My Future Husband

Chapter 85

“Hey gorgeous ladies, I hate to interrupt, but I’ve got a little man here that wants to get in on this.” Kage pops his head past the door, his bright blue eyes being matched by a slightly smaller pair that shine back at me with all the love I’ll ever need.

“Hope! Hope!” I’m literally his mother, and does he go running into my arms? Nope. I’m old news now, the blonde scooping him up before resting him to lay right between us.

“How are you so precious, cutie?”

“Because he takes after his dad, obviously.” I try to turn around so I can slap him, but Hope beats me to it, leaning right across my body and flicking him on the nose like a naughty dog. “Oh, so this is how it’s going to be now, huh? You two tag-teaming again?”

You better fucking believe it.

I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.

“I think you just take too much credit.” Hope snuggles her nose with Teal’s, Craig only looking a bit put out as he takes the seat behind her. You jealous of the toddler there? “The Johnson might be strong with this one, but it’s the Parker in him that’s going to make his story an adventure.”

Oh God, I don’t know what the future holds for my little ocean, but with those eyes and my genetics, I can’t imagine he’s going to stay out of trouble forever.

Should be a good read.

Just when I thought Craig couldn’t look anymore in love with her, she gently tickles her fingers down Teal’s arm, making him giggle before softly playing with his baby bracelet. “Did you get this for him for his christening?”

I’d completely forgotten her dad got her one like this when he had her christened.

“No, Valerie got it for him, it's just like Kage’s from when he was a baby.” She smiles down at the delicate silver against his milk chocolate skin. “I never actually got him christened.”

“You didn’t?” She raises her eyebrows at me. “Your granny would not be happy with that.”

“I know.” I laugh, sensing my grandmother tap her foot at the bottom of the bed with fury. It’s not that I didn’t want to, it's just that... “I just couldn’t do it.”

“Why not?” I really don’t want to cry again today, I think I’ve done it enough for this entire year, but then I have to go and fucking look at her.

Brie offered to book the church, Mama T said she'd throw the party, but every single time I told them no. I couldn’t get him christened... For one reason and one reason alone.

“Because I couldn’t let anyone else be his godmother.”

I have so many beautiful women around me, all completely worthy of that title, but there was only one I wanted. Kage wasn’t here, I was on my own, and as much as I love my sister and my brothers, if anyone else was going to raise my baby, there was only one other woman in the world I wanted him to look at as a mum.

“You couldn’t...” I sign the words again, but I don’t think she missed them the first time, reaching across Teal to take my face and kissing it with tears on her lips. “You... You...”

“I-I needed it to be y-you.” We had a plan, we were going to be there. I accepted I had to lose a lot of the hopes I had for us, but that one, that one I just couldn’t.

After I tried to overdose, there was this moment when me and Hope were alone on my bed. Milo was downstairs, so fucking angry, ripping into every person and blaming them even when I didn’t. I knew I needed to go down there, I needed them to hear it in my voice, but I just wasn’t strong enough. She knew that, she took my head in her hands just like she is now, she looked into my eyes, and she said words that I have tried to repeat to myself every day ever since.