Chapter 7
After that day, Jetson’s life was in ruins. There were stories all over the place about his scandalous son. Stacy hadn’t even given him the opportunity to explain himself. She took one look at the picture and there was no doubt in her mind that the baby was indeed his. She was furious and filed for divorce in a heartbeat. She didn’t need some cheater.
With the divorce, Jetson faced a serious blow to his wallet as Stacy took everything that she could. She took the house, forcing him to once again live in one of his father’s apartments. Jetson didn’t like the downgrade, but he had no choice.
He was furious at Nicole. How could she ruin his life? It wasn’t fair. His life had been perfect. Now anytime he went outside, he was faced with cameras in his face calling him a liar, a cheat, and a horrible father. He didn’t want a bad reputation, but that’s all that he got with the whole scandal.
He went from the man of the year to the monster of the century. He didn’t know what to do and the scandal just kept growing as Nicole was harassed by reporters who convinced her to talk about their relationship. Once they found out Nicole had been Jetson’s stewardess, he lost all recognition as a respectable pilot. He was hitting rock bottom.
Unable to take it anymore, Jetson made up his mind. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He just prayed that Nicole still lived in the same apartment. Getting in his car, he drove to her old place, relieved to see her car parked in its usual parking spot.
He tried to keep his anger in check, but it was difficult as he thought about how Nicole had ruined his entire life. Why did she have to get pregnant? Hadn’t they always used condoms? Wasn’t she on the pill? What girl wasn’t on the pill these days? It didn’t make any sense.
He rang the doorbell and after a very long time, the door opened. He rushed inside, slamming Nicole against a wall. He had promised himself he wouldn’t use violence, but there he was. He wasn’t the type of guy to hit girls, but he wasn’t thinking straight either.
He pinned her to the wall harder, holding onto her arms until he was sure they would bruise.
“Ow… Jet… you’re hurting me!” Nicole whimpered, looking up at him.
“You should have thought about that before you ruined my whole life! Because of you, I have nothing. Nothing!” He was screaming at her. She could see his hand curling into a fist and she squeezed her eyes tight, fearing the worst.
He was about to swing when something stopped him. He felt a gentle tug on his pants. He looked down to see his son grabbing hold of his pants, trying to pull himself up into a standing position before falling down and crying.
For some reason, Jetson let go of Nicole and leaned down, picking up his son. The baby stopped crying once he was in his father’s arms and that made Jetson proud. Did the baby know he was his father? Jetson looked into the baby’s big eyes and calmed down a bit.
This baby was his; he knew it. He held the baby a little longer. Jetson was slowly falling in love with his son, just like his own father had fallen in love with him the day they met, the day his mother had died.
It’s amazing how a baby can capture a man’s heart. They could hate the mother or love the mother, but at the end of the day, the baby was still theirs. It wasn’t the baby’s fault they were brought into this world. A baby was just a baby and they weren’t the ones to blame for a parent’s mistake. Jetson sighed, his anger subsiding, he couldn’t believe the rage he just felt. Embarrassed by his actions, he spoke.
“He’s mine, isn’t he?” Nicole could only nod. She didn’t know what to say and she was still in shock after being accosted. “Are you sure?” She nodded again. Jetson sighed, louder this time. There was no denying it. This was his son. But what would he do now that he had a son?
Could he really be a father figure to this child? As he held the baby, he thought back to his own birth. He was the son of a waitress, a woman his father had fucked for fun on a one-night stand, but in the end, even the mighty Armando had taken on the role of a father in order to raise Jetson into the man he now was. Surely Jetson would be able to do the same.
Jetson realized now he was following in his father’s footsteps. He had made the same mistake as his father. Despite his better judgment, Jetson would have to realize this baby was his and take ownership.
“Look Niki… this child… he honestly ruined my life. I had a perfect wife who was the fuck of a lifetime. I had an amazing home and a dream job. I had everything I ever wanted in my life. When this child walked into my life, or rather when I ran into him, all I got was heartbreak and scandal. My wife left me and took most of my assets. I was left with nothing but ridicule. Then when you spoke to the press about our relationship, I lost all credibility in the airline industry. I have nothing, Niki.
“But despite all of that, I know, deep down, that I am the father of this child. Like my own father, I will take ownership. I don’t know if I can forgive you for speaking to the press, but I promise to at least be the father that this child needs.”
Nicole smiled at his words. She couldn’t believe it. Maybe the love of her life was still mad at her for going to the press and wouldn’t love her like she wanted, but at least he seemed to love their child, and that was enough for her. She just wanted her son to grow up with a loving father that he could look up to.
“What’s his name?”
“Ronson.”
“Ronson? Hmm… I like it.” Jetson smiled at his son. Ronson cooed at him. It would be a long journey, but Jetson was ready to take the first step into fatherhood.
*****
THE END