A weekend with the Alpha novel Chapter 36

"He hasn't been around all these years, but you do have one and he's here now." My eyes travelled back to Aaron, whose keen eyes stayed on his son, beholding, observing.

It took a while for Zion to process everything I just told him, and I didn't rush him. My eyes stayed on him reading the waves of emotions from confusion to scepticism and unsureness and after a minute of silence, his eyes narrowed on me.

"He's my daddy?" he asked as if that was the worse thing that had ever happened to him. Well, considering he's planning to take Zion away from me, he might just be the worse thing that happened to the both of us.

"Yes, Zion. He's your daddy." I said the last three words almost as bitter as vinegar.

Zion blinked a few times before turning around to face Aaron, who stood with his arms over his chest at the door.

"I don't like him, mommy." he blurted out before running upstairs, leaving the three adults in the room.

I wanted to run after him, but Diya stopped me. "I'll go after him." She left the living room at the same minute, leaving us alone.

I didn't want to be alone with Aaron. Not after last night. Not after he'd brought me to my knees and made me shed painful tears. I'd accept anything but being alone with him.

I folded my arms across my chest and chewed on my bottom lips, a trait I always exhibited whenever I'm anxious, tensed or worried and right now, I was freaking out.

If Aaron had left it to me, I would have introduced him to Zion as a friend and gradually work the way up to him being his father, but things were not up to me anymore. I doubt he came here today, wanting to be introduced as anything but his father.

"He's beautiful," Aaron spoke up from beside me where he stood and I glanced at him, confused at first. "He's beautiful," he repeated, seeing my confusion.

'Well, his father, despite being an asshole, is a beautiful man as well.' I replied in my mind.

"He is," I agreed, the tension I felt around me lessening. "He is sweet, smart, brave, and kind. He's also strong. I know he didn't take that from me because I'm not that strong."

He let himself into the house and closed the door. "Do not sell yourself short. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I know a lot of them," he said, and there was no form of mockery attached to his words.

I flashed him a genuine smile. "Thank you."

He just paid me a compliment. This was the Aaron I knew five years ago. The one that made me smile throughout the weekend.

'And broke your heart before you left. Do not forget that part.'

Of course, I didn't tell him the entire story of everything that led me to cut him off completely after that weekend at last night's date. There was no need for him to know.

"Do not talk to me about my son like you know him better than I do!" I slammed and here we go. Back to the fighting. "You haven't even spent a day with him and you think you have everything figured out."

"He's my blood. I don't need to spend a day with him to know what he's capable of and believe me when I say he's not like other kids."

"Then what is he like?"

"He's like me, and I'm not like other men," he answered, and that had to be the most absurd thing I have ever heard.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right."

Why did I think I could reach a sensible agreement with him? He did not differ from other men who were always trying to insert their dominance and take things by force from the weaker ones.

"I'm not giving you Zion without a fight, Aaron," I told him.

"You cannot fight me and win," he said with utmost certainty in his voice.

"For Zion, I will die trying!!" I growled at him.