Page 21 of Almost Paradise

With his head still down, he says, “Yes, Mommy.”

Chapter 15

Drake

I don’t think I’ve breathed since I stepped through the front door. The crowd was a surprise, but I can’t worry about them right now. If the expression on their faces is an indicator, I already know what they think of me, but they’re wrong. I’d never turn my back on my child or Nia.

“Well, here he is,” Nia says. I take a step closer and crouch down. I’m still too tall to be at eye level with him, but I hope this makes me more approachable. Nia lets go of his hand, and I wait to see what he does next. He takes two slow steps and stops in front of me. He looks into my eyes, and I swear I hear the heavens sing. This is akin to how I felt when I first laid eyes on his mother but also very different. Just like with his mother, my heart starts to beat erratically, but it beats to a different tune for him.

“Carter’s dad is white?” I think it’s the eight-year-old who asks that.

“He is?” Carter asks, looking into my eyes. “Wow. What does that mean?”

“Hi, Carter.” I keep my voice low, gentle. The last thing I want is for Nia to accuse me of being rough and try to throw me out.

“Are you my daddy?” His little voice is like music. He hangs his head down after asking that question. I wonder if it’s because he’s scared of the answer.

“I am,” I tell him. If he asks me where I’ve been, I don’t know what I’ll say. He’s three. He won’t care that I didn’t know about him, or that none of this is my fault. But I needn’t worry. He runs into my arms and wraps them around me. I do the same and squeeze his little body.

I hear someone sob, and I realize it’s me, but I don’t care. I stand with him in my arms, and I swear I never want to let him go. He pulls away and looks into my face. “Hi.” He giggles and waves his little hand. “That’s my papa and my grandma.” He points at the older couple who are scowling deeply at me. “That’s Uncle Ray. That’s Mason. He’s cool, and Kyle is my best friend. That’s Audrey, and she takes us to Tarbucks,” he says, pointing at her. After he introduces me to everyone, he says, “Come see my room.” I put him down. He takes my hand and pulls me out of the room and away from everyone’s hostility.

Nia follows, but she doesn’t say a word. He pulls me into a room with a Spiderman bed and sheets. The entire room is filled with Spiderman things.

“I see you like Spiderman,” I tell him. He flicks his wrist like he’s casting a spiderweb. I pretend to get caught in it and fall on the floor. He laughs so hard, he snorts. He’s unguarded just like his mother, and I fall even more in love with my son. Then he throws himself on the floor and starts to roll around.

“Do you want to see pictures of me when I was small? Mason calls me a baby, but I told him I’m big.” He jumps up and runs out of the room before I can answer. I sit up and wait for him. I look up into the hostile eyes of Nia.

“Don’t hurt my son.” Her voice comes off like a warning, and it stings.

“He’s my son too. Stop referring to him as just yours,” I tell her.

“Go to hell.” She enters the room, and I know she’s ready for a showdown, but Carter comes running back with his cousin behind him holding a big photo album. I sit up, but I get the surprise of my life when Carter sits on my lap and Mason hands me the album.

The first page is of a very pregnant Nia with her belly exposed. She’s smiling, but there’s sadness in her eyes. The picture is captioned ‘on the way to the hospital.’ I’d give anything to go back in time and be the one to take her.

“Come, Mommy.” He holds out his hand to Nia. “You have to tell Daddy the stowies.” He gestures for her to come in. She stands there like a deer in headlights. I pat the spot next to me.

“I don’t bite,” I tell her. She looks down at me and looks into my eyes. She subconsciously licks her lips, and I know that she’s remembering that I do bite. And so does she.

She comes toward us as if I’m a bomb that might detonate. She sits close, but she makes sure our bodies don’t touch. Despite Carter wanting his mother there to tell the stories, he doesn’t give her a chance to speak. He talks nonstop, telling me a story about each picture. I glance at Nia who smiles wistfully at some of the pictures but looks away at some as if they’re too painful to look at.

“Look.” He points to what I’m sure is his first Halloween. “I was a peanut, but I wanted to be Piderman.”

“Oh, really? You remember that?” Nia giggles at him.

Chapter 16

Nia

I finally manage to leave the room and give Carter and Drake some time alone. Carter didn’t complain when I left. He seems to be quite at ease with his father. The thought almost makes me want to weep. My mom meets me in the middle of the hallway and takes me into her arms.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Be strong.” She cups my face. She’s an older version of me. “If you want, I’ll go in there and kick his sorry ass all over this neighborhood. I don’t give a damn what his name is or how much money he has.”

“Maybe when the kids aren’t around, but I appreciate you. Where’s Daddy?” If I have to worry about anyone making a scene, it’s my dad, but even he wouldn’t do it around the boys.

“He’s out there rolling his eyes at that fool. Talking all that nonsense to the boys. He’s like a kid in a grownup’s body.” I’m not sure what fool she’s talking about, but the only other non-relative in this house is Wyatt.

Wyatt is standing in the middle of the living room with the two boys looking up at him in awe. Audrey is still in her position against the wall with her arms crossed. She’s rolled her eyes twice already.

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