I let out a sigh, sitting down next to him. “Maybe, but can I just be honest with you for a minute, Kade?”
He looks up at me, his eyes full of confusion and pain, as he nods softly.
“I have no relationship with those people. I honestly believe that they’ve never even liked me, let alonelovedme. Sure, I was clothed and had a roof over my head. But that’s the bare fucking minimum for having a child. You lived in the house, you saw how they treated me. You defended me countless times over what they said. You’re allowed to have any kind of relationship with them that you want, but for me, I just can’t do it anymore. Then to find out that he’s been lying to you about me? Playing some kind of fucking savior when he’s been the reason I am the way that I am? I can’t.”
He takes one of my hands in his and looks up at me. “I’m sorry,” he says, and I can tell that he means it. That he is sorry, even if he doesn’t know entirely what for.
“It’s ok, you didn’t know.”
“Not just for that, but for everything. I should have told you myself about the draft. I should have made sure you got the invite personally. I can’t believe he did that.” He stares down at our hands for quite awhile. We sit in silence before Mocha starts barking and scratching at the door.
“Oh, he might need to go potty. Do you want to take him out, and I’ll get dinner started?” I mumble. He nods after a few seconds, slowly standing up and letting go of my hand.
I’m not sure what’s going through his head right now, but I hope that maybe this conversation has opened his eyes a little, at least just enough to start paying attention.
Mocha and Kaden play outside on the grass, well, it’s mostly just Mocha running around and Kaden sitting there, staring off into space. I didn’t think that what I said would have affected him so much, but I guess it’s a lot harder for him to accept the truth.
“Hey, why’s Kaden’s truck outside?” Beckett asks, looking around for said person.
“He’s outside. I think that he’s going to be spending the rest of the week here,” I say as he gives my bum a small pat.
“Oh, what happened?” he asks, kissing my cheek and putting his lunchbox away.
“We had a much-needed heart-to-heart about Briar, and he’s taking it a lot harder than I thought that he would. Now he’s moping outside. I’m hoping that Mocha will cheer him up while I make taco mac.”
“You don’t like Taco Mac, though.”
“Yeah, well, he does, so…” I trail off.
He shakes his head, looking out the window before dipping his head and capturing my lips in his.
“How was work?” I ask, smiling up at him when he pulls away.
“It was good. Long, but I got everything done that I needed to in order to have the next few days off.”
“That’s good. Go shower, food’s almost done,” I say. He gives me one more kiss before turning and walking away.
I watch him until he disappears up the stairs before turning back to the hamburger on the stove, making sure that I don’t burn it.
A few minutes later, Mocha and Kaden make their way inside. Mocha runs over to me, and I pick him up, snuggling him in my arms.
“Hey, little buddy, how’s playing with Uncle Kaden?” I ask as Mocha gives me as many kisses as he possibly can, as fast as he can, making me giggle. “Are you almost ready for dinner?” I ask, looking at my brother, whose spirits seem to have lifted. He looks better than before they went outside.
“Yeah,” he says, lifting his beer to his lips and taking a sip. His dark hair is chaotic and messy, like he’s been running hishands through it. His broad shoulders are not nearly as tight with tension as they were when he went outside. “When does Uncle B usually get home?” he asks, looking around.
“You actually just missed him. He just went upstairs to shower,” I say, gesturing towards the stairs as he nods.
“How has it been living here and stuff? Is he treating you ok?” he asks. I have to stay facing the oven, because if I look at him, I’m sure that my face will give everything away. I can already feel my cheeks flush.
“Yeah, he works a lot, but it’s been nice to be back near home. The last week with Mocha has been great, so I think that it’ll be a good summer, that’s for sure.”
“That’s good,” He says.
I mix the shells, cheese, hamburger, and taco seasoning into a bowl before pouring it into a glass pan, sprinkling more cheese on top, and putting it into the oven.
A few minutes later, Beckett comes back downstairs, and the two of them immediately begin catching up.
I sit off to the side on my phone, scrolling mindlessly, waiting for the oven to beep.
