Chapter 7
Getting almost robbed and running into Osiris wasn’t on my to-do list for the day, but both of those things happened simultaneously.
I thought he would have been too pissed off to be around us, so I was surprised when he got in my truck.
I bit the inside of my cheek, nervous as hell. I could feel Osiris burning a hole in the side of my face.
My stomach was in knots as we sat at the table eating ice cream.
“Look at all my sprinkles, Daddy.” Little O held his spoon up to his father’s face.
“I see them, and I have some too.” Osiris mirrored our son’s movements.
It was crazy saying our son. I knew Osiris was shocked when little O called him daddy.
Little O had no problem talking to his father’s ears off, and Osiris was tuned in. I was happy they took to each other so quickly.
“What’s your favorite cartoon?” Osiris asked.
“Bluey!”
Osiris’s eyes widened. “Bluey? I like Bluey too.”
Little O smiled, and so did I, but I felt a pang in my chest. How did he know what Bluey was? Oh, no . I never thought that he could have had a family wherever he had been all this time. What would happen when he went back home? I wished I could have waited a little longer for them to meet until Osiris and I had a conversation. I didn’t know what his life was like, and I didn’t want my baby to get caught up with having his dad around for nothing.
What if he decided he wanted to take my baby away? I was on the brink of shedding tears. I probably was overreacting.
“Wynter, you good?”
My eyes rolled toward Osiris. “Yes.”
He studied my face for a minute, and I stared right back at him. My eyes traveled to his lips, and I licked mine. His brown eyes twinkled, and warmth radiated through my body. That was the same look that had me face down in his bed years ago, and I was ready to recreate that first night.
Time had done him well. I glanced down at his ring finger and was relieved to not see a ring or a tan line. That didn’t mean anything, though, because I’ve met men who didn’t wear rings but had families at home.
“I think you look nice with locs,” he said when I looked back at his face.
“Thank you.” I thought about him pulling my hair since I saw him at the restaurant.
We stared at each other again, words unspoken, but they were loud and clear.
Osiris wanted to fuck me, and I wanted him.
“I’m finished.” Little O’s voice broke through the sexual tension in the air.
Osiris blinked, then focused on Little O. I shook my head to rid myself of the fog Osiris had me in.
“Me too.” His gaze traveled back to me for a minute, then back to our son.
I wasn’t sure why he looked at me the way he did, but something in my gut told me he wasn’t talking about ice cream.
“Let me wipe your face and hands off.” I took the wipes from my bag and cleaned Little O’s face off.
Osiris watched us with a gleam in his eyes.
“You got time to hit up a park or something?”
“Yeah, we can. Do you want me to take you back to your car first?” I didn’t know what his plans were, and I didn’t want to have to drive across town again if I didn’t have to.
“As long as I can trust you not to dip off.” He smirked.
This moment was long overdue, so I wasn’t leaving until the Osirises were ready to depart.
I giggled. “I promise I won’t.”
“Let’s hit it then.”
The three of us left the ice cream parlor and headed back to Osiris’s car.
“Look, Daddy.” Little O held up his toy in his father’s face.
“I see it. It’s full of bubbles.”
I stood in the doorway of my bathroom, smiling and watching the double O’s. I decided to call them that, and I thought it was cute.
After leaving the park, we went to my apartment. When we got there, Osiris ordered pizza for dinner, and then they played some more. When it was Little O’s bathtime, he insisted his father help him. I didn’t have a problem with it at all. It freed up some time, so I cleaned up a little, then joined them in the bathroom.
My baby had been in pure bliss since Osiris joined us, and that was all I ever wanted.
Osiris must have felt my presence because he turned in my direction and winked. My entire body warmed at the gesture.
That man was still fine as ever, and even finer. He’d cut his hair lower and now sported waves.
“It’s time for bed,” I said as I walked further into the bathroom.
“Aww, man.” Little O pouted. “I not tired, Mommy.”
I grabbed the towel from the rack and handed it to Osiris.
“Your yawn says otherwise.” I laughed.
Osiris let the water out of the tub, then wrapped Little O in the towel before getting him out.
“How about I read you a bedtime story?” Osiris asked as he dried him off.
“Yay.”
I went to the sink to prepare his toothbrush for him. Every night before bed, he had to brush his teeth.
“Come brush your teeth,” I told him after Osiris helped him put his underwear on. I always waited until we were in his room to put lotion on.
Big O stood next to him as he stood on his stool.
“I usually let him start, but I finish to make sure his teeth are properly brushed,” I informed Big O as I put some cleaner in the tub.
“Here, let me help you, little man.”
As they brushed his teeth, I quickly cleaned the tub out. I cleaned it every night after his bath, so it only took a quick minute to clean.
When we were done in the bathroom, we went into little O’s room, and I let Big O handle the rest of his routine which included moisturizing, praying, and reading. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.
Big O sat on the side of his bed, watching him for a bit, so I left the room to give him some privacy.
I wasn’t sure if he planned on leaving or not, so I went to the living room to wait for him.
A few minutes later, I was sitting on the couch, looking up recipes, when Osiris came downstairs.
“He is out like a light,” he said as he sat on the couch across from me.
“It’s been a long day. Do you want some water or anything?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
He sat back against the couch and rubbed his face. I was sure his emotions had been high.
For a while, neither of us said anything.
“I just want to apologize again for not doing better with telling you,” I said, breaking the silence.
Osiris sat up in the seat. “I appreciate that, but let’s talk and get things out in the open.”
I grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch because I was always cold.
“I’m mad that I missed out on the first couple of years of his life, but I can’t stay mad. I don’t want to waste time being angry and miss even more time with him. I appreciate you at least telling him who I was.”
“I didn’t want him to grow up to think you were this bad person, and it wasn’t your fault you weren’t there. Where did you go?”
That one question had been on my mind for the last three years because it was weird to me how he just disappeared.
“I got the opportunity to go to school in Paris, and I couldn’t blow my chance. I do regret not telling you, especially knowing what I know now.”
“Why didn’t you call me or come to my dorm? Send an email or something?”
He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even get the chance. I broke my phone, so I couldn’t call. Shit was just crazy.” He shook his head. “Damn. I missed his birth and a few birthdays already.” He dropped his head to his chest.
My heart squeezed in my chest when he looked back up at me with tears in his eyes. I threw the blanket off me and went over to him. Kneeling in front of him, I gripped the sides of his face.
“Look at me. None of this is on you. It’s my fault, but we don’t have to dwell on the past. You are here now, and we will work something out so you don’t miss out on any more time with him.”
“Wynter, I live in Paris. I don’t know how this is going to work.”
I sat back on my heels, stunned. I never would have imagined he lived in a completely different country. This situation was going to be harder than I thought. He dropped his head in his hands.
“How long are you here for?”
When he looked back up at me, a tear fell from his eye, and I swiped it with my thumb. “It was only supposed to be a week, but I don’t know.”
It turned me on that he wasn’t afraid to show his emotions.
“You can spend as much time as you can with him until you leave, then we’ll figure something out. I won’t deny you seeing him. Who knows? Maybe we’ll come to Paris. I mean, that’s if you aren’t married or something.” I giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
“Nah, I’m not married.”
He didn’t say he was single, though, but it wasn’t my business. We just needed to figure out how to co-parent living so far apart.
“What about you? You got a man or something?”
I was still on the floor in front of him, and talking was the last thing on my mind. I hadn’t had sex since the last time I was with Osiris.
Being a single mom and having a demanding job didn’t give me much room to date.
“No, I’m single. I’ve been single.” I hoped he picked up what I was putting down. I wouldn’t come right out and say I wanted to have sex, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it.
“You’ve been single? For how long?”
“Since you left.”
His eyes lowered to my lips, then my breasts and back up. I squirmed under his penetrative stare.
I was in the perfect position to do something if he wanted me to, but I wasn’t sure where his head was at. Just the thought of sucking his dick made my mouth water.
He continued to stare at me, and I didn’t know what to do.
Osiris decided for me when he leaned over and kissed me.