[UNEDITED][JASON]

        I knocked on the door and smiled when Anita opened the door. At almost forty she looked good. Her hair stopping just before her shoulders which had clearly been dyed within the last couple of days, her green eyes were a prominent feature and I was surprised to see that the only wrinkles she had were those which surrounded her mouth.

        If I had son like Damien then I would be going grey and covered in wrinkles by now. I’ve only met him twice and he’s already driven me to the point where I want to tear my hair out.

        “Morning Jason,” Anita grinned.

        “Is the little monster ready?” I replied, shifting around on the spot. Despite what I say about Damien and the problems which he goes out of his way to cause for me, I still loved the little man before he was a part of Erin’s life and that meant he was a part of mine too.

        “Damien. Jason is here,” Anita called through the house and I am sure I have never seen a kid run faster than when Damien appeared out that front door and wrapped himself around my legs. I looked down at him with a smile on his face, ruffling his brown hair and moving it out of his face. “Make sure you behave. No more redecorating the inside of Jason’s car.”

        “But, mummy, I think it looks so much better,” Damien laughed. Anita handed me his bag and blue bear which he had with since the day he was born, it was the first and only thing his father gave to him before he walked out on Anita when Damien was just five months old. Apparently fatherhood wasn’t for him and he wanted to leave before he had the chance to make a mistake.

        Turns out that was a load of bullshit. He turned up for months later, engaged to another woman and enjoying being a father to their twin daughters. Erin told me that Anita was furious and wanted to murder the man, Anita cried for a month after finding out the truth because she felt so stupid for falling in love with a man who never even loved her.

        I admire her for what she’s done though. She’s raised Damien alone for the last six years and, sure he was a handful and he annoyed the hell out of me at times, but she had done an amazing job with him and she was better woman than most I knew.

        “I don’t think Jason agrees though son,” Anita chuckled as she bent down to Damien’s level to embrace him in a hug, placing a kiss on his cheek which he pushed away.

        “He should buy a better car,” Damien shrugged.

        “I paid a lot of money for that car Damien. I think the leather interior should tell you that one,” I muttered much to his amusement and Anita nodded in agreement with what I was saying. I had my fingers crossed that he wouldn’t do anything this time because I couldn’t afford to have it sorted. I would end up having a Damien inspired car for the next couple of months.

        “Where’s Erin?” Damien quickly asked.

        “At home with Amanda. I offered to pick you up,” I smiled. He simply shrugged and then ran to the back of my car, managing to pull the door open and pull himself onto the back seat, quickly occupying Amanda’s booster seat behind the passenger’s seat. I chuckled as he called out for me to help him with his seatbelt. “So, I’ll drop him off on Sunday at some point?”

        “Can you keep him until Monday? It’s just that I’ve got something I need to do on Sunday,” Anita replied and I nodded at her. I am sure Erin wouldn’t mind him staying for the extra night and Amanda would enjoy the company of another person, it would be a wonderful chance for her to make a friend with someone.

        They may have been polar opposites but I think Amanda would love getting to know him. I was kind of hoping Amanda would be the one to help keep him calm over the next week while Damien would help bring Amanda out of her shell a little more. It was a win-win situation on either side really.

        “Sure. You don’t even have ask,” I stated.

        “Thanks Jase and if there are any problems, feel free to phone me,” Anita smiled once more as she pulled me into a quick hug, waved to her son and then walked back into her house.

        I wandered over to the car, closing the back door and walking round to Damien’s side to help strap him in. He had the biggest grin I had ever seen on his face and I wasn’t sure whether he was planning something or he was just happy to actually see me for a change. Either way I smiled back at him before I walked round to my side of the car and started the engine, checking him in my mirror before I pulled away from the house.

        “How’s school?” I dared to break the silence which had fallen over the car.

        “I don’t like it. Mummy says I still have to go,” Damien complained.

        “Why don’t you like it?” I asked and I was genuinely interested in his reason. Every single time I asked him about it before, he had always been so happy and he wouldn’t shut up about how much fun it was.

        “I don’t have any friends,” he muttered as his eyes caught mine in the mirror.

        “I’m sure that’s not true. I bet you have plenty of friends,” I smiled reassuringly.

        “They all said I am too annoying and they don’t want to be friends with me anymore,” Damien said and I am sure there were tears in his eyes. All six year olds were a little annoying from time to time, it’s their sole purpose at that age, to see who can be the most annoying. Even Amanda could be annoying when she wanted to be, not as annoying as Damien, granted, but annoying nonetheless.

        “Then they are stupid,” I grinned.

        “Will you be my friend Jason?”

        “Now I am insulted Damien. I thought we were already friends,” I laughed. Damn this kid was sweet but he had the ability to piss me off so much at the same time. He really was the devil child at times and it made me wonder whether his father was the devil himself, but then he did things which made you fall in love with him and think he was entirely innocent.

        “No. I thought you hated me because of what I did to your car,” Damien replied.

        “You annoyed me and I was angry but I didn’t hate you,” I remarked, taking the turning which would take us to Erin’s place.

        “But you shouted at me,” he mumbled shyly.

        “You did throw paint over the back of my car,” I joked and when I looked I could see the cheeky smile now covering his face. I am pretty sure he is one of the only kids who can make me contradict myself in what I think about him. He is one of the few who can make me hate him one week and then do something to make me love him again the following week.

        He confused me more than a woman confused me, but I suppose the fact his father walked out on him and has never wanted anything to do with him since then probably has something to do with that. It made me realise I was lucky to have a father while I was growing up. It’s just a shame he turned into a total arse the older I got and dictated Chloe’s life to her like she was incapable of making her own decisions.

        “Who’s Amanda?” Damien asked as I helped him out the car, grabbing his bag from beside him as he grabbed his teddy.

        “My niece. I promise you’ll love her and you’ll be best friends with her by the end of the week,” I said. The both of us walked into the house as Erin and Amanda walked down the stairs with smiles on their faces as they talked about something which interested the pair of them.

        They stopped when they saw Damien and I stood there, Amanda rushed behind Erin and hid behind her legs, only peaking round so that she could see Damien without him seeing her. I knew she was shy but I didn’t think she would be this bad, especially since she talks to adults without any problems at all.

        “Who’s that Erin?” I heard Amanda whisper.

        “Damien. He’s my cousin. The one I was telling you about just now,” Erin replied, kneeling down so that she now at the same height at Erin. Damn she was going to make an amazing mother one day and I couldn’t wait for that time to come, it was going to be the best day of my life, other than when I finally married her. That day was going to be even more special.

        You need to ask her first my friend. She will probably say no if you ask her now because it’s far too soon.

        Thanks for the obvious. It’s not like I don’t know that either. I was just thinking what it would be like when it finally happens.

        “Why don’t you show Damien the room you’re going to be staying in?” I suggested while watching as Damien nervously moved towards Amanda with his hand out.

        “Amanda,” Damien spoke her name so softly and quietly that you could barely hear it but you could tell that he didn’t want to scare her. Amanda simply shied away from him even further, moving back up the stairs and away from Erin’s arms.

        “He won’t hurt you sweetie. He just wants to be friends,” Erin reassured her.

        “I don’t want to be friends. He looks scary,” Amanda replied and I couldn’t help but smile at her. I knew she would come round to him by the end of the day and the two of them wouldn’t want to be apart, she just needed the time to get used to him being around the house and then she would be totally fine with Damien being there.

        “You look funny too. But you’re pretty. Can we be friends?” Damien grinned, continuing to walk towards Amanda with his hand extended.

        “I don’t like him Erin,” Amanda insisted before she ran upstairs with tears in her eyes with Erin running after her, calling out her name to make her slow down. I looked down at Damien who had a complete look of confusion on his face, which was understandable given what had just happened.

        “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

        “No. Amanda just doesn’t like new people all too much but she’ll come round.”

        “Promise?”

        “I promise,” I smiled as I threw his bag over my shoulder and offered him my hand. “Do you want to see where you’re sleeping?”

        I took his excited nod as the confirmation I needed to lead him up the stairs and towards the room which he was going to be sharing with Amanda for the next week. Erin had always set up the double bed so that there were two single duvets and a pillow for each of them, there were plenty of DVDs for the both of them to pick from and there were the toys which Amanda had been playing with the last time she was here all over the floor.

        It wasn’t an especially big room but it was big enough for the two of them to have space to do whatever it was kids did when they didn’t want to be around any adults, which was usually make a mess of everything and then never bother to clear it up afterwards, even when they’re told that they have no other choice but to do so.

        “Jason?” Damien called my name as I was just about to open the door.

        “Yes Damien?” I smiled.

        “Do you love Erin?” I was a little surprised by his question and the look of sheer curiosity which covered his face because I never expected him to ask me something like that. He had never asked me anything about it before and he had never mentioned anything about my relationship with Erin until now.

        “I do. Why do you ask?”

        “I just wondered and it’s good that you do,” Damien grinned.

        “Is it now?” I chuckled, pushing the door open and dropping Damien’s bag beside the bed as he walked in and threw his teddy on the bed while Erin helped him so that he was sitting next to Amanda.

        “Yes. I love her too,” Damien’s reply came. Erin gave me a look which told me she was going to ask me what Damien was talking about later to which I laughed lightly and joined her on the bed with Amanda and Damien. I had a feeling this was going to be a longer day that I initially planned but it would be worth it in the end, even if it was for the sake of an easy and quiet weekend.