AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have pictures if you want to see… I brought them with me.” He nods, but I can tell he’s questioning. “From the moment his eyes began to change, I knew he was yours. I just needed to be one hundred percent certain that my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me and showing me things I had prayed for since the beginning. But knowing we were coming here, I wanted to bring the pictures with me to show you.”
Laying a wrapped-up Kiran in the middle of the king-sized bed, I quickly search one of my bags for the box I brought with me. I then grab the lotion, diaper, and pajamas.
Handing off the keepsake box, I start getting Kiran lotioned up and dressed, waiting anxiously as Nox searches its contents.
Everything is in there, from my sonograms and growing baby bump polaroids, to my hospital bracelet and Kiran’s first steps. I’ve documented it all. A few moments into his search, Nox grabs one of the photos and lifts it. “You looked stunning with our son growing inside of you.”
My eyes well with tears, matching his as he glances up at me. I wish he had been there to see it, to rub my belly, feel those first kicks, hold my hand during the birth, and experience every first after that.
Swallowing the guilt, I let a small smile take over. “Thank you.”
“This is amazing,” he says as he continues to search through the box. Holding up another photo, he pauses. “His eyes really were bright blue.”
I nod with confirmation as he places the photo back and grabs another and laughs.
Peeking over his shoulder, I see it's one of Jade holding Kiran out and away from her, protecting her clothes from an epic diaper blowout. A toddler-sized Willow is in the background with a petrified face, mid-gag.
“That’s Jade and Willow, her daughter. She’s precious and absolutely adores Kiran.”
“I can't wait to meet them,” he says, and I know he’s being honest. Anyone or anything that has ever meant something to me has meant something to him.
“Hopefully soon.”
Snapping up the last of Kiran’s onesie, I pull him into my arms. He rubs his eyes and snuggles into my chest. Nox looks over at us and closes the box. “I’ll leave so you can put him to sleep.” Leaning over, he places a kiss on top of Kiran’s head and goes to stand.
“Please stay. He’s a pretty hard sleeper. Look through the box… I love watching your expressions.” Smiling, he nods, then opens the lid again.
Standing with Kiran, I rock him in my arms gently until his eyes grow heavy. I place him into his pack-and-play and begin to sing our song. “You are my sunshine…”
By the time I finish the song, Nox’s arms are around me and his head rests on my shoulder as we both peer down at a sleeping Kiran.
“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Nox whispers.
“He is…” I say, grabbing his hand that’s around my waist and squeezing it.
“I want you both to come stay with me...at least till Jade gets here,” he says, and I spin around to look at him. “I’m serious, I’ve missed out on so much. I need you both with me.”
“It—it won’t be too much?” I ask, knowing everything has happened so quickly since I've reappeared. I don’t want to overwhelm him.
“I insist,” he says softly and places a kiss on my cheek. Stepping away, he grabs my hand and pulls me to the bed.
“Now I need you to tell me all about our boy, and these photos.” Picking up a stack of Polaroids, he sits on the edge of the bed.
“I’d love to,” I respond. I’m not only agreeing to move into his space, but to tell him everything he wants to know about Kiran.Our son.
Twelve
Isit in the middle of my floor with what feels like a million pieces of prefabricated wood surrounding me. Once I cleared my head enough to think straight yesterday, I immediately went into an Amazon deep-dive for baby items. After hearing Emerson mention Kiran hadn’t been sleeping very well in his pack-and-play, I knew a crib was a necessity. I was able to find one that had the early morning delivery option, so after having breakfast with them, I rushed home, wanting to have it put together before his nap time today.
It's not looking so good at this rate.
The drill slips from my grasp, hitting the hand that’s holding the screw into the wood. I wince at the pain. Even with my knuckles wrapped, they are sore from the continued beating I’ve been giving them. When Greyson and Ford showed up yesterday, I have no idea how long I stayed there punching the bag until they finally pulled me away. Ford cleaned my knuckles while Greyson dug through my gym bag to find my gauze and tape. After she left, I went into a state of shock, unable to wrap my head around her being attacked.
Ford was the first one to speak up, questioning my response to finding out I was a father. He didn’t understand why I was acting this way. He had seen me with Kiran the day before, and this didn’t make any sense to him.
So, I sat on my couch and cried, barely able to explain everything she had told me.
Over all the years, all the shit we had been through together, I have never let them see me like that. Even after Emerson left me, I was a hot fucking mess, but only my mom and Colton saw the actual tears. And yesterday, they flooded out of me. Greyson and Ford sat there listening to it all. They didn’t try to appease me with empty words and tell me it was all okay because they knew it wasn’t. Hell, they didn’t even offer me alcohol or drugs to numb the pain…but they did offer me truth.
