Page 22 of Fierce-Michael

“Yes!” Ty said, doing a fist pump. “Bye, Mom.”

Ty ran back to his mother and hugged her without being told.

“See you later, Tyson,” Electra said and he walked out the apartment door and to his SUV.

“What is Grandma making for lunch?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Probably one of your favorites. She always does.”

“She loves me,” Ty said. “That’s why.”

He smiled. “Yes, she does.”

His parents had been supportive when they found out he was going to be a father. Maybe it had to do with the fact he was scared shitless over it but never wavered from doing the right thing.

He’d confided all his concerns to them and they’d told him to go for custody and they’d help out every way they could.

He was glad that he gave Electra time to figure it out on her own rather than taking her to court. Deep down he knew she’d react the way she had, but it was in less time than he’d thought.

He drove to his parents and listened to Ty talking about the kids he played with yesterday and was glad that Electra had brought it up so his son could do it. He wanted Ty to have those memories with his mother.

“Grandma,” Ty yelled when he opened the door at his parents’ house. “I’m hungry.”

Susan Marshall picked him up and hugged him. “Did you eat breakfast?” Michael asked. It hadn’t occurred to him since he’d bought all the food his kid liked.

“I did,” Ty said. “But I threw it up and now I’m hungry again.”

He lifted his eyebrow. That was something Electra should have told him.

His mother put her hand on Ty’s forehead. “He’s not warm.”

“What did you eat yesterday?” he asked.

“They had an ice cream truck and it was free. Mom said I could go back as much as I wanted. I went four times.”

Michael shut his eyes and held back the groan. “Did you eat dinner with it too?”

“They had hot dogs and fries with the movie along with popcorn and candy. I ate everything. But my belly hurt last night,” Ty said.

His mother looked at him. “Go take a deep breath outside,” his mother said.

“Yeah,” he said.

He heard his mother bring Ty to the back of the house and his father talking and he went to the front porch to stand there and suck in some air.

It was stupid shit like this that shouldn’t be happening.

But he reminded himself that Ty was fine. Kids overeat and throw up all the time.

He walked back in and saw Ty with a glass of juice and some crackers in front of him.

“He’s fine,” his mother said. “We’ll start with crackers. He said he had pancakes this morning and then threw up after. I asked if Electra gave him anything for his bellyache last nightand he said he fell asleep when they got back. That they stayed at the party until eight.”

“At least she didn’t ignore the fact his stomach hurt. Maybe he didn’t tell her,” he said.

“It’s over with now so don’t harp on it.”

“It would just be one more thing to the list of shit that happens every time he is with her,” he said.