Chesteria chuckled, softly. “Really, Bryce?”
I smirked. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
She rolled her eyes, but it held gratitude. Then my voice lowered. “But for real… what’s really wrong? Talk to me.”
Her voice, when it came, was a whisper. “Just… what Adrian said about Christmas and his babies… it reminded me of Journey.”
My chest tightened. “I think about her too,” I admitted quietly. “More than I say out loud.”
Chesteria turned to face me fully, her eyes glassy. “Bryce… where did we go wrong?”
I swallowed. My throat felt thick, like guilt had climbed up and refused to let grace pass. “I should’ve been there.”
Chesteria didn’t interrupt. She let me speak, like she needed to hear it as much as I needed to say it.
“I thought I had time. That’s the dumbest thing in the world, ain’t it? I kept telling myself she wasn’t due yet… and I thought I had time to handle some things first. I didn’t wanna be the man who failed you financially, but I ended up failing you emotionally instead.”
Tears slipped from her eyes, and she didn’t wipe them.
I continued. “By the time I got that call… everything changed. You had already gone through it—alone—and I missed it.”
Chesteria’s voice broke, soft and sharp all at once. “Bryce, I hated you for a long time, but not just because you missed her birth.” She paused, her chest rising uneven. “I hated that you didn’t fight for us after.”
“I thought I didn’t deserve you after that. I figured you were better off not looking at me… not having to remember the pain every time you saw my face.”
She looked at me long and hard. “But Iwantedyou to fight.”
“I know thatnow, but back then, I was too ashamed to stand in front of you and pretend like I was still the man you said yes to.”
Chesteria laid her head on my chest, letting the sound of my heart say what words couldn’t.
Silence again. But that time, it was tender.
“We’re still parents, right?” she asked.
I nodded. “Always.”
“I still have her onesie, the blanket, and the necklace you bought her in a box,” she let me know.
Her fingers slowly reached out and brushed against mine; not a grab… just contact.
Chesteria’s eyes met mine, then she let out a soft, tired, and hollow laugh. “You know… maybe us ending up here together was needed… for closure.”
I exhaled, eyes heavy. “Is it closure… or is it something else?”
She shrugged, solemnly. “I guess time will tell. But for now… let’s just rest. I do appreciate you just being here, though.”
I pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be here as long as you need me to. Goodnight, C Baby.”
“Goodnight, Bryce.”
We didn’t kiss or do anything dramatic. We just laid there, facing each other, grieving together, finally breathing together. Eventually, Chesteria’s breathing evened out, and mine did too. Somewhere between the tears and truths, we fell asleep in each other’s arms. And for the first time in a long time, it felt like peace.
Chapter twenty-five
Chesteria
“Morning Temptation”
