her head turned back to Logan, who was viewing her with guarded eyes as he prepared for her reaction.
Nothing she had to say could be said in front of a kid, she quickly realized as he said her name trying to elicit any type of reaction from her.
"Hey Ben," he said still looking at Max, "why don't you start getting dressed. Your mom should be back soon."
"But-" he began and both adults looked over at him.
"Get dressed now and maybe you'll have some more time to play before your mom gets back," Logan reasoned.
Seemed to work with the kid because while he sighed, he stood.
She didn't watch the kid disappear out of the room, her gaze immediately returned to Logan still sitting on the floor next to the chaotic mess of small cars which had been flying for almost an hour.
She half expected him to move, proving at just what a limited capacity her brain was functioning at. There was no way he'd return himself to the chair with her looking, it wasn't a quick easy seamless movement as transferring over to the couch was, it made him vulnerable and weak in his eyes, something he was never okay with.
"Cute kid," she said looking down at him.
"Thank you," he nodded
The air was tense as they just looked at each other, Max suddenly realizing she couldn't say any of those things that had just run through her head without too appearing weak.
"Guess after Valerie I really shouldn't be surprised anymore," the pain didn't creep out, just the attitude, the pain was inside, he would never share anymore with her than he wanted or had to, that's how this relationship worked.
"Neither were really applicable."
"Your son?" this time the attitude was true.
"He doesn't live here; there was no need for you to know about him. He just got in last night, his mother decided to surprise me."
"Probably thought you'd tell her not to come otherwise," she said offhandedly barely even thinking about.
He looked startled for a split second as she nailed it dead on, his face returned to its normal impassive expression, "Probably would have."
This conversation is going nowhere fast, she thought looking down at his hardened stance, pretty funny considering she's just seen and heard him laughing and smiling and apparently doing more than just a decent impression of someone who was actually happy. "Where does he live?"
"With his mother just outside of Paris."
"As in France?"
"My mother's family is from there."
Another moment of dead silence.
"So you were never going to mention you had a kid?"
"I haven't seen him in almost three years Max."
"You haven't seen your own kid since he was what, two?" her voice raised a decibel. She might have thought a lot about Logan, but deadbeat dad wasn't one of them.
"Seattle isn't exactly the type of place to raise a child Max."
"Yet there are like a hundred thousand," she said with a quick bob of her head.
"Actually estimates put it more around 70."
Her eyes turned dark for that, now wasn't the time for Logan's ever present facts, "Seventy thousand Logan and you ship your kid off to France? What happened to all of that patriotic bs you're always giving me?"
"Max most kids don't have parents who have bull's-eyes painted on their foreheads."
Their anger levels had both risen to levels that were about to lead them to saying things they were about to regret.
"I should see if Ben needs any help," he pulled his chair in closer and shifted closer to the coffee table for leverage and he quickly returned himself to the chair and adjusted himself not all wavering on the outside.
She stood in the living room continuing to seethe for a second as Logan headed off to the smaller of the guest rooms. She followed after him, not really knowing what to do alone in the living room aside from just fume, she wasn't letting him off the hook this easily and she was damn sure going to make him aware of that. Another funny fact since just moments before she'd just wanted to stand and absorb his happiness.
She walked in behind him and her face caught the same smile as his as they saw the mop of hair bent over as Ben sat on the bed in khakis and a polo trying to make his little fingers follow the rules his mind knew about tying a shoe, the pout on his face obvious as he focused. That single minded determination she saw was used to seeing in Logan.
"Need some help?" Logan asked as he slowly wheeled towards his son.
Ben looked up, the annoyance present in his eyes, just like Logan. Only in his case they were clumsy little fingers that weren't complying with his mind instead of legs. He didn't say anything just shifted his legs out from the contortionist pose he had shifted them into trying to get closer to his feet.
Logan chuckled slightly seeing that petulant expression, Jacinda often did the same with Omar, never meaning to laugh but being unable not to.
"I can't get them tight enough," he said as Logan's fingers were quickly looping around each other tying the first shoe.
"Probably the laces," Logan said with a more serious expression, "they're slipperier than your sneakers."
The kid continued to frown, still not being satisfied with that answer. For someone who hadn't spent much time around Logan kid certainly seemed to have picked up on more than a few of his traits.
"Thank you," he muttered as his final foot was returned to him.
Logan smiled again softly, "Come on belt and sweater," he said moving back.
"Do I have to?" he asked sliding off the bed.
"Belt yes, you can skip the sweater if you want to put on a tie."
The kid frowned as Logan moved to the bed to claim them and turned facing his son, who was once more not looking happy.
Max watched as Logan tucked in the back of the shirt and then his more nimble fingers threaded the belt through the loops as his son turned with his arms up. She realized she'd somehow softened as she watched Ben once more raise up his arms and bend forward as Logan put on his sweater vest and then un-tuck the collars of his shirt.
Ten to one odds, the outfit was going to be completed with a navy blazer, she thought to herself as she caught sight of the completed very preppy outfit she viewed Logan's son looking rather uncomfortable in.
"Do I have to go?" he asked once his father was done.
"I'm afraid so, it won't be that bad, just dinner," Logan said attempting to figure out how to semi tame his son's hair, but quickly realizing the only way he could accomplish that was wetting it, more torture than his son deserved especially considering what already lay ahead of him. "Good news is you're done so you can go play until your mom comes home," he frowned as he finished saying that catching sight of the clock realizing she should be here by now.
-o-o-o-
"I'm late," a voice called out as the front door flung open adding a new noise to the otherwise silent apartment aside from Ben zooming the cars around the floor ignoring what that would be doing to his pant legs. "I am sooo late, god I feel like the white rabbit; my aunt's going to kill me. I completely lost track of time. Ben I need you to go get dressed, I laid out-" the speaker of the voice stopped in the entryway to the living room as she had a hand raised up to her ear removing an earring. "Hi," she said frozen in the position as she viewed Max sitting on the back of the couch as she and Logan stayed a good six feet away from each other not talking to each other, just occasionally commenting and praising Ben as he played.
Max took in the other woman, who looked o be around her height but in heels, brown hair laced with blonde highlights that held a slight wave, but the front was in a loose curl. Her eyes a vivid soft blue that took in Max the same as she was being taken in. She wore a red, slim-fitted button down that was tucked into a gray skirt. She was in short, exactly the type of woman Max would have expected Logan to be with.
"I'm already dressed," Ben said from the floor and Max realized he hadn't run to his mother as she was used to most kids his age doing, hadn't even enthusiastically greeted her. Codependence was obviously not an issue in this family.
"Oh," she said looking over slightly shocked. "Hi, I'm Beth," she said moving towards the couch with a bright smile as she outstretched her hand.
Max stepped off and met the handshake, "Max."
"I'm really late," she said with her smile turning into laughter. "I don't mean to be rude, but if I don't get dressed now, my head's going to be served for dinner," she nodded.
"I understand," Max continued to smile back and made sure to throw a small laugh.
"We're going in five minutes Ben, get your coat," she said calling out over her shoulder as she hurried out of the room.
Ben groaned as Max stood stoically once more refusing to show the weakness she'd wanted to show also upon meeting Valerie. Beth was different though, not only did she have a past and child with Logan she wasn't at all like Valerie. Ignoring the alcoholism and probably the fuckin' around, Valerie was nice, pretty yes, she might have been funny and charming, (though Max still had to take Bling's opinion on that because she hadn't seen it), but she hadn't been Logan's equal. Trophy wife, sweet wife that looked like she'd have dinner waiting on the table upon his return from work, Logan probably would have bored with her eventually if their marriage hadn't been wracked with problems. Beth though was strong, in charge, nice but not a pushover. Intelligent, Max could see it in her eyes and certainly his class equal, Max saw that in how she held herself.
She suddenly couldn't figure out why she'd stuck around. She didn't want to know the answers anymore. She didn't want to hear what he was going to say, she was pretty sure she wasn't going to like it.
AN: Okay if you can't figure out I just described MW's ex, Amelia Heinle. I debated against it for awhile, but I decided since I'd seen them as actors before they were together and I watched them as actors after they were together I should get to use her. Not to mention the character she plays now would just make a really good basis for this character.
Thanks for reading folks.
Oh and no, this is a short story so no one make any other threats of it turning into something longer. Babyangel tricked me into that last time and I'm not falling for it again. And you've got to love when some are telling me I'm too prolific and others and telling and emailing me, ordering me to write faster. Oh and you all know you look like idiots trying to entertain kids, everything you think about yourself and your actions go out the window trying to keep a kid happy. :-D