Bad Luck or Fate?

Chapter 80

"Alright buddy, I just gave you my best stuff and I got nothing. Can you help me out here? I'm really trying and I really really want to hear you laugh. Come on, can you laugh for Daddy?" I tried tickling him again when I heard pots and pans clanging in the kitchen downstairs. I could hear Karen quietly cursing to herself as the commotion came to a stop. I looked over my shoulder out into the hall for a moment trying to decide if Karen needed my help but I didn't hear anything after that so I turned back to my son who was still grinning. "You know, if that were your other grandma the entire house would be awake right now and not just the two of us and Grandma Karen. Grandma Gloria would have had this whole house in chaos. "DON'T YOU GRAB ME! I CAN COOK THIS DINNAH BY MAHSELF!" I was looking over at the door to make sure Mom didn't hear that impression when I heard the most wonderful sound in the world. I looked over at my son who was laughing excitedly at me. I softly let out a half laugh, half cry and looked at my son, dumbfounded. "Really? Your grandma? I give you my best impressions and your grandmother is what does it for you?" He was still softly grinning when I decided to test the waters again. "I CAN GRAB THE PANS MAHSELF!" I lowered my voice and put on a thick accent. "Huh? WHAT? What? HUH? Pans? DINNAH! Huh?" Thomas threw his head forward and gave me his best high pitched laugh. He laughed so hard that he threw his head back and let out this beautiful throaty, gasping laugh. I let out another half laugh, half sob and had to let go of my sons hand for a moment when my vision blurred so I could wipe the tears away. I kept doing my best impression of his grandma for the next thirty minutes, relishing in the fact that I finally got my son to laugh. I sat back and soaked in the gorgeous sound of his laughter until he finally fell asleep against my chest at around 1 in the morning.

I finally eased myself off the floor at around 1:30 when my back started cramping up from the position I was sitting in. I managed to stand in an upright position and put Thomas in his crib without waking him. I covered him in his blanket and turned on his mobile before leaning in and kissing him on his forehead. He stirred slightly but quickly fell back into his slumber, snoring softly. I walked over to the bed and made sure Winnie was tucked in. I moved her messy hair off her face and tried to straighten it up a bit. She closed her mouth and started groaning softly, talking in her sleep a little bit. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I rubbed her cheek. She gets that from Nancy. I grabbed my pillows and placed them on either side of her so she wouldn't roll off the bed while I took a shower. I grabbed the remote off the end table and turned the tv on so the kids could have some light and some white noise to sleep to while I was gone. I turned it to QVC and stood there a moment, watching the girls describe a new blender that also chopped and processed whole foods. I had been standing there for about five minutes mesmerized by this product when I shook myself out of it. I uncrossed my arms and rubbed my face as I walked over to my bag and grabbed out solid black boxer briefs and white basketball shorts. I grabbed my shampoo and soap and headed into the bathroom. I closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar so I could hear if Winn or Thomas needed me while I was in here. I opened the shower door and turned the warm water on, letting it heat up as I shed my boxers and kicked them under the bathroom sink. I reached in and put my wrist under the stream until it was just the right temperature. I stepped in and put myself under the stream, running the hot water on my face, spitting out water as it began to fill my mouth.

I squeezed a decent amount of shampoo into my hair and began to lather as the wheels started turning in my head. My mind was going a mile a minute and I had been trying to quell it for the last few hours and aside from getting Thomas to laugh, nothing was helping. I couldn't help but wonder what Breckyn was doing, if she was sleeping or if she was perhaps doing the same thing I was doing right now. Odds are if she can't sleep, this is exactly what she's doing. Taking a shower to clear her head and think. I laughed slightly as I stepped forward and put my head under the water, rinsing the shampoo from my hair. I put my hand against the tile and put my weight on my arm, letting the other drop to my side as I let the water wash down my back, easing the tension in my muscles. I moved my neck from side to side trying to work the kink out of my neck from sleeping on a stiff hotel bed for the last week. For not sleeping well the last seven days and for being jetlagged, I sure wasn't getting any sleep tonight. I missed Breckyn too much to even begin to think about getting any sleep, being in her room and sleeping in her bed without her wasn't helping things. She was consuming my thoughts and there will be no relief until I saw her walking down that aisle. The only problem was I didn't know if I would last that long. Its funny to think that just two years ago my life was so different. I had no idea who Breckyn was. I didn't have a son and I was going through a divorce that no one had any idea about. Now, look at my life. Look at how far Breckyn and I have come since that first night. I still remember the first time I saw her. The first time I came here. The first time that I kissed her, the first time we were together. Actually, come to think about it.. the first time we were together was....