Chapter 251
Alex pulled the car into the quiet street and slowed to a stop right in front of the house Mia had pointed.
For a second, his hands stayed on the wheel even after the engine went silent. His chest rose and fell with quick breaths.
Mia steps out first, he closes his eyes for a second.
He finally forced himself to open the door and step out, but his legs felt heavier than they should.
He was nervous that much was clear.
His heart was pounding for a reason that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the boy inside that house.
“I already called Ethan to tell him we’re coming,” Mia said.
She looks at him with calm eyes that has lost that hostility from before. “I asked him about meeting you. So no need to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Alex lied without hesitation. His voice came out flat.
Mia raised an eyebrow, not buying it for even a second. Her lips twitched, almost like she wanted to smile at how bad of a liar he still was.
Alex finally met her eyes, exhaled slowly, and admitted, “Maybe a little.”
“Sure,” Mia muttered, turning back toward the house like she had expected that answer.
Alex rubbed his hands together as he followed her up the short pathway. He prayed under his breath, a desperate plea he never thought he would ever make…..
Please, don’t let me mess this up. Please let him like me. Please don’t let me be the same kind of father I had.
Mia reached the front door and glanced back at him once before opening it. He swallowed hard, his throat dry, and stepped in behind her.
The sound of little feet came rushing down the hallway. “Mama!”
Aiden ran straight into Mia’s arms, and she scooped him up.
Her smile was wide and soft as she pressed her lips against her son’s cheek,
Alex froze in the doorway, his hands shoved in his pockets, his body stiff. His eyes locked on the boy, and his heart slammed against his chest so hard it almost hurt. Aiden’s big eyes finally landed on him.
Alex tried to smile. It wasn’t much just a small tug of his lips–but it was all he had.
The boy tilted his head slightly, his cheek resting against Mia’s shoulder as if he were trying to figure Alex out.
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Chapter 251
Alex’s chest tightened painfully at the simple gesture.
“How have you been, my love?” Mia asked him, her voice filled with affection.
“Fine, Mama,” Aiden replied softly, pulling away from her shoulder just enough to smile at her.
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Alex stayed rooted by the door, unsure of what to do with his hands, his legs, or the hundred emotions battling inside of him. He felt like an intruder in his own moment, like he didn’t belong here even though every part of him wanted to.
Mia walked further into the living room with Aiden, peppering kisses on his little face. Aiden giggled, his laughter filling the air.
Alex followed, his steps hesitant, until his eyes locked on the one person who could ruin his control–Ethan Turner.
The moment Ethan saw him, he straightened up, his entire body stiffening.
Alex’s instincts flared immediately. For years, his first reaction around Ethan had always been violence. To hit first, to make him bleed. Seeing him sitting there in this house made Alex’s jaw clench. The only reason he wasn’t reacting is because his son and Mia were here.
But no matter how much time passed, Alex knew he’d never be comfortable around Ethan Turner. Ever. He didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust the look in his eyes.
His presence always has a way of bringing up unwanted memories.
Jullian is a different man now, but with Ethan still hanging around? That could change in a second.
Mia must have noticed how his eyes lingered on her brother. She cleared her throat, deliberately breaking the tension, and sat down on the couch with Aiden still perched on her lap.
Alex forced himself to focus on what really mattered. Not Ethan, not the past…… His son.
“Please sit down,” Mia said quietly.
Alex gave a short nod and sank into a chair across from them. His back was stiff, his hands gripping his knees, but when Aiden’s eyes met his again, he couldn’t stop the small smile from tugging at his mouth.
“Hi, Aiden,” he said gently.
The boy blinked at him, then quickly turned away and buried his face in his mother’s chest.
Alex’s smile slipped. His heart squeezed in his chest like someone had just dragged it out.
Mia’s hand rubbed her son’s back. “Baby, do you remember when I asked if you wanted to meet Papa?”
Aiden lifted his face, his little brows furrowed, staring at Mia with wide, curious eyes. He looked both shocked
and unsure.
Then his gaze flickered back toward Alex.
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11:56 Sun, Sep 21 d.
Chapter 251
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Mia met Alex’s eyes too, giving him a silent nod, before pressing a kiss to Aiden’s hair. Her voice was soft but loud enough for Alex to hear. “That’s your daddy, baby.”
Alex forgot how to breathe for a moment.
Aiden’s eyes went impossibly wide as he turned and stared at him again.
Alex had faced boardrooms, enemies, fights in underground rings where blood stained the floor, but nothing……absolutely nothing, had ever made him feel this scared.
His son’s small gaze on him was heavier than any punch he had ever taken.
He tried to smile again, this time forcing it to stay on his face, hoping he looked friendly enough, safe enough, for the boy to take a step toward him. His palms were sweating, his stomach twisting.
Aiden slowly slid off Mia’s lap and stood between her legs, his little hands holding onto her knees as he continued to stare at Alex.
Alex’s heart was pounding, waiting for him to move, waiting for something.
Then, without warning, Aiden turned and ran inside.
His heart drops.
