14
Beckett
I turn so I'm facing Selah, looking her in the eyes before I explain my plans to her.
"I have to go through the process of becoming a permanent guardian for Edison starting next week. Charlie had no problem signing over his rights, because he obviously was never interested in parenting to begin with. And who knows when he will ever be out of jail anyway," I explain, and she nods solemnly.
"I'll let Edison finish out the school year while Upwood Children's Services does all of my background checks, and makes sure I'm a suitable guardian. By the time he wraps up Kindergarten, hopefully it won't be too much longer and then we will head to Manhattan. I'll take the summer to get him acclimated to the city, and see if I can somehow pull some strings at my old private school to get him enrolled," I explain, going over what I started thinking about yesterday.
"I can't move here, Selah. My entire life is in New York. My business, my friends..well, friend ," I correct. "It just wouldn't work."
She looks away from me and I swear I see disappointment cross her face.
"What's wrong?" I ask carefully.
She sighs, meeting my eyes again, "You know, I thought my whole life was in Charlestown before I moved here. I came up here last year for the big Spring Fling festival they always have, and I discovered I was craving a different pace in life, and a tighter knit community. I realized that sometimes change is really good, and life will show you exactly where you're supposed to be," she answers.
"That makes a lot of sense," I respond, thinking over her words. I would be a fool to not recognize how serendipitous this all feels.
First I find out I have a nephew I never knew about that turns out to be an amazing kid, despite his circumstances. Then his teacher turns out to be a beautiful, loving woman with all of the qualities I've always wanted in a partner.
But it's hard to focus on all of that kismet when I need to make sure that Edison is set up with everything he needs, and I have employees who are depending on me to keep my empire growing.
I stare at her and she fidgets under my gaze. I reach over and gently touch her cheek and I see her breath hitch as my thumb strokes her face.
"Just because we are going back to New York doesn't mean that we would have to never see you again, Selah. I'd love for you to visit us whenever you'd like, and I would still make time to talk to you every day," I say quietly.
She purses her lips together, biting back a smile, "Well if you really do decide to move back, then I'd be happy to visit you guys. Sure," she agrees.
"Good," I say, thankful that we understand each other.
"Uncle Beckett!" Edison calls out, breaking us out of our daze.
"We found a little frog, look!" he squeals, coming over and thrusting it towards my face.
"Whoa, that's pretty awesome, little man," I laugh, taking the frog from him.
His two classmates come running over and I stand up with all of them.
"Do you want to see, Ms. Selah?" Edison asks, retrieving the frog from me and walking it over to her.
"Oh! No thanks, Edi!" Selah squeaks, scooting down the bench.
I smile watching her squirm away, "Not a big amphibian fan?" I ask.
She smooths down her dress, looking embarrassed. "Uh, no. Not particularly."
"How about we go back over to the pond and see if we can find a nice spot to get this little guy back to," I say, leading the boys away from her.
I look over my shoulder at her and she gives me a grateful smile. I wink at her, and put my hand on Edison's shoulder, leading them to the pond.
When we get there, Edison sets the frog down on the bank of the pond, and we watch as he quickly hops back to the water.
The boys call out their goodbyes to him, and one of them looks up at me. "Are you Edison's dad?" He asks, craning his neck up at me and shielding his eyes from the sun.
"No. I'm his uncle," I answer, putting my arm around Edison's shoulders.
"My mom told me that your dad went to jail. Is that true?" The redheaded boy next to him asks.
I frown, "Who is your mom?"
The boy points over to the group of chatty women who were watching Selah and I earlier, "She's over there! With the black leggings and PTSA shirt," he answers.
Figures.
I pull Edison closer to me, "No offense kid, but it's not really anyone's business what's going on with our family. Not even your mother," I respond.
I look down at Edison and I can tell his mood has been deflated from that one nosy question reminding him of the stress in his life right now.
"How about we head home, Edison? We can stop by the grocery store and grab some things. I was thinking we could have a fun movie night tonight," I suggest, smiling down at him.
The corner of his mouth lifts as he looks up at me, "Even with popcorn?"
"Come on now. What kind of bootleg movie theater would I be running without popcorn?" I ask, nudging his shoulder.
He laughs and I ruffle his hair, taking his hand in mine. We all walk back over to the playground, and Edison waves goodbye to his classmates before they go back to their parents.
"Does that little redhead kid bother you?" I ask, once we are alone.
"Gunner can be rude sometimes. Franklin is nicer to me," he answers, looking at the ground.
I stop walking, bending down to speak to him eye-to-eye, "You don't let any kid make you feel bad about what is going on in our family, ok? Life is rough for you right now, but none of it is your fault, and it doesn't make those boys any better than you are," I say. "You're a Kade , Edison. I'm going to teach you exactly what that really means. You're going to be just fine."
He stares back at me with his haunting blue eyes that make me feel like I'm looking into a mirror. He jolts forward and wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tight, and I rub his back reassuringly. He doesn't say a word, but I know exactly what he is saying to me.
We make our way back over to Selah who is now standing beside the bench I left her sitting on, typing on her phone. She pockets it when she sees us, and smiles. "Did the frog find a good new home?"
"He did. He's happy over by the water," Edison says proudly.
"It's best to keep animals in their habitats, right?" I say, and Edison nods. I turn back to Selah, "Are you ready to head out?"
"Yes. I should go finish cleaning my house," she says, walking with us.
We head back to the street, and again I take their hands while we cross the road, and hold on to them as we walk back to Coco's. I take Selah over to her car and she looks up at me as she unlocks it.
I reluctantly let her hand go and open the door for her. "Come over tonight. We are going to watch a Disney movie Edison keeps going on about," I say, as Edison kicks a rock along the sidewalk.
She looks over at him, looking unsure, so I decide to sweeten my offer.
"There will be lots of popcorn. Might even get crazy and throw some candy in there too," I say, raising an eyebrow.
She lets out a sweet giggle that makes me smile, "Well I can't really turn that down, can I?" she says.
"I'd take that invite if I were you," I respond. "I'll come get you around 6?"
She shakes her head, "I'll drive. You all aren't too far from me," she says.
I nod, knowing that if it gets too late that I will just drive her home. "Edison, say goodbye to Ms. Selah," I call over to him.
He runs over and gives her a hug, and when they part, I open her car door for her, waiting until she gets inside.
"Buckle up, sweetheart," I say, waiting until she secures her seatbelt in place.
"I'll see you soon," she says looking up at me.
"I can't wait," I respond, before closing her door.