Double Lines

Tyler wasn’t thrilled when Ethan arrived home that night. He didn’t tell his dad what had happened but was very clingy towards him.

“What happened?” Ethan asked after he had put Tyler to bed.

“One of the kids at playgroup called him a liar when he said he had a daddy,” I admit, looking down at my fingers.

“Oh,” Ethan says, climbing into bed with me.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asks when I don’t say anything.

“It’s my fault,” I admit.

“What is?”

“That Tyler didn’t have you before. I could have told you. But I was scared,” I explain. Ethan wraps his arms around my shoulders.

“I’m here now.”

“I know, but….”

“I’m here now, that’s what matters.”

“They called him a bastard,” I mumble.

“Well, he’s not. He’s loved by both of us. I love him, Mick. He’s perfect, and you did a good job with him.”

I nod, looking up at my man.

“Did you hate me?”

“Hate you?”

“When I told you Tyler was yours? Did you hate me?”

“No. No, I could never hate you.”

“Even though I kept Tyler from you?” I ask.

“I’m here now. And we’ll have other children I can watch grow in your belly,” Ethan says. I chuckle at this.

“Other children?”

“Aha. Definitely. I want to fill our house with our children,” Ethan says, leaning down and kissing me.

“Okay,” I say, wrapping my arms around his chest.

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” I reply, smiling.

That week and the next went through the same motions as the first, with Ethan spending the nights at my place and coming to Little Kickers. He wasn’t happy when we went to Daniel’s soccer game, but as Ethan is Daniel’s boss, Daniel minded his p’s and q’s around us.

Tyler and I went to playgroup on Thursday, and Sofia was noticeably absent. Hala had been sent an email with a list of things to do, but we convinced her to give the kids a break and let them play.

I awoke Friday morning to an empty but warm bed where Ethan had slept. Sighing, I pulled some clean underpants on and headed for the kitchen.

“Good morning,” I greet. Ethan turns around and smiles at me. He is wearing navy slacks and a navy vest over a white business shirt, and he looks sexy as fuck.

“Hmm, you look good,” I smile, wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning to kiss him.

“And you smell so good,” I add.

“Thank you. You look good, too,” Ethan says. I scoff, looking back at my shirt and undies sleepwear combination.

“You’d look better with no clothes, though,” Ethan winks, making me laugh.

“Tea?”

“Yes, please,” I say, taking two crumpets out of the fridge to put in the toaster. We work quietly as I get the butter and jam and put it on the kitchen table. Ethan puts my tea on the table and runs upstairs to say goodbye to Tyler.

“I’ll see you later,” Ethan says, kissing my lips when he returns.

“Okay,” I reply. I eat my crumpets and listen for Tyler to wake up and come downstairs.

When I finish eating and put my dishes in the dishwasher, I get a bowl and coco-pops ready for Tyler when he gets up. I then go upstairs to shower and prepare for the day.

“What are we doing today?” I ask Tyler as I watch him finish his breakfast. He shrugs his shoulders.

“We could go for a walk and look at the shops?”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, let’s put our shoes on then,” I suggest. Tyler nods and runs for the shoe rack while I collect his dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

I checked the mail as we left and saw a very formal-looking envelope from the hospital. As we walked, I opened the envelope, reading the contents inside.

“Actually, do you want to go see Daddy at work?” I ask, smiling.

“Daddy?” Tyler asks.

“Yeah,” I nod, “he works with G-poppy,” I add.

“Can we see G-poppy too?”

“Yes. Let’s see if Melina wants us to bring a gift pack?”

“Yeah!” Tyler shouts, jumping up and down. I laugh and lead him around the building to the front of the shop.

We walk into the café, which is reasonably busy on a Friday morning. Tyler runs to the food display to look while I wait in line.

“Good morning!” Tamsin greets when she finishes with her customer.

“Good morning!” I reply with a smile.

“I see that it is,” Tamsin grins.

“We’re going to see Daddy!” Tyler tells her.

“Are you?” Tamsin asks, to which Tyler nods enthusiastically.

“I was wondering if we could get some treats for David and Ethan?” I ask, knowing that David always orders the same things every time for his business meetings.

“How many?”

“All of it!” Tyler answers, making us laugh.

“Six? Please?” I ask. Tamsin nods and grabs a cardboard box to put the pastries in. When done, Tyler and I thank her, and I pay.

I park in the underground carpark at the Pinnacle building and take the elevator while holding Tyler’s hand. We transfer elevators to the foyer to get to the floor where Ethan works.

“Well, hello!” Willow smiles when we walk out of the elevators.

“We’re going to see Daddy!” Tyler says, attempting to lift his chin over the reception desk so Willow can see him.

“He doesn’t know we’re coming. Is he free?” I ask.

“Well, no meetings are on the agenda today, and he’s here. I think seeing him today will be fine,” Willow smiles.

“Thanks,” I reply.

“Have you been to your dad’s office before?” Willow asks Tyler.

“No! But I’ve been to G-poppy’s!”

“Well, your Dad’s office is just like your poppy’s just a little smaller,” Willow says.

“And white,” I comment. Willow laughs.

“Yes, and white,” Willow agrees.

“I’m gonna see Daddy’s office!” Tyler grins, bouncing from one foot to the other.

“He’s really excited,” I tell Willow.

“I can see that,” Willow laughs.

“Come on, let’s see if Daddy is free,” I say, grabbing Tyler's hand.

“I’ll call you,” Willow says as we go.

“Yup,” I reply with a smile.

I hold Tyler’s hand as we walk towards Ethan’s office. It’s busy, and although the staff here know Tyler, I don’t want him to get in their way as they work. Some people greet us as we walk past, and Tyler cutely waves at them when he says hello.

We turn towards Ethan’s office, which is in a quieter part of the floor, and I let go of Tyler’s hand as we approach. I watch as he runs up to Yolanda, Ethan’s secretary, who is sitting at her desk. I don’t hear what Tyler says to her, but she looks up at him with a glare and continues with her work.

“Hi, Yolanda. I’m here to see Lincoln. Is he available?” I ask when I approach her.

“No,” she grunts in response.

“Do you know where he is?”

“In a meeting,” she states, finally looking up at me before returning to her work.

“Do you know when he’s free? Or how long he’ll be?” I ask when I realise she’s ignoring me.

“Okay… we’ll just wait here…” I say, stepping back to head for the couch opposite her desk.

“Look, bitch,” Yolanda speaks up, making me stop in my tracks and turn towards her. Yolanda stands up, her hands on her desk as she leans menacingly towards me. I scan her face and then her form. She’s put on a natural look, with her makeup perfectly done to highlight her beautiful features. However, her blouse clings tightly to her chest, the buttons undone, showing off her ample cleavage. Yolanda wears a grey checked skirt that perfectly hugs her hips.

I begin to open my mouth to reply, but Yolanda keeps talking.

“I know women like you. You’re like flies after money. Here you come thinking you’ll be more than a fling, but I’ll tell you something: he’s just using you. Once he gets bored, he’ll toss you aside like last night’s dinner. I know men like Lincoln Rosebank, you’re only a passing phase. So I suggest you take your bastard child and leave before I call security and have you escorted out of the building,” Yolanda says, her hand moving to her phone.

“Mummy, what’s a bitch?” Tyler asks, tugging my hand. I only realise he’s been doing it throughout Yolanda’s little speech when he speaks.

“It’s not a nice word,” I reply, looking at my son. Tyler furrows his brows.

“Like when she called me a barstood?” Tyler asks. I numbly nod.

“Hey! You can’t call my mummy that! That’s a mean word, and it’s not very nice to call people mean words!” Tyler yells, turning to look at Yolanda with his hands on his hips.

“Last warning bitch, get your crotch-critter and leave before I call security,” Yolanda says in a low voice.

“Hey! You’re being mean!” Tyler yells, running over to Yolanda with his hand in a fist. I grab him just in time, pulling him towards me.

“Buddy,” I say, squatting down to his level, “she’s not worth it. And remember safe hands?” I ask. Tyler nods.

“I’m sorry, mummy,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Let’s go,” I suggest, standing up while holding Tyler in my arms.

“You’re a mean lady!” Tyler yells at Yolanda before burying himself in my neck.

“What’s going on here?” Ethan asks, opening his office door.

“Oh, Mr Rosebank, this child was running around and jumping on the couch. I tried to ask his mother to settle him down, but she was very rude,” Yolanda says, walking around her desk to stand closer to Ethan. I stand there dumbly, not knowing what to say, totally blindsided.

“Tyler, you know you shouldn’t be running indoors. It is very unsafe!” Ethan scolds, making Tyler bury his head further in my shoulder again.

“I did try to tell them an office was not the best place for children, but they wouldn’t listen,” Yolanda adds, grasping at her hands.

“Is this true?” Ethan asks, making Yolanda nod. Again, I’m stumped for words, unable to defend myself. I’ve never been good at confrontations, especially when vindictive stories are made up about me.

“Mikaela, are you okay?” Ethan then asks, leaving Yolanda’s side and walking up to me. I look at Yolanda for her reaction, but her face is blank. Unfortunately for me, my face is like an open book. I can never keep my true feelings to myself.

I shake my head as Ethan wraps his arms around my shoulders. I don’t respond, standing there stiffly. Emotions run through my body, firstly shock and then anger towards Yolanda and her attitude and lies, followed by anger and bewilderment at Ethan’s quick reaction to scold my son. Tyler is a good kid and knows not to run around indoors. He definitely would not jump on furniture. He doesn’t do that.

“Come on,” Ethan says, leading me towards his office. I stiffly move with him, not looking at Yolanda as we walk past.

“Yolanda, can you please get a latte, mocha and hot chocolate from the café down the street?” Ethan asks.

“Yes, sir,” I hear her reply as Ethan closes the door on her.

When we walk in, I gently drop Tyler to the floor and let him walk over to the impractical white leather couch. I cringe internally, hoping Tyler doesn’t ruin it by drawing on it or something.

“Tell me what happened,” Ethan says, leading me to the couch so that we’re sitting next to Tyler. As we do, Tyler jumps up and goes to my bag, where his book is. I help him retrieve it, and he returns to the couch happy.

“We just wanted to come see you, and she said you were in a meeting,” I begin, watching Ethan’s expression as he furrows his brows in confusion.

“What’s a bitch?” Tyler then pops up, looking at Ethan.

“It’s not a nice word,” I offer.

“Where did you hear that?” Ethan asks.

“That mean lady called mummy a bitch. And me a barstoot and a crot, crot, crot...” Tyler begins, looking at me for help.

“Crotch-critter,” I supply, sighing. I didn’t want to look at Ethan to see his reaction, but I was beginning to feel the tension in the air.

“She did?” Ethan says after a while. Tyler and I nod.

“And I didn’t run around or jump on things like she said. But I did want to hit her when she was mean to mummy,” Tyler says, the last part looking sad. I hear Ethan groan, but still, I don’t look at his face. I feel Ethan cup my chin, making me look at him.

“I believe you. I’m sorry I thought the worst of our son,” Ethan says. I nod, tears pooling in my eyes. I’m feeling very emotional at the moment; I must be getting my period: dam period and hormones. I nod my head towards Tyler, who still looks sad.

“I’m sorry I tried to hit the mean lady. But mummy stopped me,” Tyler admits to Ethan.

“And I’m sorry I told you off for running around and jumping on the furniture when you didn’t,” Ethan says, taking Tyler's wrist and pulling him onto his lap. Tyler shuffles to sit between us but is still on Ethan’s lap.

“One moment,” Ethan says, standing up and putting Tyler on the couch beside me. I watch as he walks over to his desk and makes a phone call. The first call is to David, asking him to come by his office, and the next is to someone called Ghassan, asking him to also come to the office.

“So why do I get the pleasure of your visit?” Ethan asks, smiling at us in an attempt to change the mood.

“We buyed treats!” Tyler says, picking up the bag from the floor and giving it to Ethan.

“What’s the occasion?” Ethan smiles. Tyler shrugs, but I get the envelope with the DNA results from my bag and hand it to him.

“Read it,” I push as Ethan raises an eyebrow at me. I watch as he scans the page, a smile forming on his lips. Of course, I always knew that Tyler was his son, not to mention that Tyler looks like him, but it’s nice to have the paperwork to confirm it.

“This is great news!” Ethan cheers happily, pulling Tyler and me in closer for a hug.

Someone knocks on the door and opens it before Ethan can respond.

“Kaela, you’re here!” David says happily.

“G-poppy!” Tyler calls out, sliding off the couch when Ethan and I pull apart and run over to David, who lifts and cuddles him.

“What brings you by? Besides bringing my favourite grandchild to see me, of course,” David asks, still holding on to Tyler.

“She brought this,” Ethan smiles, handing him the DNA results.

“What’s it say?” Tyler asks when David begins to read it.

“It says you’re Ethan’s son, which makes you a Rosebank!” David smiles.

“We also need to talk,” Ethan starts.

“About what?” David asks, raising an eyebrow. It’s a Rosebank trait, alright. It's something I wish I could do.

“Yolanda called Mikaela a bitch and Tyler a bastard and crotch-critter,” Ethan explains. David doesn’t say anything; instead, he grits his teeth, his face turning redder and redder.

“You call Ghassan?” David asks. Ethan nods.

“Who is Ghassan?” I ask. I’ve met most of the staff on this floor, but not a Ghassan. I know Pinnacle owns the building and operates on many floors; I also know that they rent floors to other companies.

“He’s our new Tech guy,” Ethan explains. Then, there is a knock on the door.

“Speak of the Devil,” David says.

“What’s a devil?” Tyler asks.

“An Angel who fell in love with a human and got tossed out of heaven because of it,” I whisper.

“Okay. Is it a bad word?”

“Depends,” I whisper back.

“You called boss?” Ghassan, a short, dark-skinned man, asks when he walks in.

“Yes. Can you pull up the video footage outside my office?” Ethan asks.

“Sure. Can I use your computer?” Ghassan asks. I notice he speaks with an accent. Ethan nods, and I watch the three men walk around Ethan’s desk and watch Ghassan work.

“It even has audio,” Ghassan says proudly.

“What does?” Tyler asks, running around the table to have a look himself. Ethan grins and picks him up.

The men stand there for about five minutes, watching the video. I sit there and watch them, hearing only bits and pieces of the audio as it plays.

Another knock is heard at the door, making the men look up and watch Yolanda walk in with the coffee and hot chocolate.

“Yolanda, we are meeting in boardroom two in twenty minutes. Can you please ask Mary from HR to be there?” David asks.

“Yes, sir,” Yolanda smiles, putting the coffees on Ethan’s desk. She smiles at Ethan, who had put Tyler down as soon as he had heard the knock, and turns to leave the room, but not before scowling at me.