Walls Between Us

19 | hot mistakes

from here on, this book will contain explicit sexual content so please read at your own discretion

(18+)

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A M A Y A

The night has fallen by the time we reach home. Silent footsteps enter the apartment behind me when I walk through the door.

Carter strolls in with a sleeping Parker in his arms. Our son is clueless about the tension between his parents. His arms are around his father - hugging him even in his sleep.

I place my sling bag on a table nearby and reach for him.

"Here, let me put him to bed," I say to Carter, raising my hands to take my son.

Carter stares at my extended hand, then at me. His green eyes furrow, annoyance broadcasted on his brows.

"Where does he sleep?" he asks instead, holding Parker more firmly to his body.

I drop my hands, a muscle in my jaw ticking. I mean to say more stuff to him. I have realized that the meaner I am to him, the less chance there is of him taking my son from me. After all that custody shit he talked of in the park, my heart constantly dreads his offer becoming the truth of Parker's life.

I sigh in defeat, quietly letting him follow me in the direction of my room. As we enter the lightly lit space, my insides churn at the thought of Carter being in my private space.

My room isn't decorated much. There is a queen-sized bed in the middle with white cushions and golden sheets, a bedside table where a framed picture of Parker and me stands tall, a cupboard, and a desk. The walls are bare, painted nude. Over the past two years, I never got a chance to decorate this place. I was too busy making a life for myself and my son to care about anything else.

I walk over to the bed and arrange the sheets to make space for Parker.

"Put him on this side," I instruct, not daring to meet Carter's eyes.

He places a hand behind Parker's head as he puts one of his knees on the bed. Leaning in, he places our son softly on a pillow, brushing the hair from his face in the process. I watch as he rises and takes off Parker's shoes with gentle care. The child is snoring softly, oblivious to everything that is going on. His guitar however is still clutched in his hand. We both know that the moment we try to pry that out, he will wake up.

Placing Parker's shoes on the floor, Carter rises to his feet. He looks at his son, admiration evident on his face. He reaches an index finger forward to trace the shape of Parker's cheekbones while smiling softly.

Seeing him with our son does bad things to me. It reminds me of things that never were. Things that could have been.

"You should go," I blurt, irritated by his presence - knowing that at the end of the day, he is bound to leave us.

He jerks his hand away and meets my eyes. His lips part as if to say something but he decides against it.

"Take care of him," he tells me.

I nod while he turns on his heels and walks out of the room. I follow behind him after shutting the door, watching him slide his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His shoulders are tensed - as I can make out from behind - and there is a hesitation in his every step.

He stops suddenly, just before he can open the front door.

"Actually..." He turns around and faces me. "I think I'm gonna stay the night."