Chapter 21
"Airhead....get the door!" AJ shouted from the kitchen as he tried to feed a fussy Celine. The doorbell was ringing and he couldn't leave her in the highchair to get it.
"Okay, okay....I'm going." Aaron said, walking to the door.
"Hello. Is Amanda home?" the man at the door asked. Aaron looked at him in confusion...this man looked like Nick but much, much older.
"AJ!!!" he shouted. The man looked at him with an eyebrow raised, thinking. AJ came into the room carrying Celine, wiping at something on her face.
"Who is it, kiddo?" he asked, balancing the baby on his hip. She giggled when he moved her and he chuckled.
"He's looking for Amanda." Aaron said. AJ looked at the man, his eyes narrowed.
"Take the baby upstairs, I will handle this." he said softly, giving her to him.
"What can I do for you?" he added once the kids were out of the room. The man who looked so much like Nick smiled.
"I was wondering if Amanda was home...I'm Nick's father." he said warmly.
"Nick's father?" AJ asked, not believing it himself. To his knowledge Nick had no father. He had met his mother several weeks ago when she tried to take Aaron away.
"Yes, I would like to visit with him if that is all right." Bob explained. AJ was still skeptical so he wanted to confirm things with Amanda before doing anything.
"Okay. Take a seat if you like...I have to make a phone call." AJ replied with a smile, waving to the couch nearby. Bob nodded and took one of the chairs while AJ went into the kitchen to call Amanda, who was at the nightclub doing rehearsals with JC.
"AJ, how many times do I have to tell you not to bother me when I'm in rehearsals?" she snapped once she picked up the phone.
"Uh....there is a guy here claiming to be Nick's dad." AJ said softly, eyeing Bob through the kitchen door.
"He showed up?" Amanda exclaimed.
"Wait, you know him? I thought his dad was dead."
"You thought his mom was dead too until she attacked you, Jay. Nick's father is alive. What does he look like?"
"Like Nick but older." AJ said, watching him.
"Well, don't let him upstairs. Keep him busy until I come home. Aaron doesn't know Bob is his dad." Amanda explained.
"Oh, shit. They kind of met already, Aaron answered the door." AJ said. This whole meeting could go good or very bad very quickly.
"Don't tell him anything. I want to be there for this, let Nick tell them. Bob doesn't know about Aaron either." Amanda said before they hung up. AJ walked into the other room and Bob looked up at him from the couch.
"Uh...hi." AJ said hesitantly, waving. Bob chuckled, a grin playing at his lips.
"I suppose we have to wait for a bit, don't we?" he said as AJ sat down across from him.
"Yes. Amanda is on her way home. She should be here in a few."
"So are you one of Nick's friends?" Bob asked, looking at AJ's tattoos. AJ rubbed his arm nervously, most parents didn't like him. All he could think about was Brian's parents a few years ago, and how they had reacted to his wild appearance.
"Yes, I help take care of the kids...I'm kind of the unofficial nanny." AJ explained, rubbing at his neck.
"Nanny?" Bob asked. He raised an eyebrow at him and eyed his arms again.
"Well, I'm a tattoo artist by profession, but I help them here with the baby." AJ replied.
"Okay, I can see that. You look more like a tattoo artist than someone's nanny." Bob said. Aaron walked into the room with Celine and AJ's eyes went wide.
"Aaron...hi...I thought I told you to go upstairs?" he said. Aaron looked at Bob, the two of them studying each other.
"She won't go to sleep, I think she wanted you." the boy replied.
"Who is this?" he added, sitting down.
"Oh...I'm Nick's uncle....Robert." Bob said, holding out his hand, but Aaron didn't take it right away.
"Uncle? Oh...that means you're my..." Aaron started, but AJ clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Kids these days...making up crazy stories. Aaron go to your room. I'm sure you have homework to do?" AJ said, laughing nervously. Aaron mumbled something under AJ's hand as he was pushed towards the stairs.
"Go to your room." AJ said sternly once they reached the bottom of the steps.
"But..." Aaron protested, looking towards the living room.
"Aaron, go to your room. Or you're grounded." AJ snapped. Aaron reluctantly went back upstairs, stomping his feet as he went. AJ went back to the living room where Bob was holding Celine and making baby sounds, tickling her belly. She giggled and cooed, waving her hands at him as she smiled. Amanda finally came home, setting her purse on the counter and smiling as she walked into the room.
"Hello, Bob. I was happy to hear you came by." she said warmly.
"I did some thinking and you were right...I want a relationship with Nick, I want to tell him the truth about why I left." Bob explained as he handed AJ the baby.
"Okay. I am going to go upstairs and see if he is awake." Amanda said. She went upstairs to Nick's room where she found him sitting up in bed, watching television.
"Hi, baby." Amanda said, kissing him gently on the cheek.
"Hello. What's going on downstairs?" Nick asked, looking at the door. Amanda laughed, she had forgotten how good Nick's hearing was, the walls were thin in his house.
"Oh, AJ and Aaron are just making noise. You know how they are." she said, laughing. Nick laughed too and shook his head in agreement.
"I'm kind of hungry, can you make me something?" he asked.
"Sure, baby. There is a visitor downstairs, are you up for seeing anybody?" Amanda told him, smiling.
"Yeah, send them on up." Nick said. Amanda kissed his forehead and walked back downstairs, hoping that this would go well, it didn't seem that Nick expected his father to show up...and between him and Aaron, she wondered how it would all go down.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Enjoy this update! Thanks for reading!
