Walls Between Us

17 | dad

✩

A M A Y A

On Friday, the doorbell rings at exactly 59 seconds past 9 am - the time by which Carter said he would be here to be with Parker all day.

With one ear pressed to the phone, I run on my toes towards the door. The monitor shows me a zoomed-in face of Carter who looks as fresh as ever for an early appearance. I turn the knob, unlatch the chain, and pull the door open to a hot-blooded handsomeness staring right at me.

He is dressed in casuals - in a half-sleeved royal blue T-shirt that sticks to his body in a firm way and jeans. His beard covers a part of his face, neatly trimmed, and his biceps flex beneath the sleeves with every movement. His hair has a messy style, adding to his rugged looks. When his eyes find my face, he throws me an awkward smile.

"Mom...I'll call you later. Carter's here," I say over the phone, my gaze fixed on Carter whose heated look travels down my body.

His jaw tightens when he notices that I am once again dressed in nothing but one of his old shirts. My hair is thrown together in a messy bun and I know that my bare feet are covered in flour. I have a strange calmness on my nerves when he brings his attention back to my face.

"Carter's there!?" Mom gasps from the other end, her voice high-pitched in my ear. "Give him the phone. Right now, Amaya."

That's not happening anytime soon. I am not the villain here and I don't want Carter to take me for one. We are already walking on a tightrope. The least we can do is behave like mature adults.

"Gotta go, Mum. Bye."

I cut the call midway through her words. Placing my hands in front of me, I stand there in a cumbrous manner, my toes tickling at the presence of the man before me. My subconscious reminds me that he would be there the whole day with us. Carter leans by the doorframe, a side of his lips pulled to a smirk.

"That's my favorite shirt," he says.

I know I am blushing without intending to. That's just the effect he has on me and I can't deny that I like it.

"Good morning, Carter," I say in return, pretending that I wasn't just a victim of his charms.

"Good morning, Miss. Sommers." He straightens, the tips of his fingers sliding into the pockets of his jeans. "Is our son up yet?"

"He is."

"And did you tell him what you promised you would?"

My response is dead silence which leads Carter's smirk to wipe from his face. He gives me a blank stare as he steps inside the apartment, pushing the door to shut behind him.

"Carter...I promise I'll tell him," I say before he can reprimand me. "I just don't think today's a good day. Plus...I have been busy all morning."

He raises a dark brow. "What have you been up to?" He then looks around the hall with a frown on. "And why does the apartment look so dull? Won't you throw a party for Parker?"

I wring my fingers, putting my weight on my toes at his question. "Yeah...I did want to throw a party. I just didn't have the time to invite people."

Even saying it embarrasses me. This is clearly my fault. With Carter in the city and my brain forcing me to prove myself professionally to him, I had become negligent of my son. This morning, I woke up and found him sitting on top of me, his big green eyes blinking in inquisition. When I wished him a happy birthday, his first question was about when his friends from playschool were coming to the party. That's when I remembered that I was supposed to throw a party. The phone call with Mom was basically her scolding me for being stupid from the other end.