Free Inked by Everly Drummond

further down the aisle, his eyes came to rest on a bin of plush toys. They weren’t his first choice in gifts, but they were a safe bet. Brody looked from the stuffed animals to the woman and nodded. “Thanks for your help.”
    Pity, he could’ve been a keeper.
    Without a backwards glance at the woman staring after him, Brody continued down the aisle pushing his cart. Pink, white, and yellow stuffed toys filled the bin, all a little to feminine to give a little boy for his birthday. After spending a few minutes digging through the bin, he came across a lush green frog. Large plastic eyes and an embroidered mouth made up its face. Brody tugged on the eyes, checking and double checking that they were securely fastened to the fabric, and when he was certain that the toy didn’t pose some sort of choking hazard, he tossed it into the cart with the rest of his items.
    •••••
    Avery retraced her steps through the apartment. The only thing she’d done since returning home from class was go to the washroom, make herself a sandwich, and send an email to Brody with the details of Parker’s birthday party. Unzipping her purse, she tipped it upside down and emptied its contents onto the kitchen table… for a third time. Her car keys had to be here somewhere. They didn’t just up and walk away. She was about to retrace her steps one last time when a knock at the door forced her to abandon her search for the elusive disappearing keys. Avery squinted through the peephole and cursed under her breath. “What the hell?”
    On the other side of the door was Brody standing amidst a mass of bags and boxes. Is he out of his mind? Half angry, half amused, she took a step wards and unlatched the deadbolt, letting the door swing open. “What on earth are you doing?”
    “What does it look like?” Brody shrugged. “I did a bit of shopping.”
    “A bit of shopping? There’s enough food here to feed an army.”
    “I’m not trying to feed an army,” he retorted. “The only people I care about feeding are you and Parker.”
    Avery was suddenly overcome with the urge to slam the door in his face. “I don’t need or want your charity, Brody. We survived just fine before you came along, and we’ll do just fine when you’ve decided you’ve played daddy long enough.” Raising her voice a few octaves higher, she ranted on. “And I’ll have you know that not once, NOT ONCE, has Parker every gone without anything, especially food.”
    “I am not playing daddy. Parker is my son, and it’s my responsibility as his father to provide for him.” Brody shut his mouth before he said something he’d regret. It was never his intentions to hurt Avery’s pride, so he quickly tried to diffuse the tension without making it known that he’d snooped through her cupboards. “I didn’t do it out of charity, Avery. I did it because I have three years to make up for. It’s the least I can do.”
    “Fine,” Avery conceded, and stepped aside to let him pass.
    Brody stooped down, picked up the bags, and made his way towards the kitchen. To his surprise, the cupboards where much better stocked than they were on his previous visit. In fact, they were brimming with boxes of cereal, cans of pasta, and cookies. Not the healthiest food choices, but at least they weren’t starving. Even the fridge was overflowing with bottles of juice, cartons of milk, and an abundant supply of luncheon meats.
    “What am I going to do with thirty-six pudding cups and fifty granola bars? Avery laughed, pointing to the mega sized boxes of snacks sitting on the counter.
    “They’re a healthier snack than those chemical filled marshmallow cookies you have up in the cupboard.”
    “You have no idea how hard it is to feed a fussy child, do you?”
    “No, I don’t,” he replied solemnly. “I’m new at this, remember?”
    Avery was taken aback by the seriousness of Brody’s tone. Of course he had no idea what it was like. He’d only been a father for a little