Page 69 of The Blessing

Well, now she definitely looks like one of my wet dreams growing up. I had a big teacher fetish for some reason—which was based entirely off porn since none of my real life teachers were anything special. It takes me a moment, but when I can finally manage the words, I give her the approval she’s looking for. “Ronnie, they’ll love you.” Just like I do. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who’s nervous.”

“I can’t help it,” she says with a blush. “I guess your anxiety wore off on me.”

“I hope not.” I look down at Grey, who looks like an adorable mess on my stomach. His fuzzy hair is sticking up wildly in all directions. He looks as though he stuck his finger into a wall socket or some shit like that. “Do you think you can help me with Grey? I want him to look perfect for tonight.” I want his grandparents to know I’m doing a good job with him. I don’t say the last part, but from the look on Ronnie’s face I don’t have to.

“Of course.”

I roll out of bed to take a shower, bouncing Grey in my arms as I start the water and bring it to a safe and comfortable temperature, so I can quickly wash him up before I wash myself. Ronnie comes into the bathroom and sits on the countertop to hold Grey so I can undress. She smiles at me when I pull my boxers off as she gently pulls Grey out of his onesie before handing him over. He gasps as the lukewarm water hits his skin, and giggles as I quickly wash him off with the hotel soap. My son babbles excitedly in my arms—splashing the water as it streams down on us. He’s enjoying himself so much. I hold him for a little while longer, allowing him to have some fun since this is the first shower he's ever taken.

“You’re so incredible with him.” I look over to Ronnie, who’s watching us from her perch on the countertop. “He’s always so happy when you’re around. Do you see the way he looks at you?” she asks with a smile, causing me to glance down at my son. “He looks at you like you’re his entire world. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I love him,” I say softly as I stare down at my little guy. I kiss the top of his head before handing him out to Ronnie so I can wash up.

After my shower, I shave the shit out of my stubble and try to style my shortened hair. I want to look sharp so Grey’s grandparents know that I have my shit together. I grab the outfit I purchased specifically for this trip and drop my towel to get dressed. It’s a button up, which hides most of my tattoos, with a cardigan Ronnie helped me pick out, and we matched it with a nice pair of jeans without any holes or dirt stains. This is probably the most put together I’ve ever looked. I don’t know how it’ll fair in the car for ten plus hours—but at least it’ll give me peace of mind of knowing I look nice for them.

I gather up our things and put them back in my duffle bag before leaving the bathroom. I find Grey’s already dressed in a nice sweater, jeans, and a pair of black Converse. “Look Grey, you’re matching your daddy today,” Ronnie tells him as I slip on my Converse. I look down at my navy cardigan and smile—my girlfriend thinks of everything, apparently.

“You ready to hit the road?”

“Of course, I’m absolutely starving.”

We end up at a breakfast joint close by. We order two large portions of chocolate chip pancakes and a small bowl of yogurt for Grey. He stares at our food in dismay, as I feed him something I know isn’t much compared to a plate of pancakes covered in syrup and whip cream. Despite his pout, he eats his yogurt and finishes it with a nice burp before wildly coloring on his placemat. I wouldn’t really call what he’s doing “coloring,” since he’s scribbling with his crayon all over the paper. He doesn’t care about staying in the lines or even staying on the placemat. I calculate a good tip in my head, knowing our waitress will be annoyed when she’s cleaning up crayon stains off the table after we’re through. As soon as Grey’s finished with his “work of art,” I fold it up and slip it into my wallet, wanting to frame his very first drawing.

Luckily, Grey’s pleasant mood continues as we finally get on the highway, settling in for the long stretch of road ahead of us. I play some classic rock—knowing it’ll be appropriate and calming for Grey—and roll down the car windows a crack to feel the crisp air. Ronnie’s back to reading her paranormal romance at my side, while keeping her phone propped up on her thigh so I can see it as it spouts off directions.

Around the hour and a half mark, Grey starts growing restless in his car seat. I know he probably needs to be changed. I pull off at the next rest stop and take him to the men’s bathroom only to find they don’t provide a changing table. I find Ronnie at the vending machines, purchasing snacks for the road. As soon as she sees the look on my face, she knows what I’m about to say.

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I can change him.” She kisses my cheek before taking the diaper bag off my shoulder—leaving me to select the snacks as she tends to my son. She doesn’t take long and comes back with a very happy looking baby. “I guess that yogurt went straight through him,” she says with a giggle as she hands him back to me. I guess after helping out with Harper, she’s not shy about shit anymore. I give her a grateful kiss and toss her the bags of chips I purchased from the vending machine.

“You didn’t buy Bugles?” she asks with a pout.

“You actually like those?”

“They’re essential for road trips,” she explains, as if this fact should be obvious to me. Even when I was stoned, I didn’t bother with those chips—but if my girl wants them, that’s all I need to hear. I dramatically roll my eyes, which earns me a giggle from her, as I return to the vending machine to purchase a bag of Bugles for her. “You’re my hero,” she teases as I toss them to her.

“Anything for you, babe.”

We stop five more times over the next few hours. Never have I wanted a cigarette more in my life. As much as I love Grey, spending several hours in a car with him—traveling to a place that I’ve never been—was definitely an experience I’m not looking forward to repeating anytime soon. Halfway through the drive Ronnie had to move to the backseat to placate him, leaving me in the front seat trying to navigate myself. I suppose it wasn’t a complete disaster because we did make it to Carson City in one piece.

“Do you mind if we stop by our hotel first?” Ronnie asks as I pull off the highway. “I want to freshen up a bit before we meet them, and I’m sure Grey could use a few minutes to relax and stretch his legs.”

She’s right. If Grey meets them without a break from this car, he’s going to be grumpy and miserable. He manages to delay his hissy fit until I park outside our hotel. His cries become hysterical pretty quickly, causing me to jump out of my driver’s seat and pull him from his car seat as quickly as possible. I hold him close, resting my head against his cheek so he can benefit from the skin to skin contact. He grabs hold of my thumb and grips it as tightly as his little hand can as he continues to cry.

“Come on, buddy. Daddy’s here. Everything’s okay.”

He looks up at me and his cries begin to slow down. I breathe a sigh of relief, and help Ronnie grab our bags before we enter the hotel lobby to check-in. It’s already getting dark, but I intend to call Mae and Lincoln as soon as we settle into our room to let them know that their grandson has arrived in one piece.

Now that I’m holding Grey, he won’t allow me to hand him over to Ronnie. He must’ve missed me from being in the backseat because even as I check-in, he demands my attention. The woman behind the counter gives me an empathetic look; I know she must have children of her own and deals with this sort of a thing on a daily basis. We head to our room on the first floor and settle in immediately. After two long days behind the wheel, I’m beyond thankful to finally be in Nevada. Despite wanting to stay in and pass out, I grab my phone and dial Lincoln’s number. I know he’ll probably want to see us as soon as he possibly can. Well, I should amend that statement to he’ll want to see Greyson because I know he couldn’t give a fuck seeing about me.

He answers on the second ring. “Trevor? Did you make it into town okay?”

I almost chuckle at his eagerness, but I refrain. If I hadn’t seen Grey in months, I’d be fucking eager, too. “Yep, we’re all here. We just checked into our hotel. Is there someplace specific you wanted us to meet you?”

“Actually, Mae’s not feeling too great today. I was thinking we could order in and you could have dinner at our home.”

I’m relieved to be honest. The thought of going out to a busy restaurant after the entire day stuck in a car isn’t in any way appealing to me. I’m sad to hear that his wife is feeling ill again, though. They’re over a decade older than my parents, but Lincoln explained that his wife has been struggling with her health for a while now. I wonder if Grey would’ve been left with them if Mae had been in a healthier state. Although, my dad assured me I wasn’t second choice in being appointed Grey’s guardian. I’d always been Dean and Cat’s first choice to care for their child. However, that’s never seemed very believable to me. Why would they pick me if there were other people who were better qualified? It never added up in my mind.

“That’s perfect actually,” I finally say. “The ride really took it out of us. What time should we arrive?”