Chapter 13 #2
My eyes haven’t left Chess, and now hers connect with mine, tears leaking from the corners.
“Chelsea?” She steps forward again. “Is… this…” her words hang in the air.
Righting my spine, I clear my throat. “Yes, this is your nephew.” It’s easier to speak those words to her, rather than claim Adam as Daddy right now. It also feels a little less of a betrayal to Adam, since I’m telling his sister before him.
“Oh my God,” she says again, her voice clogged with emotion. She reaches out her arms. “Can I hold him?”
I’m rocking Dom side to side on my hip. “You okay, baby?” I speak softly to him. “This is my good friend Francesca. She’s your… aunt, like Addy,” I say, fighting that lump growing larger and clogging my throat again.
“Fessa?” he asks, and I smile. They both look at each other for a moment and then, with his chubby little hands and arms he leans from my hip and into Francesca’s arms. She catches him, pulling him to her and he wraps his arms around her neck, and hers around his back.
Her eyes are shut tight, and tears are falling from them.
It’s like he already knows she’s family.
I look around and realize we are all crying. Is this how it will be when I tell Adam? Will he be happy like everyone else? Or will he shut me out again? This time, it would be a hundred times worse if he shuts out Dominic, too.
She walks to the couch with him, and we all follow. “Ok, girl, you need to tell us everything.”
I blow out a breath, and my heart squeezes inside my chest at the sight of Dom and his aunt. She doesn’t yell, she doesn’t accuse, she simply asks for me to tell my side.
“I don’t really know how to put all of this into words,” I tell them honestly.
“I’m at such a loss as to how to explain this.
I know I was wrong for leaving, I just didn’t know what to do, how to handle…
” I taper off. The emotion in the room fills me.
I'm watching my friends who I basically abandoned, all sit together and love on my son, who I hid from them for two years. The tears come and I can't form words.
Adley comes and sits next to me, leaning on the arm of the couch. “I think the first thing that has to happen is you talk to Adam. Explanations can come later, but I told you sis, you can’t hide out here. It’s Christmas. When you showed up to the game last night, you shocked a lot of people.”
“It was like seeing a ghost!” Britt says. “A beautiful ghost, but a ghost nonetheless.” We all laugh.
“Adam was stunned,” Farrah continues. “I spoke with Tom this morning, after he went to see Adam. He said he was basically talking himself in circles.”
“Oh gosh, the guys saw him already! Farrah, I didn’t know you and Tom were together, I’m sorry I put you in that situation.”
“No, no, we’re not together,” she says quickly, looking down at the floor. “He comes into the bakery for coffee before his shift in the mornings.”
“Or when it ends. Or in between calls,” Britt says, raising a brow and smirking.
Farrah waves her hand. “We’re not talking about me right now, missy!” she pokes at Britt.
“I’m sorry,” I apologize again. “When I saw you at the daycare, I didn’t mean to put you in a position. I just needed some sort of schedule so I can get my life—our life—back on track.”
Francesca snaps her head around to look at Farrah. “You knew?” she asks in a shocked tone.
Farrah begins to explain but I cut in. “Chess, I’m so sorry.
She didn’t know I was coming, and I didn’t know it was Farrah’s class, until I was standing in the classroom.
I’d only been back here for a couple of days.
Farrah told me I needed to come clean with everyone.
That’s why I went to the game last night.
I needed to see everyone, talk to everyone.
” I take a breath. “Seems I’m too late though.
I saw Adam and Grace together. She was very… possessive of him.”
Britt scoffs. “She isn’t anyone to him.”
“Britt!” Chess yells.
“What! It’s true. Bobby told me that Adam said it isn’t serious, it’s convenience. And I would never allow her to get her claws into this family anyway.” She sits with a matter of fact look on her face.
Chess shakes her head. “Every time I try to ask questions, he shuts me down.”
“Well, they were still together at the game, and she was definitely not happy I was there.”
“She’s not happy because she knows she’s going to be on the outside looking in again. Clearly things have changed now, so there is going to be a shift in dynamics,” Britt says. I see she still doesn’t care for Grace much.
Join the club, honey.
“There’s going to be a lot of shifting. Starting with an apartment. We can’t stay here. It’s only been a few days and we’re already outgrowing this place.”
Chess speaks up. “Why don’t you move into my old house?
” Her smile grows and she sits up straighter, still holding tight to my son.
“Yes! Oh my gosh this will be perfect. I moved in with Jackson, we’re across the street from you.
And Britt is two houses down, so if you need anything we’re all right there. ”
“Not to mention Adam still lives in the same house. The one diagonally from me,” Britt speaks up. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Listen. She needs a house. I have one.”
“Isn’t it Adam’s house?”
I cut off the bickering between Chess and Britt. “Oh no, I don’t want handouts. I can talk to Bobby, Britt, and find something else.”
“Absolutely not,” Francesca says. “This is not a handout. This is my nephew, and he needs a home. We will work it out with everyone later, but it doesn’t make sense for you to stay here, spending a ton of money for a closet.
” She stands. “Come on, let’s go check it out now.
Adam is working, Jackson is at practice, no one is around.
It’s the perfect time to see it. Then we can work on the rest.”
I reach out and take Dom back. He squirms and jumps down, stumbling over his own feet as he goes. Chess grabs my hand. “Seriously. CJ, let me help. Let us all help. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”
How is she real? I bailed on her brother, hid his kid from him and the rest of her family, and she still wants to help me.
“It’s my own fault I’ve been alone, Francesca.”
“That’s fine. You’re here now to correct that wrong, right?” she questions me sternly.
I sigh. There’s no winning with Francesca when she gets a thought in her head.
I feel so stupid. I knew his family would have stepped up to help me. Dom and I would have been first priority with them.
But I needed us to be Adam’s first priority.