“I just want to make sure he’s okay and safe.”
“It’s okay if you want to hang out with your actual baby more than me,” Jondi said, his little voice flat.
“Buddy,” I knelt down. “You’re ours too. None of this actual talk, please.”
“It happens. People adopt kids and then when they have babies they don’t want them as much. I don’t think Dad will do that but you’ve only just met me and stuff,” he toed at the ground.
A little kid had never said anything that had cut me that deep. My eyes misted over and I sat down on the grass.
“Jondi, it’s not like that. We’re a family. You, me, your dad, and now probably a new baby. We won’t know for sure until your dad sees a doctor, but our family is growing. We’re not switching out one kid for another. You’re not going anywhere. None of us go anywhere without the others. You’re going to be a big brother.”
“I know, but…” his words trailed off.
“But what?” I asked him.
“Babies are cute and little and people like them.”
“People like you too,” I said. “And even if they don’t they can jump off a bridge, because we’re family.”
He hugged my neck for a long time and I worked on not crying. My life had done a one eighty since meeting Jade and Jondi. I’d gone from laying on my back in a field harassed by lions to not being able to imagine my life without them. This is why Jade was so determined that Jondi have his promised last trip to the lake.
“What am I supposed to call you?” Jondi asked. “I’ve been calling you Beryl because I didn’t know what else to call you and I have to call you something. Dad says it’s rude to shout ‘hey you!’ at people.”
“What do you want to call me?” I asked.
“Well, Dad is Dad and I don’t want to get confused or confuse the baby. When I first moved in with Dad all the namesgot jumbled up in my head and I couldn’t remember anyone’s,” he said.
“You can call me Beryl if that’s what you want to call me.”
“What will the baby call you?” Jondi asked, sitting down next to me on the grass.
“We haven’t talked about that yet. Some people call both of their fathers ‘dad’, though.”
“You’re my dad too now, huh?” he asked, looking up at me.
“I am,” he nodded.
“I might call you Dad Two,” he laughed.
“I’d answer,” I nodded.
“You’re silly,” he fell back in the grass laughing and then promptly decided it was the best mode of transportation to take the rest of the way to the lake.
Chapter 22
Jade
Guardians of Glitter Bomb Territory
We managed to make it back to the farm without any major issues. This time Beryl let me help him with the luggage while Jondi rode on his shoulders. All the way back kiddo came up with funnier and funnier names to call Beryl. Everything from Dragon Dad to Watcher Dad because he spied on him in the pond. Back in the car he continued his game and started trying to combine the sounds of Dad and Beryl. He came up with Bad and Bird. Beryl had vastly underestimated Jondi’s creativity when he told him to call him whatever he liked. He was either going to be Bird or Bad Dad if he left it up to that kid. Still, hearing them crack up together soothed something in my soul. We really were a family now.
We pulled back up to the house to my parents sitting on the porch and relief flooded over me. My carrier leapt down the steps and opened my door before I even had my seatbelt off. I hadn’t told everyone, but I had texted him before we left, asking if he could call the clinic and see when I could get into see Doctor Lawngry. Philip was technically retired or I may have asked for him.
My sire helped unload the luggage and Jondi from the Wing Mini while being informed about the names that now belonged to Beryl.
“More aliases than a bank robber,” my sire teased.
“Tell me about it,” Beryl laughed.
