AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I couldn’t believe my luck. “Why did I live?” I asked, taking three steps into the room. It smelled sweet, like lavender and baby powder. “I can’t believe I survived that fucking hellhole just to lose you all over again.” Tears blurred my vision.
“What?” Hailey asked from behind me.
“I don’t blame you for moving on, Hailey.” A tear slipped out. I forbid myself to break apart in front of her. “I don’t blame you at all.”
The woman who stole my heart so many years ago was suddenly standing in front of me. And if I wasn’t mistaken, fire was shooting out of her eyes.
“It’s okay, Hailey. I don’t want to hold you back anymore.”
Her palm connected with my chest. “How dare you!” Tears streamed down her face as her chest heaved up and down. “You, Vincent Daniel Weber, are one colossal moron. Like seriously, you are the biggest idiot I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
I was shocked into silence. I didn’t understand what was going on.
“When I said I would love you until my dying breath, I meant it. You . . . you . . . asshole!”
“I—what?”
Her eyes softened, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Vince,wehave a baby.”
The world stopped and fell from beneath my feet. “What? How?”
“How do you think, dummy?”
My eyes zipped around the room. “We have a baby,” I said in awe. I looked at Hailey again. “Wehave a baby?”
“Yes.” Her lips turned up into a gigantic smile. “Hudson Vincent Weber. Born September fifteenth. Seven pounds, four ounces.” She chuckled. “And let me tell you, he one hundred percent takes after you.”
“He does?” I took her hands in mine.
“Yeah. His head is as big as yours.”
That made me chuckle. “Wow.” I was awed. Not at the size of my son’s head, but the fact that I had a son. “I’m a father.”
I became a blubbering idiot in the blink of an eye. Hailey wrapped her arms around me, running her hand up and down my back. It reminded me of when we were at the hospital. Once again, it calmed me and settled my nerves. “I can’t believe we’re parents.”
When she whispered, “Yeah.” I could hear her happiness, and it echoed what I was feeling inside.
We pulled apart and smiled, giddy and overcome with joy. “Hudson,” I murmured as I looked around what used to be Hailey’s office.
Hudson’s room was a vibrant sanctuary of adventure and wonder. It was like stepping into the heart of the jungle—an enchanting blend of soothing tranquility and wild imagination.
The main wall was a lush green canvas, alive with hand-painted trees that seemed to stretch endlessly upwards. Their branches reached out like welcoming arms, decorated with dancing leaves that ranged from forest green to deep emerald. Bright chartreuse accents highlighted the darker colors of the foliage. Mischievous monkeys hung from the trees, and majestic parrots perched on the branches. They were playful and looked ready to leap and fly off the wall. A giraffe and elephant stood on the left side, while a lion and lioness sat to the right.
A white crib sat against the wall. Soft, plush vines cascaded down like curtains of ivy over the bars. The sheets were covered with animals, and the comforter had more prominent depictions of the same giraffe, lion, elephant, alligator, and monkey.
Overhead, a mobile hung. But instead of the animals suspended from the delicate strings, there were flat squares. I turned one over, and my breath caught in my throat. New tears stung my eyes. I don’t know what I expected to find, but I wasn’t prepared to find pictures of me. As I turned each one over, a different image hung for my son to look at while he lay in his bed.
“I wanted him to know you,” Hailey said from behind me.
“Thank you,” I whispered. When I turned to look at her, I was stunned again. In her arms, she held a blanket emblazoned with our picture on it. “Is that from . . .”
She nodded with tears in her eyes. “Our wedding day.”
I covered my face with my hands and shook as my emotions took over again. Not only did I not remember our wedding, but I didn’t remember Hailey being pregnant. Worse, I had never met my son.
I uncovered my face and took a deep breath, so my next words wouldn’t come out like a blubbering fool. “I want to meet him.”
A tear slipped down Hailey’s cheek as she nodded, gripping the blanket tightly to her chest. “He’d love that.”
