My Future Husband

Chapter 11

I swear to fucking God, if he had one of them on a poster on his wall, then I’m calling this whole thing off.

“Your... Really?” I nod and smile. “How the fuck did that not come up?” We both burst out laughing, him relaxing into the couch on one side, me drawing my knees up to my chest on the other, and just smiling back at him. “I can’t believe you’re Milo Thompson’s sister... I mean this in the nicest possible way... but how are you... and he’s...”

Ah yes, how am I the chocolate to his milkshake? That fucker wishes he could have my melanin royalty flowing in his veins.

“Same dad, different moms. We didn’t find out about each other until I was four, before that it was just me and Brie.” He nods. “We’ve got different dads too, although hers is a much bigger story than mine.” He nods again, he keeps doing that, like he just needs a second to process this, and I’m not surprised.

Wait until I properly explain the whole ‘my brother and sister are dating two brothers, but they’re not actually brother and sister to each other’ situation. Oh, or the ‘My one brother is married to his brother’s sister’ situation. Or better, the ‘My Dad is just the non-official-husband of the woman my birth father cheated on with my mother and had me, now I call her Mama’ situation.

This family is way too fucking incestuous.

“I’m glad you have them... that you haven’t been doing this on your own.” The giant elephant tips his circus hat from the corner of the room, we have to talk about this.

“He's yours, Kage. I wouldn’t let anyone else step into that role. We can get tests done or something if you want, but one look at his eyes should tell you tha-”

“I know he’s mine, I felt it the moment I saw him.” Thank fuck. “That’s not even what I’ve been thinking about, I just...” He looks around the cafe. “You’ve really got your shit together, I only saw him for a minute and I could see how loved he is. I don’t know where I fit in, I don’t know if I even do fit in... He doesn’t know who I am.”

“Yes he does... You’re in every story I’ve ever told him, you’re always the hero, the knight that saves the damsel, the warrior that saves the world. I’ve told that kid stories every night, and you've been in every single one of them, Kage.” His face lights up. “I didn’t think he’d ever get to meet you, but he was going to know you, I made sure of that.”

My eyes fill with tears, mostly because I can see his doing the same thing. Did he honestly think I’d just forget about him? That I'd let our son grow up not knowing what an amazing person his father was?

“Can I...” He rubs his hands under his eyes, and I have to dig my nails into my thighs to stop me reaching across and taking him into my arms. He’s not ready. “Can I see him?”

Yes, please.

We get up silently, for every step I take upstairs with him behind me, I can feel his whole aura wrapping around my body.

No, May, that’s not what he needs right now.

The kids are all still fast asleep when we go in, tiptoeing as quietly as we can until we're both standing next to his crib. It’s surreal, when I woke up this morning, I never could’ve imagined I’d be standing here right now, next to him, watching him look at the tiny life we created together.

Teal’s fingers wrap around his blanket, smiling in his sleep like he has since he was born. He’s always smiling, can’t imagine where he gets it from.

“He's perfect.” Yeah, he is.

Heather turns over, Liam wincing in pain but not waking up when she boots him straight in the shin. Kage doesn’t even notice, completely mesmerised.