Stepdad

THIRTY

"Mom, make sure Ryker takes his vitamin in the morning." Allie was having her first night without Ryker, him going to have a sleepover with his grandma, and Allie was throwing all kinds of things at her mother for her to remember, worrying about not being there to make sure they get done.

"Allie, I will make sure he takes his vitamin. I'm his grandmother, not a babysitter you just hired. He will be just fine with me." It was as if Allie didn't hear a word she said, too lost in her mind trying to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"Make sure he has his almond milk with his breakfast. His nap time is at eleven-thirty. He takes a bath at seven and is usually in bed by eight." Allie's mom was getting annoyed at this point and just wanted to be left alone with her grandson.

"Allison. Go home. Ryker is fine with me. I raised you, I know how to take care of a child." Allie let out a defeated sigh and leaned down to give her son a kiss on the cheek before she slipped her arms around him for a hug.

"Mommy will be back Sunday morning for you. You be good for nana, okay? I love you, baby." Ryker took his sippy cup out of his mouth before he leaned in and kissed her cheek in return. After she kissed him a few more times and said a few more I love you's, Allie left Ryker at her mothers and headed back home alone.

She had no idea what she was going to do with herself without Ryker with her, she had never left him alone with someone else before. When he was around, she had all these ideas of things she wished she could do, but now that he was gone, she couldn't think of a single thing.

She didn't even go home, she went straight to the house that was far too big for just a few people and pressed the button on the box at the gate, waiting for someone to answer. She never heard a word, only a loud buzzer before the gate began to open.

Allie found that to be a major safety concern. What if she was a crazy fan that wanted to break into their house? Wasn't that the purpose for the gate in the first place? For security? She was going to give Colson an ear full for not being more cautious.

She pulled into the circle driveway and parked next to Rooks bike before she got out of the car and made her way to the front door. She lifted a hand to knock a couple of times, it only taking a second for the door to open, a cloud of smoke hitting her in the face.

She expected Colson to be the one to answer the door but instead was greeted by a short female with straight brown hair, a confused look on her face. Allie was even more confused, eyeing the girl with suspicion. "Can I help you?" She asked in an awkward tone.

"Um, is Colson here?" The girl just looked even more confused than she did before Allie spoke. She wasn't rude, but she did tell Allie to give her a minute and shut the door. Allie thought about just leaving, but before she could open her car door, Colson came outside.

"Where are you going?" He was stepping off the porch, dressed in sweatpants and no shirt. His hair was a mess as usual and his eyes were bloodshot from the weed. Allie forgot about her awkward encounter with the random girl as soon as Colson picked her up into his arms.

Normally she hated being held like a child, too mature for such a thing. But when Colson did it, she felt safe and happy. "I'm sorry. I should have called first. I just missed you and didn't have anything else I wanted to do. Ryker is at my moms."

Colson moved his hands underneath Allie's thighs to hold her up better before he turned to carry her into the house. "You're my girlfriend. You don't have to call. You shouldn't even be knocking on my door." Allie couldn't help but smile, her heart fluttering in her chest over his words.

Once inside, the random girl had a completely different attitude when she saw Colson carrying her into the living room. Allie also had a different attitude when she saw the girl sitting rather closely to her best friend on the couch.

"Rena, this is my girlfriend, Allie. Allie, that's Rena. Rooks girlfriend." Allie watched Rook choke on the water he was drinking, his eyes bugged out of his head as he watched Allie jump down from Colson's arms, her eyes sending daggers in his direction.

"Allie, I was going to tell you. I swear to god." Rook was now on his feet with his hands in the air in defense. Allie was completely taken by surprise by what she just heard.

"I'm sure you were." Allie turned to face an amused looking Rena, her head tilting as she gave the girl her full attention. "It's very nice to meet you. Could you tell me how long you and him have been together?" Allie could hear Rook plead with Rena to not answer that question, but she did anyway.

"I can see what's going on here. She's your best friend isn't she?" Rena was fully enjoying this, amused by the terrified look on Rooks face. "We've been together, what, two months now, babe?" Rook looked as if he wanted to sink into the floor and hide.

Allie's head snapped in his direction, a look of betrayal on her face. "Two months? Two months and you haven't even told me about her? What the fuck is wrong with you? Your best friend should know about your girlfriend." She marched right over to him and grabbed him by his ear before pulling him into the kitchen, Rook complaining as he had no choice but to follow.

She let go of him and pointed her slender finger in his face. "You don't keep a girl that pretty a secret! It would have been nice to know you had a girlfriend! I was about to accuse Colson of cheating!" Rook laughed at that, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Colson cheating on you? That would never happen. He loves you. Even when we leave for tour Friday, you will be the only person on his mind." Allie froze when she heard this, her jaw dropping to the floor. She had no idea that they would be leaving. Colson hadn't told her yet.