“Home?” I asked, setting him on his feet on the couch. My eyes jumped to Jennifer’s. She shrugged helplessly and the nodded her head to the bedroom as if to say leaving was Vanessa’s idea.
“Yeah, Daddy. Mommy said that we’re going back to New York today. I want you to come with us. You can meet my new art teacher when I start school again.”
I grinned down at him. Colton loved art. Vanessa had sent me pictures of the dinosaurs he had drawn after I’d taken him to the American Museum of Natural History. I wanted to take him all over the world and feed his addiction. But I definitely did not want him to leave today.
“Going to have to talk to your mom about that,” I told him.
Just then, Vanessa walked into the room. She leaned her hip against the wall to the kitchen and crossed her arms. Her eyes were guarded and wary. It was a look I was used to getting from people today. Vanessa’s was warranted after the way I’d spoken to her at the New Year’s Eve party. She’d deserved it, but I didn’t like to argue with her. It wasn’t good for Colt to see us angry even if simply being in her presence pissed me off.
“You’re leaving?” I asked. “I thought you were staying for a couple of days.”
She shrugged. “Changed my mind.”
“Hey, Daddy!” Colton said, still holding my hand. “Look at my new drawings.”
I gave Vanessa a look that said this was not over and then sat down on the couch next to Colton.
“This one is a pterodactyl,” he said, showing me a flying green dinosaur. Then, he showed me another one with horns. “This is a triceratops.”
“Wow. These are really good, champ.”
I inspected the one he was working on now. They were good for his age. It made me proud, how much he loved this. He was excelling in school, but I never wanted to suffocate my kid’s love like my father had.
“Are you going to be an artist when you grow up?”
“No, Daddy, I’m going to be just like you.”
I laughed, and then life flashed before my eyes of Colton being just like I was with my father. I shuddered at the very idea. God, I hoped I wouldn’t ruin him.
“You can be and do whatever you want.”
“I’ll fly on planes then!”
“Like a pilot?”
“No. I’ll run my business in the air.”
I chuckled again. There was no deterring him. Perhaps, it was normal for your child to want to grow up to be like you. At least at this age. I knew he’d grow up to have huge dreams, and I wanted to be there to encourage every one of them.
“You know, little man, I have someone very special that I want you to meet when you’re ready. Would you like a new friend?”
“Yeah!” Colton agreed. “I love friends. Do you think he’d color with me?”
“Jensen!” Vanessa snapped from the kitchen.
Vanessa clearly was unhappy with the idea that I was going to introduce him to anyone. And I was sure she was pissed that it was coming on the heels of meeting Emery.
“I’m sure she would color with you,” I said. “But I’m going to go talk to your mom for a minute, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
I kissed him on the cheek and then left him to his drawings. Jennifer moved into to play with him while I stepped up to Vanessa.
“We need to talk.” She strode into the bedroom of the suite without another glance.
I took my time, following her inside and closing the door. I took over the space, stretching in height and crossing my arms over the bulk of my chest. She might want to have this conversation, but I wasn’t going to give her any concessions.
She whirled around on me and then took a step back. I knew that look on her face. I’d made my point. I wasn’t going to give an inch to the woman who frequently took a mile.
“You are not introducing your latest fling to Colton.”
“She’s my girlfriend, Vanessa. I can, and I will introduce her to my son.”
“Jensen, absolutely not! You don’t even know if she’s going to be in your life past tomorrow! I won’t allow you to disrupt his life like that.”
“Let’s get to the bottom of this, Vanessa. You don’t like that someone new is in my life, and you don’t want it to disrupt your delusions. This has nothing to do with Colt.”
“I don’t like that you’re going to introduce him to someone that might leave. That’s selfish.”
I ran a hand back through my hair and sighed. “You’re right, Vanessa. Under any other circumstance, it would be selfish. But it has been four years since we divorced. It’s not unreasonable for me to meet someone new in that time.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “She’s not someone new in your life. She’s another fling. I know you have them all the time. I know the signs.”