Chris's POV
Ari's hands fell from the knob as she turned to me. "It's not opening." She said as she looked back between me and the door like I knew how to solve this issue.
"Did you get a second key from the motel?" I asked, trying to offer up some solutions. She shook her head no as her eyes went back to the knob. A slight hum erupted from her as she swayed back and forth, trying to contemplate what to do in this situation.
"Could we maybe get a lock smith?" She asked, looking back up at me.
"We could, but the lock looks to be very old, they'd most likely just remove the entire door knob which could take sometime, and we'd have to call someone from out of town because there's no one here who does something like that." I explained.
"You don't have a locksmith?" She asked, incredulously.
"No one needs one in this small town. Everyone has spare keys. It's just the way it's been for years now." I nodded, smiling slightly at the puzzled face she was giving me. She shook her head at me slowly, as she got onto her knees then flat onto her stomach. "What are you doing?" I asked, as she laid her head against the crack under the door.
"I'm trying to see what's inside obviously!" She shot back and she closed one eye in hopes of focusing her vision.
"Yeah? And how's that working?"
"Not well." She replied as she pushed herself up off the floor, "all I saw was wooden flooring and what looks to be the bottom of some furniture but I'm not sure." She replied, as she dusted the dirt off herself.
I glanced at the time on my phone and cursed.
"What?" Ari asked.
"I gotta pick up Nick from his mothers in about 30 minutes, he's spending this weekend with me." I explained as I began to head down the stairs with Ari close behind me. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's completely fine, thanks so much for the help today! I didn't even notice the time fly by." Ari replied honestly as I turned to look at her. I honestly hadn't noticed either.
"Me as well." I smiled at her as we just stood there. Me in her living room, her on the second to last stair. It felt so surreal, from a movie or something. "Well I gotta go." I replied finally, slowly walking backwards before turning around to open the door. I glanced back once and she waved to me, a smile on her lips as I smiled and waved back before closing the front door behind me. My heart was beating sporadically as I tried to gain some control. The way she smiled continued to play again in my head, refusing to disappear as I opened my car and got in. I could smell the fresh lavender scent she left in my car as we brought in the supplies.
She lingered everywhere.
I finally slid the keys into the ignition and started the car, heading to Lacey's.
~
As I arrived, I noticed the second car in the driveway. I got out and locked the car before jogging up the stairs and ringing the doorbell. I heard light footsteps approach the door before the hinges roared to life as the door slid open.
"Lacey."
"Chris."
We nodded at each other in acknowledgement before she stepped aside and I walked in. Lacey's house was just shy of being a danger hazard. It took me 2 months to convince her to baby proof the place, and even now, I could see a few exposed outlets.
Lacey wasn't a bad mother, she truly did love Nick, but she just wasn't ready for children. It was never part of both of our plans but let's just say, I took it better. Initially, she wanted an abortion, but I quickly shut that down. I promised to take care of most, if not all, of the baby's needs as long as she had it. Once it was too late to go back on having the child, she wanted to put him up for adoption but I quickly shut that down too, telling her I would never agree to it. The difference between me and Lacey was that she never wanted to take responsibility for anything.
It had started off with me taking full custody of Nick. I raised him with the help of my dad and grandmother. As my grandmother passed, it was just me and my father who gave him everything he ever needed. It was only recently, around this past year, did Lacey wish to start seeing him. I was debating taking this to court but I understood that regardless of what I thought of her, she was still his mother. She carried him for nine months and successfully pushed him out of her vagina. She had some rights to see her kid.
So far, I've only agreed to every other weekend. This weekend was originally hers but she had plans for Tomorrow.
As I entered the living room, Nick was playing Wii with another man I couldn't make out because his back was to me. I cleared my throat and Nick's head quickly whipped around before he caught sight of me and his smile grew large.
"Daddy!" He screamed as he climbed over the couch and jumped into my open arms. I lifted him up.
"What's up, kid?" I asked as I pulled him closer to me, "are you ready to spend the weekend at paps?"
"Yeah!" He screamed as his small arms wrapped around my neck. The man on the couch turned around and he was someone I hadn't recognized before.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice coming out a bit rougher as my arms tightened around Nick protectively.
"Just a friend of Lacey's." He replied, nodding, before standing up. I turned to Lacey and she shook her head, silently telling me not to start anything in front of Nick. She knew how much I hated it when she introduced her boyfriend's to Nick.
"Alright, bud, let's head out." I said as I picked up his travel backpack and carried him out to my car. I glanced back at the car parked in the driveway. The license plate was bare along with signs of tabs.
The vehicle was unlisted.