I'll Be Waiting up Counting the Stars

I sat on the couch watching Mad Men after I dropped Jack off, eating my meal from McDonald's that I had picked up earlier.

The hour I got to spend with that kid was always the highlight of my day. He made me feel good, and it was fun to be responsible for him. The feeling of having someone look up to me was different. I mean, there was Alex when we were kids, but that doesn't count. She never thought I was that great, but Jack makes me feel like a good guy. He sees the best in me. He's still innocent, and I haven't hurt him yet. Hopefully I won't. He's like the little brother I never had.

I took another bite of my Big Mac when I heard a knock at my door.

I got up to answer it, assuming it was one of the guys.

"You're interrupting Mad Men you douchebag-"

I stopped right there when I saw a crying little kid outside my apartment door.

"Whoa, Jack! What's wrong? How'd you get here?" I asked, extremely concerned. His eyes were red and puffy and he had his Batman backpack packed full.

He just huffed and pushed past me, to step inside.

"Jack, buddy, does your mom know that you're here?" I asked frantically, not wanting to be charged with kidnapping.

"I hate her." He spat, angrily as he crossed his arms and walked over to the couch. "I want to stay with you."

"You know I'd love that, Jack but your mom needs you. What happened?" I asked.

"She brought my dad home, but I want you to be my dad, Austin! I don't like him. He talks weird and I like you better!" He told me.

Wait, was this guy his real dad?

"Jack, I'll be right back. Just stay put." I ordered. He nodded, sniffled, and watched tv.

I pulled my phone out and dialed the number of the first person that popped into my brain.

"Austin? What's up?" She asked, in a confused tone.

"Alex! I need you to tell me about Jack's dad." I said.

"Why?" She asked.

"Just do it!" I cried.

"I don't know...he's irish, blonde hair, blue eyes, his name is Jacob, he's pretty nice. Now why are you asking-"

I snapped my phone shut as my worst nightmare was confirmed. Jack's dad is back. His real dad. That means Janie probably wants to make it work so they can be a family. Fucking great.

"Austin, can I please live with you?" I heard a tiny voice plead from the living room.

"If it were up to me, then yeah, but you have to stay with your mama. She loves you a lot, Jack and so does your dad. You'll be happy with them, I promise." I frowned, sitting down next to him.

"But I'm happy with you. I love you." He protested.

"I love you too, buddy." I said with tears in my eyes as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Then why can't you be my dad?" He asked softly.

"I'll always be here for you, Jack." I replied as I pulled away from the embrace and wiped my tear away. "Now why don't you try to take a quick nap."

"Okay." He yawned as he laid down on my couch.

As soon as he closed his eyes, I slipped into my bedroom and dialed Janie's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Janie.. It's Austin."

"Look, now really isn't a good-"

"Jack is at my place."

"What!? Why! How did he get over there? How does he know-"

"I'll explain when you get here."

"Okay."

"And come alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

I ended the call and walked back into the living room and covered the sleeping kid up with my button up shirt.

I sat down next to him and waited for Janie to arrive. God is she gonna hate me for this. It was stupid to get attached to a kid that wasn't even mine. I should've known his dad would come back for them. Who would ever leave Janie? She's too perfect to just forget about. I hope she doesn't forgive him though. He left her and his son. I've known her for about three months and I wouldn't dare leave her if she was mine.

The only thing I really want though, is for this guy to stay true to his word. Jack doesn't deserve a dad that's only in his life when it's convenient.

A loud pounding on the door told me that she was finally here.

I walked over and opened the door before she came bursting in.

"Jack?" She called out.

"He's sleeping on the couch." I told her quietly.

She walked over to him a knelt down beside him.

Fuck, did she look amazing. She had on tight jeans and a loose heather gray shirt that showed just enough cleavage.

"What the hell, Austin?" She whispered harshly as she stroked her son's hair.

"Look, I did this with good intentions, I swear. I told Tina everyday where I was taking him and I was always back before you got home-"

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"I've been picking him up from daycare so I could get to know him, and so we could have a little guy time." I replied.

"And Tina knew about this?" She asked, to which I nodded. "That's why he's been so happy, isn't it?" She asked with her head down.

"I'd like to think so." I answered.

"Why did you do all that?"

"Because I wanted to prove to you that I was responsible. I picked him up everyday for the last three weeks." I explained.

"Does he actually like you?" She chuckled.

"Yes, mama." A tired little voice answered. "I want Austin to be my daddy, not that weird guy." He said.

"Sweetheart, please never run off like that again. I was so scared. How did you get here?"

"I told the bus driver that I was lost and my daddy lived here." He responded.

"Oh, Jack." She laughed, shaking her head. The kid was one sneaky motherfucker. "Let's go home, honey." She said, picking him up, along with my shirt.

"No! I wanna stay." He argued.

"Jack Michael Carter, what has gotten into you?" She asked, in a total mom voice that was actually kind of hot.

"I don't want you to go home and fall in love with that guy. I want you to be in love with Austin, mama. He says he loves you all the time and a mama and dad are supposed to love each other."

"We'll talk about it on the way home, baby." She told him as she went to leave.

I opened the door for her and waved goodbye to Jack as she walked out.

"Thank you." She said sincerely as she turned back to me.

"No problem." I nodded.

She gave me a small smile and walked off. I closed the door and went back to the couch. It was hard to focus on anything after what had just happened.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. I answered it, ready for just about anything, but I was still surprised.

"Janie-"

I was cut off by her lips crashing onto mine. She pulled away just as quick and smiled before leaving for real this time.

Wow.