JadeI held it together pretty well until I got home, and then it finally hit me. I had just seen the father of my child after several years, something I had never thought would happen again. How did a normal, boring shopping day turn out to be so eventful? It went from zero to a hundred, too fast for me to catch my breath. Robin ran to his room as soon as we arrived, excited to finally be home after a long day. It gave me a little time to process everything and not just fall apart in front of him.I wentinto the bathroom and splashed some water onto my face, telling myself I wouldn't cry. It would not solve anything or help me in any way, no matter how much I wanted to cry. I wondered what I had done to piss the universe off because I certainly didn't deserve this. I was by no means perfect, but I always strived to be the best version of myself and lead by example for my son. Now my life was being turned upside down again, just when I thought I was getting the hang of it.I tookmy ph
"Shit, he saw Robin?""Yeah, but he somehow assumed that I'm married and that I used him. I had to leave before he said anything worse in front of Robin, but he was so angry, Tammie. And I got mad at him too, and it was all just one huge disaster.""I'm so sorry, girl. Maybe now it will help you finally stop pining for him."I scoffed. "I don't pine.""Yes, you do, missy, and if you pine any harder, you will turn into a pine tree."I couldn't help but laugh at that. "You are insane, but unfortunately, I love you anyway.""So, what are you going to do?" She asked."What's there to do?""Don't you think it's fate that he's back in town after all these years, and you just happened to meet each other?""Why didn't fate intervene when I was busy looking for him to help me care for our son?""Because you can't question fate, duh! She has her own way of doing things that all makes sense in the end."I laughed and shook my head. "That is crazy, and you know it. Robin and I had our rhythm goin
Michael"Just a second, Mr. Fletcher."I sighed as the receptionist typed something into her computer, making me wait another minute. I had another meeting in a couple of hours, and I needed this council meeting to go well and on time. I checked the time for the fifth time since I arrived, and my impatience only increased.I turned away from the receptionist to look around, needing to look at something other than her. I didn't know if it was how the system was or just her, but there was a need for improvement. Just then, a large group of kids walked through the main entrance. It was more of running than walking, but it was to be expected judging by the children's ages. One of the kids stopped and looked my way before breaking from the group and running toward me. I frowned when he stopped before me, giving me a large grin. It was only then that I realized this little fellow was familiar.Damn."Hi," he said with a small wave.It reminded me of the first time I met his mother, and she
JadeI sneezed as the detergent filled my nostrils, a signal that I probably needed to take a rest now. After dropping Robin at his friend's, I had been cleaning all afternoon, taking advantage of having the apartment to myself. They were having a slumber party, and I trusted Tommy's mother to take good care of him, even though I didn't envy her having to monitor six little boys for the night.My phone rang, giving me the chance to rest for a little as I went to answer it. I took off my gloves before picking the phone up from the kitchen table, seeing Tammie's name on the screen.I smiled as I answered. "Hey, are you home now?""Just got in, but we might have a problem."I laughed, knowing that Tammie's definition of problems ranged from bad hair dyes and needing help to break up with boyfriends. Whatever it was, it was never boring, which is why I was shocked when the next words out of Tammie's mouth were that Michael had called her."Michael called you?" I repeated, certain that I h
MichaelI had been keeping myself busy, so I wouldn't wait for my phone to ring. I could have asked for Jade's number and called her myself but asking her to call me had been a test. I knew that she would call me eventually, and her state would let me know whether she was hiding something or not. When she had finally called, and I had asked her to come over, she had agreed. I was about ninety percent sure that the boy was mine now, or why else would she be on her way here? She could have told me to fuck off or not even called me at all.This was a terrible mess,and I didn't know how to handle it yet. Suspecting was one thing, but now there was a part of me that believed it too. My younger self's actions were coming to haunt me now, and I had never imagined that I would find myself in this situation. How did one suddenly become a father to a six-year-old? How was I supposed to reintroduce myself to the little boy as the father who hadn't been in his life for all these years? There were
JadeThe dam finally broke, and the tears flowed freely, making me feel defeated and relieved simultaneously. It felt like I had been holding it in for so long and finally reached my breaking point. I didn't want to lie; that had never been my intention. And being here now reminded me of how much I had wanted to find Michael initially."I found out that I was pregnant almost two months after you were gone," I started, pausing to catch my breath.I was an absolute mess of tears and a runny nose, and my hands weren't doing a good job of wiping my face. I heard Michael sigh as he took out a handkerchief and gave it to me. If this were a happy reunion, I would have made a joke about him carrying a handkerchief like an old gentleman, but I was grateful for it and used it to wipe my cheeks and nose. My hand was now shaking uncontrollably, and for a second, I felt faint.I felt Michael's hands on my arms as he gently led me to the couch, and I sat down again. It took me a few minutes to calm
I clutched his shirt and held on. He tasted like whiskey, something matured and no doubt expensive. I was so drawn to him, and it seemed inevitable that I would always react to him this way. My body responded to Michael as if it had been designed just for him as if only he could tune it to a certain frequency which caused me to vibrate so desperately with need. No man had ever managed to make me feel so weak with just a kiss. If I weren't feeling so damn good, I would have taken a second to feel alarmed that we were doing this. We were supposed to be talking, and there was still so much more that had to be said. Both of us needed to heal, which was the last thing I expected when I arrived.Michael's hand found its way to my hair, and I remembered how much he had loved seeing it down the last time. It seemed nothing had changed because he drew away and just looked at me as my hair fell about my shoulders. His eyes were dark, and I wondered what secrets they held. He leaned in and captu
Michael"Damn it!" I swore as I put on my shirt, wondering how I had found myself in this situation again.Jade and I were like two magnets drawn to each other, and I needed that to stop. Seeing her so vulnerable had stirred something within me, and I had lost control. But I knew she wasn't to be trusted, and I needed to maintain my distance. I returned to the room and found her sitting on the other couch, looking like I had wounded her.The couch we had just made love on now felt like some crime scene, and I avoided sitting down altogether. I put my hands in my pocket, unsure I could trust myself not to reach out again.My passionate kisses made her lips look swollen, and I knew there had to be marks on her neck, too. A primal urge inside me wanted to kiss every inch of her skin and leave my mark there so that she would think of me when she bathed. I wanted to cloud her thoughts as she did mine, and if that made her half as uncomfortable as it made me, then I would count it a win.We