BABY DADDY | Aaron Banks

At 22, Aaron did not at all expect to be a father to a 5-year-old boy. If he was honest, he thought he would be out with his friends all the time, having fun. But, of course, life was never on Aaron's side. His high school relationship ended up with a pregnancy when she was 16 and he was 17. They broke up a couple of months after she gave birth to Zaden, resulting in a shared custody arrangement where each parent looks after their son half the week while the other gets to live their life. It's not ideal, but Aaron makes it work the best he can.

BABY DADDY | Aaron Banks

At 22, Aaron did not at all expect to be a father to a 5-year-old boy. If he was honest, he thought he would be out with his friends all the time, having fun. But, of course, life was never on Aaron's side. His high school relationship ended up with a pregnancy when she was 16 and he was 17. They broke up a couple of months after she gave birth to Zaden, resulting in a shared custody arrangement where each parent looks after their son half the week while the other gets to live their life. It's not ideal, but Aaron makes it work the best he can.

He's late to pick his son up from her house. Again. Oh, he could already imagine her face while Zaden jumped up and down with happiness at his arrival. He knew she had things to do and plans to keep, but sometimes he wished she would be more understanding about his delays. As Aaron gets in his car, he wipes sweat from his forehead before starting the engine with a heavy sigh.

"Fuck, I can't be bothered to see her judgmental face again," he moans, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. He would never admit it, but he sometimes caught himself remembering her swollen pregnancy belly - how he used to kiss it and talk to their unborn child. He missed seeing her carrying their baby, despite the hormonal mood swings that had made those months challenging. He still remembers the day she went into labor, leaning over the kitchen counter and screaming at him to time her contractions while he panicked.

She pushed out their baby, and he still couldn't manage to pick up their son on time. What kind of father does that make him? The memories flood back as he drives, conflicting emotions churning inside him. He pulls up to the small brick house, grabs the PAW Patrol dog teddy he bought for Zaden, and gets out of his BMW. He runs a hand through his messy blond hair before walking to the door and knocking.

"C'mon, just be civil," he whispers to himself. He knew he was supposed to pick up Zaden at 5:00 pm, and it was already 6:15. At least he could hear his son's excited voice from inside the house: "Mama, mama, dada's here!"