Stepdad

FORTY

Allie was on the couch, reading a book while Ryker sat on the rug in front of her, watching television. A knock on the door startled Allie out of her trance and caused her to put her book down. "I'll be right back, baby."

She got up from the couch and went to the door to see who was there, thinking it was just Rena since she never really texted to say she was coming over. Allie opened the door and nearly stopped breathing when she caught sight of who it was.

"What are you doing here? How did you find my address?" Allie rambled, confused by what was going on. The last person she expected to show up at her door was her sons father. He looked the same as she remember, just taller and more tan.

"You're all over the internet, Allie Bear. There's videos and pictures going around of you at the hospital and I'm not sure why but I wanted to make sure you were okay." Allie was a little more disturbed now.

"You still didn't tell me how you found my address." Allie was close to slamming the door in his face, he was being very creepy and making her uncomfortable.

"Your mom gave it to me. I saw her at the store when I got back into town." Allie was furious that her mother would do such a thing, and especially not tell her about it. This was way past crossing the line.

"I'm fine. So, if you don't mind, you can leave now." Allie went to shut the door but his foot caught it before she could. "Blake, go away. You don't get to disappear and come back when it's convenient."

"Allie, I graduated college. I didn't want to step up and be a father until I had something in my hands that I could support my child with." Allie hated that she was in this position. This was a hard one to deal with, especially right now.

"Even if that were true, why didn't you tell me this a long time ago?" It was inexcusable, something that couldn't be justified by any excuse.

"I was eighteen. I was a kid. Can you at least give me a chance as an adult this time?" Allie really thought about it, she was going through so much with Colson at the moment and didn't know where her head was at still.

"I'll give you one chance, with your son. Not with me. I can't trust you that much yet. You can have visits here with Ryker, but beyond that I need space to think." Blake could understand that and fully accepted it.

"Where is he? Can I meet him?" Allie really hoped she didn't regret this, Ryker had no idea who he even was. As far as he knew he just had Colson, and he didn't even have him right now.

"No telling him that you're his dad yet. I don't want to confuse him. Can you at least respect that?" Blake nodded and stepped inside when Allie let him in, and took a look around to find his son.

A bright smile came to his lips when he saw Ryker on the floor, the television show he was watching now on commercial. He went over to the boy and sat down on the floor next to him. "Hey, buddy. I'm Blake. I'm a friend of your moms."

Ryker glanced over at him briefly before looking back at the television. "Don't take it personal. He doesn't know who you are." Or he just got bad vibes from you. He loved Colson from the very beginning. Allie really needed to quit thinking about him.

"I won't push it. He's the cutest thing I have ever seen." Allie heard that thick southern accent that she fell in love with years ago, but it didn't have the same affect on her now.

"If you want, you can come to the kitchen and talk? I made some tea earlier." Allie offered, Blake following her into the kitchen before taking a seat at the bar. Allie began pouring two cups of tea and carrying them over.

"So, what did you major in?" Allie asked, figuring small talk was better than nothing. It was honestly all that she could really handle. She was so drained, it was really taking a toll on her.

"Psychology. Pediatric to be exact. I had a lot of credits from studying in high school so I got to graduate early." Allie was proud of him, he had always wanted to do that. He talked about it often.

"I have my own office in Cleveland now. Just purchased it. Thought I might move here so I can see Ryker more often." He shrugged, a small smile forming on his lips. Allie was at a loss for words, didn't know what to say.

Allie knew she had to tell him about Colson to be fair, and also let him know of Colson's relationship with Ryker. "I'm going to be honest with you since you were honest with me. I have a boyfriend. Well, kind of. It's complicated right now."

Allie took a deep breath to calm her nerves before telling him the next part. "He has a strong bond with Ryker. That's why I don't want to confuse him. I mean, what can I do? He's only two."

Blake slowly nodded, trying to take this information in and adjust to it. He couldn't be mad about it, he wasn't around and someone else stepped in. "Okay. That's cool. It doesn't have to be confusing. Obviously you can't tell him anything yet."

Allie was relieved that he was taking this so well, as if a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. Blake had matured over the years, more grown up now. That was a nice change from what he used to be.

"So, tell me more about Ryker. What does he like? What does he like to do?" Allie couldn't help but smile, he was so interested in finding out as much as he could about their son.

Allie began her long ramble, telling him everything she could think of, down to the small details.