Grown ish: Zoey and Aaron, The Future (BOOK 2)

Part 49: Together

Zoey narrates.

Today was my baby girl Zara's 8th birthday, and we were hosting her birthday party in the penthouse.

I'm standing by a ladder, when Aaron walks in.

'Oh, hey. Did you get the cake?' I ask.

'Yep.' He says, holding it up to show me, then coming over and giving me a friendly kiss on the side of my head.

'Great. Just leave it in the kitchen.' I reply.

He comes out of the kitchen, and approaches the ladder, which I've now climbed up on to.

'Come down, let me finish it.' He says, as I shake my head.

'It's fine. I can do it.' I reply, as Zara and AJ come running downstairs, laughing.

'Papa!' They shout, as they run toward him, making the ladder wobble.

'Happy Birthday Zara!' He says, hugging them both, tight.

'Can I show you what mom got me to wear for the party?' She asks, excitedly.

'Sure, I'll meet you upstairs. Let me just help mom finish up here, okay?' He replies, as she nods.

'And you, you little monster!' Aaron says, swooping AJ up in his arms as he giggles, trying to free himself.

'Papa, I want to go play!' AJ says, laughing.

'Come with me!' He adds, before running off.

As he does so, the ladder wobbles again, as I'm climbing down, but just as I'm about to fall, Aaron catches me in his arms.

Naturally, my arms drape around his neck, as he holds me, staring at me.

'You can put me down now.' I say.

'I don't want to.' He replies, as my eyes widen in shock, and he quickly stands me on my feet.

'I was kidding.' He says.

'Right...' I say, brushing it off.

I continue preparing things around the room.

'I can't believe she's 8 years old already.' I say.

'Me too. I can still remember the day she was born.' Aaron replies.

I'm arranging plates on the table, so he comes over to help me. He leans over me to grab a few plates, and his arm brushes against mine, gently, as my body shivers from his touch. As he continues, he stays standing close to me, his body up against mine, and I find my heart beating fast.

'She saved me. Truly. So, thank you, Zoey. For being the best mother to my children.' He says, quietly, before leaving to check on the kids.

_____

A few hours later, Zara's party has started, and all of our friends and family have arrived. The kids are all screaming and playing together, including Zara, AJ, Jillian and Luca's son Moses, and Jazz and Doug's daughter Jenni. Soft music plays in the background as everyone chats away, enjoying each other's company.

'Zoey, everything looks amazing! How did you even have the time to do all this?' Ana asks, picking at the food table.

'Anything for my baby girl. But I have to admit, Dwayne did most of the work.' I say, smiling.

'I'm glad we could give Zara the birthday party she wanted.' He replies.

'Baby Zara isn't a baby anymore.' Jazz says, pouting.

'Honestly, she's like a mini teenager. You should see her when she's having a tantrum.' I say, as they all laugh.

I continue talking with Dwayne, and as I do so, he moves closer to me, laughing. There is definitely tension between us both, and like I said, he is very attractive, but I haven't even thought about being with anyone else since Aaron and I separated. My priority has been co-parenting. It's just so easy with Dwayne, though. As we're laughing away together, talking about work and the kids, and his hilarious family, he suddenly turns more serious.

'You know, Zoey, I was thinking maybe you and I could...' He starts to talk, but in the corner of my eye, I spot Aaron looking ahead at us, and how Dwayne's arm is positioned against mine, and I suddenly feel sick.

'Hey, can we continue this later? I think we should cut the cake now.' I say, making a quick excuse.

'Yeah, yeah of course! I'll go get the kids.' He replies, before leaving as I turn around, my back toward Aaron, as I try to regain control of my breathing.

_____

Aaron and I stand behind the cake with Zara in the middle and AJ by the side.

The guests sing happy birthday, and we take some photos, Aaron and I both leaning down to kiss Zara's cheeks.

'Okay, mom and dad move in a bit please!' Nomi says, directing the photos.

Awkwardly, we both move closer, our hands positioned on Zara's shoulders.

Nomi gestures us to move in even more, and as we do, we now stand shoulder to shoulder. Aaron positions one of his hands around my waist, as I stand frozen.

'What a beautiful family!' My mom says, smiling from ear to ear.

My family and friends were never on board with our decision to separate, so naturally, they've always tried to keep us together or make comments about how good we were together.

'Family?! Does this mean papa is going to live here again? So we can all be together? Mom?!' AJ asks, in a sudden turn of events.

The room falls silent, as I turn to look at Aaron, confused.

____