Mystery Author’s Story (Chapter 2)

The story continues. If you missed the first part, go to https://the-armijo-signal.com/25286/entertainment/and-so-it-begins/

Chapter 2 

When Paige arrived home, she let herself in, shut the door and collapsed on the inside of the front door, with a blank stare. Her mother rushed down the stairs in a greeting and stopped abruptly at the bottom step. Noting how out of it her daughter appeared, she called upstairs. 

“Aiden, Let’s put on a movie. I’ll come back and set it up for you.” 

“I thought, I heard Mommy come home. She usually makes me wait until the weekend to watch a movie at night,” called the voice of a little boy. There was no surprise that young Aiden was Paige’s and Jason’s son. He had Paige’s green eyes, though they were shaped like his father’s. As everyone who had seen Jason realized right away, Aiden’s smile was a dead giveaway. Though he had a lighter hue, he was the unmistakably a product of an interracial union. 

“If you don’t tell her, I won’t,” said a scheming grandmother trying successfully to divert the young boy’s attention. 

After a few minutes, Paige’s mother appeared and gestured her daughter into the Kitchen. Paige followed and sat down at the table.  Rachael Dylan had moved in with her daughter after her husband’s untimely death and Paige’s unexpected announcement of being pregnant. Rachael had instantly fallen in love with her grandson from birth and readily stayed around in order to care of Aiden while Paige stayed active duty in the Air Force. It was easier to be a family of three than a single mother paying for child support. Whether a long or short deployment, Rachael was a loving and doting grandmother. 

Placing a cup of hot tea in front of the both of them, Rachael joined Paige. After a moment of just staring at the tea, she began to speak in a deadpan voice. 

“I met Aiden’s father today.” Her mother wisely did not respond. Like everyone else, she knew very little about the man who had gotten her daughter pregnant. Only that it was a fling during an under-cover assignment. Paige had looked for him for years but always came up without a trace. Deep in her heart, Paige had always believed that he would be found and accept the both as family. As the years passed, Paige had continued to hold onto her dream of them reuniting. 

 “Like me he was undercover. He works for the FBI and was using an alias…..  Why did I never consider that option?” There was a long silence. Rachael grabbed her daughter’s hand from across the table. 

“There were two different intelligence operations going on simultaneously but neither of us realized it. Aiden;” she shook her head. “Jason, said that he was looking for me also but didn’t get far because my alias was blocked.”

“Mom; I don’t know what to think and I don’t know what to say about him.” She said gesturing upstairs. 

“So, Aiden’s father is a good guy then?” Rachael asked hesitantly. She was highly doubtful and suspicious about anything relating to her grandson’s father. “so, you might have been right all along.” 

“His real name is Jason Garrett, and he was pulled from his undercover assignment soon after I was. At that point, I didn’t realize that I was pregnant.” That was all new information to Rachael who was finally able to process the situation with new insight. 

“I am going to have to go back undercover again, With Jason, At the same place with the same Aliases.  I know that we are on the same side now. I can trust him with the case, but I don’t know what to say about our son?” 

“What did the Major say?”

“He noticed the resemblance right away. He wanted to know if I would be ok to go back again. I said that I was fine and didn’t want to look weak but honestly; I just don’t know what to do?” She sighed loudly, covering her face in her hands.

“Don’t say a word until you get to know him better. When the time is right, you will make the right decision.” Rachael advised. Silently praying that her answer was the right one in the situation.