The doorbell rings through the house. Justin pulls away from me, he was about to leave and was saying his goodbyes but the doorbell rang. "Mama?" Camden James is terrified of the doorbell. Doctors think it has something to do with his brain development and the mental disability he has that they don't know yet.
"Come on baby, lets go see who it is." I kiss his cheek while I carry him to the door. He walks perfectly normally but carrying him is something I love doing, I never really got to carry Adam. I was never really able to be there when they needed time the most. I did my best but Shawn was always gone and I had to work somehow, Mercy didn't get her sweet sixteen just like she'd always wanted because Shawn was never around. I did everything I could but he never actually did what he was supposed to as their parent and as a divorced man with legal obligations. He didn't pay what he was supposed to, and I didn't ever say anything.
"Hey Reese?" Shawn awkwardly shoves his hands inside of his pockets meaning nothing good is to come.
"Hi daddy," Camden James' little eyes light up with joy when he sees Shawn. This little boy has never been more excited than he was today.
"Hi," he nods awkwardly before looking at me. "So, my baby girl, Cameron, her birthday is coming up soon." He nods fiddling with something in his pockets. "She really doesn't enjoy the thought of, having more siblings then just her little brother Matthew." He explains nodding as if to make sure I was following. "So I was hopping for her birthday I might be able to get your ring and mine so I could give it to her to show her I'm gonna stay with her mom, you know what I mean?" I feel beyond torn at the thought. Those two objects are all I have left of him and he wants the both, two symbols of our love.
"Do you want my engagement ring?" I furrow my eyebrows seating Camden James down while I let Shawn in so I can figure out what he wants and give him the answer.
"She'd really like it if I could get both your wedding ring and your engagement ring?" He fiddled with his fingers. "I know I'm asking a lot but she's my baby girl and I'd do anything for her." He mumbles the last part. He used to tell me the same thing, he'd tell me constantly that I was his baby girl and he's do anything for me but apparently not.
"I know the feeling." I look at the stairs I remember watching my grand kids sat and met each other for the first time. "I-I guess you could have my ring if you want." I look down at my little boy. "I'll be right back with them." I nod slowly.
"Thank you Reese, you don't know how much this is gonna mean to her." He smiles widely looking slightly less uncomfortable.
"But could I keep the engagement ring?" I furrow my eyebrows. "You can say no if you want I just," he cuts me off still having a large smile across his face.
"You can have it, it's alright." He nods. "She'll just be happy to have the two."
"Alright," I nod jogging up the stairs to get the rings.
"What does he want?" Justin stands planting a kiss on my cheek.
"He wants the rings." I explain slowly opening my safe in which I have kept the memories that I don't wanna loose. It's little things like our home movies or pictures of our kids as babies that I can't give up. But it's mainly pictures and little things of Shawn and my relationship. Loosing him was hard but trying to move on was harder. Justin and my being together was something that happened only after I saw him and his family for the first time. We wouldn't have gotten together if I hadn't seen them while we were walking.
"Why does he want your rings babe? He gave them to you?" He furrows his eyebrows fairly confused.
"He says his daughter would really like them as a birthday present." I shrug. "And because I'm a parent too and I understand why he's doing this, I'm gonna give them to him." I stare at the first ring he put on my finger thirty years ago. Adam hadn't arrived yet, we didn't have his name sorted but we were young and in love. At that point I still had small worries about being with him fearing he would bring harm to me and my baby but he never did. And soon all of my worries faded, I was just in love.
"You're way too nice to him," he rolls his eyes.
"He doesn't deserve the silent treatment from everyone, and we can still be civil people we are adults now, we're not teenagers anymore." I roll my eyes.
"He's not being very civil, His whole intention of this trip was probably to make you jealous." Justin rolls his eyes laying on the bed.
"Stop it, you and him used to be friends. Now just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean you can't still be friends." I shake my head at him locking the safe again.
"I was only ever friends with him for you Reese. I know how much he meant to you and I never wanted to brake that." He explains. "But if I'm being honest he never was around and he never did portray a fatherly role for your children. If anything Nathan was their dad."
"He Did everything he could for those kids Justin, and I loved him, so did they. Now he might not still be around but I'm sure he doesn't hate his kids and I'm sure these stupid rings aren't his way of telling me he never wants to see them again." I huff walking down the stairs to my sobbing little boy and Shawn looking quite scared. "Hey baby breath." I grab onto his inhaler giving him two puffs and a tight hug.
"D-d-daddy says I'm never gonna see him again." He sobs harder against my shoulder.
"Sh, sh, sh, baby." I glare at Shawn.
"If I had known he would've acted this way I wouldn't have told him." He looks down slightly embarrassed but mainly ashamed.
"Well maybe if you'd ever called him you would've known better." I shake my head at him while Angelina comes running down to help her little brother.
"He's waited his whole life for you," Angelina scoffs. "And you ruined things with the rest of us but he's ten and he's never met you, he had so much faith in you Dad." She shakes her head.
"According to you I'm not your dad Angelina." He retorts.
"Shawn," I gasp at him. "She was angry and she has the right to be." I point at him.
"But she is right, I'm not her dad, she was adopted." He rolls his eyes a little making the seventeen year old cry as well.
"Shawn," I screech. "Angelina baby," she grabs her little brother and she runs up the stairs to hide. "Why did you do that?" I look at him with much disappointment.
"I told them the truth Reese, what are they as sensitive as you now?"
"They've gone their whole lives without you Shawn, and Camden James has waited his whole life to finally meet his dad, he's drawn pictures written speeches everything you could think of and it was all for this. You took your poor ill son and his life right into the palm of your hand and you're letting him fall out."
"Well maybe he shouldn't have been taught to rely on me." He shrugs hinting that I did.
"He wasn't taught to rely on you Shawn," I shake my head with a bitter laugh. "He was taught to live without you,"
