AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Life was good.
21
Spencer
While dinner was fun and I enjoyed spending time with everyone, I could see Jayden’s eyes drooping and I knew the little tyke needed to hit the hay soon. I reached out and ruffled his hair lovingly before turning to Rylee. “Would you mind if I put the little man to bed tonight?” I asked, smiling over at her and hoping she was feeling generous.
“Sure,” Rylee answered with an easy smile. “Come on, Jayden, let’s get you tucked in.”
“But Mama…” he began to protest, “I wanna see the fisheees!”
Rylee giggled. “There’s plenty of time to see the fishes, darling. Right now, you need to get some sleep so you’re well-rested for tomorrow, okay?” she reasoned with him.
Jayden looked like he was about to put up a fight, but before he could, I scooped him up into my arms and pointed to Rylee to lead the way. The look on Rylee’s face was unreadable then. I wanted to believe she was happy. I wanted her to be able to rely on me and see how great a father I could be. But before I had enough time to decipher her expression, Rylee was strutting down the hallway toward Jayden’s room and I followed after her.
By the time we reached the door, Jayden had already gone floppy in my arms and I held him tighter. Inside the bedroom, I placed him on the plush single bed and pulled the comforter over him. He grumbled a little sleepily before rolling onto his side.
“Story time, Mama,” he mumbled.
“Of course, baby,” Rylee replied. She picked up a book on the nightstand that had dinosaurs on the cover and passed it to me. “Here, he loves this one,” she told me with a smile.
I couldn’t believe that Rylee was giving me the chance to read to my boy, but I wasn’t going to wait around for her to change her mind. I took the book and sat down on the bed next to Jayden before opening it up to the first page.
“The little dinosaur was searching for a friend,” I began as Jayden looked at the pages and tried to read along. The story was short and simple, but by the time I had finished, Jayden was already sound asleep. I smiled down at him before tucking the blankets in around him and then kissing his forehead.
My boy, I thought, I can’t believe this is my son. A sense of awe washed over me as I looked down at him and saw how cute and innocent he looked. I couldn’t believe I had already missed four long years of his life. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t miss anymore. No matter what, I would never let little Jayden go.
After a moment of watching him sleep, I turned to see that Rylee was watching the two of us with fond eyes. We both smiled at each other before sneaking back out of his room quietly, hoping not to wake him. When we reached the kitchen again, Robin was yawning.
“I’m going to turn in early,” she said. “Traveling has always made me tired and I’ve had far too much to drink today. I’m exhausted. Besides all that, it’s been a hell of a day!”
“Okay, Mom, take care of yourself,” Rylee responded with a smile before pulling Robin into a gentle embrace.
“I will, honey. Don’t stay up too late.” Robin smiled at her daughter and then turned toward me. “Thank you again, Spencer. You’ve done more than enough.”
“It’s been my pleasure,” I told her. Robin retired then to her room and as soon as I heard the door slam behind her, I was practically vibrating with excitement at getting Rylee totally alone for the first time since we arrived.
Rylee stood completely still with her arms crossed over her chest. She was still looking down the hallway where her mom had just disappeared and I felt the overwhelming urge to pull her into my arms and hold her close. I didn’t, however. Rylee was still feeling conflicted about our relationship and so I needed to tread lightly.
“Rylee, why don’t you come and take a walk on the beach with me?” I suggested.
The beautiful, blonde-haired woman turned toward me then and looked at me for a long time. When she didn’t answer, I decided to push my luck. “It’s a beautiful night outside. I can see the moon out over the water and it would be such a shame to waste it.” I reached out and took her hand in mine.
Rylee didn’t pull away.
I took her outside onto the beach and we both walked bare-footed across the cool, white sand. Neither of us spoke for a long time. Instead, we listened to the waves crashing upon the sand and the sound of the wind whistling through the air. In the moonlight, Rylee looked even more beautiful than I’d ever seen her before which I didn’t think was possible.
