❃𝙺𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚊❃
"Batman has to be there, Mom."
"Has to, huh?"
"Uh-huh. It's boring if he's not."
I laugh at that. "He might be busy saving New York, baby." I warn.
"Gotham, Mom." Cameron groans and throws his head back. "Milo's parents got him to his birthday." He grumbles with a side glance at me.
"What did I say about me being like other parents?" I remind with a raised brow. He sighs in response. "Ask your dad to get Batman to your birthday party." I dismiss with a wave of my hand.
God, I love saying that. Ask your dad. It's such an easy out to conversations I don't want to have.
Cameron sighs. "Is Auntie Ally coming to my birthday party?" He asks as he comes over to drop down lazily on the couch beside me. He slouches like he's just finished paying the electric bill.
"Mhm," I absently start counting my chains back on my newest crochet project.
"And Dad's mom and dad?" He asks quieter. "And Katie and her mom? And Molly and Robert?"
I pause at that and look over at him. "Molly and Robert?" I whisper to myself. I didn't realize he picked Noah's grandparents names up. "Um..." I awkwardly glance away briefly when his gaze meets mine. "Do...you want them to go?"
Cameron frowns at the question. He braces his hands on either side of him to push himself up properly in his seat. "I don't want Dad to be alone." He mumbles.
I set my project down beside me before I look back at him, turning in my seat to face him more. "Baby, he won't be alone." I chuckle softly. "Neither will you. Your friends will be there and me and Dad will be there."
He's still frowning. "Grammy's coming. What about Dad's family?" He insists.
"Don't worry about that." I dismiss, shaking my head. "It's your birthday party. You invite whoever you want to it." He's too young to be worried about something like that. If his dad is surrounded by his family too.
"But are they coming?"
"Do you want them to?"
He chews on his bottom lip as he stares at me, thinking the question over for a moment. "Katie and her mom." He mumbles. "Katie is nice. She likes Taffy."
"Okay," I acknowledge with a little smile. "We'll talk to Dad about inviting them."
"And..." He seems a little unsure but continues anyway. "Molly and Robert. And Dad's mom and dad." He lists.
"Okay, baby. We'll work that out with Dad." I assure as I reach over for my project again. Cameron slowly nods in response. "And when you're ready, you just let me know when you're ready to talk about everything." I offer offhandedly. I'm hoping that if I paint it out to be something that's really not a big deal, he'll be more open to it.
He ignores my effort though. "When is Dad coming over again?" He asks on a sigh, voice quick with impatience.
"Um..." I pause my project again to look up at the ceiling in thought. "I don't know." I admit thoughtfully. "But remember, Wyatt's coming for dinner tonight." I remind with a smile. He seemed excited about it when I first mentioned it.
His excitement doesn't make another surprise visit. "But what about Dad?" He asks again.
"Let's ask him."
Cameron grins at that. I don't even have to reach for my phone. He jumps up from the couch and runs down the hall to his bedroom. He's only in there for a moment, quickly coming back with a walkie talkie excitedly clutched in his hands. I don't know where Noah found walkie talkies that reach the good number of blocks between us, but he did, and our son loves it.
His grin is wide as he jumps back onto the couch and settles down beside me, facing me fully with his legs crisscrossed. He presses the button and holds the walkie talkie right against his mouth. "Copycat!" He calls. "Come in, Copycat. Over."
I smile softly to myself while I watch him call for his dad over his walkie talkie. I don't know if Noah even has the thing on him, but I know he'll find a way to respond. Cameron's too excited for this thing to never work for them.
"How long does it usually take?" I ask curiously, waving a hand around in the direction of the walkie talkie.
Cameron shrugs. "Sometimes really fast." He weakly offers. It's not like he times it though. In Cameron's world, really fast is actually really fast Had he dramatically said forever, it would've been around five or ten minutes.
Which basically means Noah probably carries that thing around in his pocket everywhere he goes just so he can respond if and when Cameron talks to him.
"Copycat," Cameron drawls into the microphone or whatever the hell the speaker thing is. I smile and shake my head as I look back down to continue counting my chains while he bothers his dad from his walkie talkie.
It doesn't take long for him to get a response. "Nutcase," Noah mocks his bored and drawn-out tone, making us both laugh. "Everything okay, Nut? Over." He remembers to add that little word at the end that Cameron insists on. I always forget.
"Uh-huh," Cameron hums dismissively. "Agent Mom wanted to talk to you. Over." He informs diligently. My jaw drops at that while he thrusts the walkie talkie in my direction.
"Oh?" Noah's static voice returns. His chuckle manages to make its way into his next message. "What did Agent Mom have to tell me that she couldn't say over the civilian line? Over."
I glare at my son while I look for the button I need to hold down to speak. "Cameron was supposed to say it himself." I grumble bitterly.
"Sorry, didn't catch that Agent Mom. Over."
I frown and look down at the walkie talkie, making sure I'm holding the button down this time. "Cam was supposed to tell you himself." I repeat, speaking a little slower in case he has some trouble hearing me this time around.
He hums skeptically. "Yeah, still not reading you, Agent Mom. Over."
I huff at that and hand it over to Cameron again. "Hold it down." I demand. He giggles to himself while he does as he's told. "I said Cameron was supposed to tell you himself." I repeat for a third time, this time even slower.
For a moment, nothing comes from Noah's side. I frown and watch the walkie talkie quietly, waiting for him to respond. I look to Cameron, growing unsure.
"Yeah...Still not reading ya, Agent Mom. Over."
I scoff at that and pull back some. Cameron's giggles grow uncontrollable. "Mommy, you're supposed to say over." He reminds.
"That's bullcrap!"
"Woah there, Agent Mom. No need to get so upset." Noah gasps. I send Cameron a glare when I realize he sent that off to his dad. "Over."
"Oh! So, now he can hear me? What a scam!"
Noah isn't as quick with his reply this time around. That gives Cameron a chance to remind me how to use the walkie talkies and what stupid rules he and his dad have for them. I have to say over, and I have to hold the button all the way down while I talk. Also, codenames are mandatory.
"Well, Agent Mom. Is everything okay over there? Over." Noah eventually responds. He sounds a bit preoccupied this time around, like maybe we're bothering him a little right now.
I accept the walkie talkie when Cameron offers it to me. "It can wait if you're busy." I assure, a little awkwardly. I figured he just wouldn't answer us if he was busy, but now that I think about it, Noah wouldn't leave us hanging like that. Not Cameron, at least. "Over." I add quickly before I forget.
"It's okay." He's quick to assure. He always says that though. It's hard to tell when he actually can spare a minute. "You guys need anything?" He pushes, absently adding a quick 'Over' at the end.
Cameron leans in some, so I press the button and hold it out to him so he can say it himself. "When are you coming over?" He asks bluntly. "Over."
A chuckle. "Whenever you want me to, Nut. Over."
Despite the fact that he's telling us he's pretty much always free, at the end of his message or whatever you'd call it, a little girl's voice can be heard whining for something in the background. I quickly remember the off handed comment Aaliyah made earlier while we were talking. She's having dinner with her husband tonight while Noah has Elaina.
So, he is busy.
"Tomorrow?" Cameron is quick to ask. "Wyatt is coming to have dinner tonight. You can come too." He offers an even better solution. Also, a quick "Over." at the end.
"I could...I have Elaina with me though. Is that okay? Over." He asks what sounds like us both. Cameron because he's still getting used to sharing his dad with his cousin.
Cameron's wide, hopeful eyes dart to me to answer though. I nod with a little smile, making his smile widen impossibly. "Agent Mom said it's okay." He proudly informs with that final word at the end of his sentence.
Maybe I should've asked Wyatt if he still wanted to come even if Noah comes with his niece. Then again, Wyatt doesn't live here and he's not the one who organized the dinner. Besides, if he gets along with Noah as well as he claims to, then he'll be ecstatic about seeing his bestest buddy tonight at the dinner table.
__________
I like the fact that my place has now become the center point everyone goes to. Sometimes, we go to Noah's, but most of the time he comes here. Wyatt doesn't exactly have a place we can go, so mine is the default. My friend is beginning to hate the boxes piling up in her living room, so if she's up for it, she comes over here. And coming over to mine to see Cameron is the only time my mom will actually get out of the house.
I guess I just like the fact that I don't need to leave the comfort of my own home half the time. I still have to get up and get dressed, but I can still wear my slippers instead of actual shoes. It's nice and relaxing this way. No one complains too which is a plus.
Pretty quickly, the apartment gets a little full. That's not hard to do in a two-bedroom one bath though. One extra person is already pushing it, but three extra is definitely up there on top of the two of us who live here full time. The fact that two of them are excited energetic kids doesn't help.
On the bright side, Cameron is getting used to his cousin better in such a comfortable environment. I think that's the most important thing about tonight. So, I focus on that rather than the strange looks the boys continue to share.
They're not even directly saying anything to each other. They're just glaring. If you could even call it that. It's like they're glaring but still trying to hide the fact that they're glaring, so their narrowed eyes are still slightly polite. Sometimes, they're not even glaring though. They're not really polite either, kind of neutral. Almost like strangers who happen to be sitting side by side somewhere.
They're weird, but when I pull Noah aside to ask, he smiles at me and tells me it's all up in my head. "He's getting along great with Cameron, and I like that." He says. He then asks something I wish he wouldn't. Not while it's just us in the kitchen with the kids and Wyatt in a different room. "And you love him, don't you?" He asks.
I deflect. "What does that have to do with the glares you keep sending each other?"
His smile softens and I feel like he comes in closer. He doesn't, of course. Doesn't lean in or lift his foot to step closer, I just feel like he does. "He's a good guy, Kiara." He whispers. "He's good to Cameron, and he's good to you. And you love him." He keeps going with reasons that have nothing to do with my question. I asked why he keeps glaring at Wyatt. I did not ask for reasons for why Noah might like him.
Those are all great reasons, but they're not his reasons. I know they aren't. He's done a pretty good job pretending like he actually does like Wyatt, I'll give him that. Besides the hidden glares, he's mostly been pretty neutral with Wyatt. He banters with him the same way he does with my mom—sort of like a love hate thing with a little less love. From the outside looking in, you'd think they were actual friends of some sort.
But they're not, and I know that. Maybe it is in my head though, like he's suggesting. I don't know—Maybe I'm looking for something to be wrong with this picture. It could be nothing at all.
I shake my head slowly, eyes trained somewhere else the more I picture it—really look at it. "No," My gaze flies back to his. His smile is gentle—cautious.
"No, what?"
"You don't like him." I accuse with what I already know. It's annoying that he won't just admit that.
He just sighs in response. Doesn't argue, doesn't confirm, doesn't even tell me to drop it. I stare back at him while I wait for him to say anything. I knew he was lying to me when they first met, but I just want to hear him tell me. Out loud, I want him to tell me what he really thinks for once since we first began getting to really know each other.
In the other room, a little girl starts to whine before she cries. His attention is away from me in an instant, and I can't even be upset about that. In fact, my heart feels like it gets a little heavier in my chest when he turns away to go tend to her in the other room. I follow him to the living room, watching in silence and admiration that I don't want to have as he scoops her up in his arms, letting her cuddle into him while she calms. It's quick, and I don't fully get what he did to make her calm so quickly. I wish I knew when Cameron was smaller.
Cameron guiltily gazes up at Noah and Elaina from the floor. "Sorry." He mumbles as he slowly sets Taffy down beside him. He's had a hard time letting Elaina take Taffy to play with still. I can't tell if it's really still about him not being able to part ways with Taffy for a second to let his cousin play with her.
"It's okay," Noah shakes his head and leans down some just to ruffle Cameron's hair. Cameron starts smiling which in turn makes Noah smile. "She's tired." He decides as he returns that hand to join the other in holding Elaina up in his arms. He chuckles to himself as he tilts his head at her. "What happened?" He asks. She only sniffles in response. "Que pasa?" He laughs as he tries in Spanish like her parents probably would.
"I think it's paso." Wyatt chimes in.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were suddenly fluent in Spanish." Noah sarcastically hums, not even glancing at Wyatt as he uses a gentle fist to wipe a single tear off Elaina's face.
"Paso." Elaina corrects him herself. Wyatt smiles at Noah in smug satisfaction at that.
Noah ignores him and instead sighs. "Fine, you win." He relents easily to Elaina. She's the closest to fluent out of us all. "How about you teach me a word, and I teach you one." He suggests.
She nods quickly. "Okay." She agrees. She pauses to think for a moment before grinning as she finds what word she wants to teach her uncle. "Verde." She proudly declares.
"Uh-huh, and tell me what that means before I repeat it."
"Green!" She throws her hands in the air like she's celebrating. Noah gasps dramatically that that, sharing her celebration.
"Okay, ready for my word now?"
Elaina nods quickly, excited for the wonderful new word a trusted adult is about to teach her.
"Shit. Make sure you pronounce all the letters in there, kiddo. Very important."
I reach over to swat at his arm silently. He grins at Eliana despite that, mostly just proud of himself for teaching her something I know she knows of already. Just last week Aaliyah mentioned Alex let a couple of words slip in front of her. I'm pretty sure she just got over the chanting.
Wyatt cocks his head back. "Isn't she, like, three?" He mutters.
Noah sighs. "Yeah."
"Maybe you shouldn't teach her bad words."
"Shut up." Elaina dismisses him like I'm sure Noah wanted to.
Noah somehow manages to bite back his laugh. "Hey," He warns. "I know your mom told you not to talk to adults like that." He murmurs. She frowns deeply in response, clearly not used to being scolded by the one person who probably never scolds her. "C'mon, you know the drill." He gently urges.
Elaina sadly looks down at Wyatt. "Sorry," She mumbles. He gives her a brief smile after looking my way for a moment, like he wanted to see if I saw what he just saw. I might've giggled if Noah hadn't been in the middle of reminding her of what her parents want her to learn.
"Yeah," Noah hums. He looks over at me, a silent apology touching his expression. "I should probably take her home. Get her ready for bed." He suggests, almost to himself.
Immediately, she starts whining. "No!"
"Shhh," He hums as he lifts a hand to cover her mouth. That switches her mood around quick, making her start giggling while she continues to try to kick around. "Relax," He whispers cryptically, loosening his hand around her mouth so he doesn't end up hurting her somehow while they play.
Cameron's frowning as he gets up from the ground. "You're leaving?" He asks in the most heartbroken tone he could possibly use.
His question makes Noah frown too. He switches to holding Elaina with one arm under her so he can reach for Cam with the other, beckoning him over for a hug. "I'll be back, Nut. You can still talk to me when you want, remember?" He reminds gently, hand drifting up to ruffle Cameron's hair some more. Cameron manages to smile a little, but his disappointment shows clear as day in his eyes. "Where's, uh, her bag?" Noah asks as he absently starts looking around for her bag.
Cameron walks away from him and towards the bag Noah brought with him under the coffee table. Noah thanks him when it gets handed over with a little smile. Both of us end up walking with Noah and Elaina to the door, leaving Wyatt in the living room by himself. I silently assure him we'll be right back before we go though and get a smile in response while he gets himself up off the ground.
"Bye, Elaina." Cameron looks up at her as she peeks at us over Noah's shoulder. She waves goodbye back at him, resting her cheek tiredly on Noah's shoulder.
Noah turns back to face us once he's out the door and into the hall. Before he goes, he looks at me and silently asks if I can take Elaina from him for a moment. He doesn't want to set her down without her shoes on out in the hall, and he doesn't seem to trust her not to bolt out the door if he were to put her down inside really quick. I'm happy to come closer and reach for her to hold her for a moment so Noah can kneel down and offer a proper hug to Cameron.
Excitedly, Cameron quickly steps to the very edge of the doorway to hug Noah properly. He probably wasn't expecting to get more than the side hug he got from Noah in the living room. "If I don't see you again this weekend, I'll pick you up from school Mondy, okay?" Noah assures. His eyes dart up to me from over Cameron's shoulder just to confirm what he already knows he can do. I nod with a small smile when he does. He knows he's free to come get Cameron any time he wants, but he still always likes to confirm with me first.
"Okay," Cam's voice is muffled by Noah's shoulder. I let them have their moment with each other for an extra moment, lifting my hand to touch up some of Elaina's hair that I got to do today. She, surprisingly, sat pretty still for me. I make a mental note to remind Aaliyah I'm also free for babysitting whenever she needs. I love Cam, but his hair was never long enough for me to play with it the way I can for Elaina. Plus, he hates sitting still.
After exchanging their I love you's, Cameron steps backwards to get back inside and Noah stands up from the ground. I take Cameron's place in the doorway so I can hand Eliana back over. "Thanks," He softly smiles while Elaina's slid back into her spot. She drops her cheek on his shoulder again, more tired than she'd probably like to admit.
"Yeah," My hand lingers on her back for half a second longer than I need to out of instinct. It's been a while since I've held a toddler. "Bye, Elaina." I call with a little wave when she finds the strength to lift her head from his shoulder to look over at me.
"Bye," She mumbles. My eyes drift to Noah next, lingering there for too long before I blink and look down at Cameron who gazes up at us both expectantly, like he's waiting for more of a goodbye between us. I don't give him the satisfaction of getting his way all over again. I smile politely at Noah, which he returns, before I reach for the door.
Cameron huffs at me while I start closing it. "Mom!" He protests bitterly. Noah's laughter starts before I even have the door shut, finding it funny that we didn't do whatever Cameron wanted us to do.
"Yeah, yeah, go get ready for your bath." I dismiss him, lightly flicking my hand against the back of his head. I know for a fact the little nudge does nothing to him, but he still dramatically groans at me while he storms away from the door and back towards the living room.
"Hey, Cam. Everything oka..." Wyatt slowly trails off while Cameron completely ignores him to continue stomping down the hall. He looks up at me with a concerned frown. I just smile and wave him off.
I step over to drop down on the couch right beside him. "He's going to go get ready for a bath." I warn. "Then probably bed."
Wyatt nods. "Okay." He acknowledges. "I should probably go too then, right?" He smiles. I just smile back at him. He nods and starts to stand from the couch. I follow him too. "So, um, I was thinking, like, next weekend we could do something like this again." He suggests, walking in step with me towards the door. "Just the three of us, maybe." He adds on a mutter.
"Yeah," I quietly acknowledge. "I'm sorry." I, for some reason, apologize. Deep down, I know I don't have much of a reason to. Even still, it's polite to. I did warn him before he got here, but it was pretty last minute as it is. "But I mean, Cameron wanted to see him. I can't really...say no."
He shakes his head softly. "No, I kind of get it." He mumbles. "I just want to spend time with you guys." He shrugs, stopping beside the closed door instead of opening it himself.
I nod in response, but don't really have anything else to add. Is that rude? It feels rude. I try to smile too, but even that feels wrong. I end up having to turn away and change the subject by calling for my son. "Cam!"
It takes him a moment, but he eventually comes stomping back over. When he comes back, he for some reason has lost his shirt. The water in the bath hasn't even been started yet, so I start wondering if he tugged it off as a part of his angry act in his room. Probably. I ignore it. "What?" He huffs.
I let that slide, not all that concerned with his theatrics. "Say goodbye to Wyatt, he's going to head home too." I dismiss, waving him off in Wyatt's direction.
Cameron hesitates while he contemplates continuing this angry act or dropping it to say goodbye to Wyatt. Ultimately, he decides he can't get his point across without keeping it up, so he's forced to stand there with his chest puffed out like he owns the place. "Goodbye, Wyatt." He says in his deepened batman voice.
Wyatt chuckles. "Bye, Cam. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay." Cameron's voice sounds like it might be tickling at the back of his throat as he tries to make it raspier. He coughs as a result. "Goodbye." He repeats. He stands there for an extra second before he spins to stomp away.
Wyatt smiles, shaking his head as we watch him storm off. I sigh and look back to him once Cam's out of our line of sight. "Sorry," I weakly offer. He doesn't seem to mind it though, finding it funnier anyway. "I'll text you about doing this again next weekend. I'll have to see with Noah and Cam." I offer.
He nods softly. "Yeah," He acknowledges, like he figured as much. "Um..." He takes a deep breath as he looks over his shoulder at the door then back at me.
I tilt my head with a little smile, expecting him to come closer and kiss my cheek like he's made a habit of doing. He still hasn't gone for my lips yet. Probably because we're not totally together still. We haven't talked about it though. I think we're still getting used to having each other around again. It has been a while.
Instead of giving me a little kiss on my cheek, he takes another deep breath and shifts uncomfortably on his feet. "Kiara, I, um...You know I respect you a lot, right?" He asks gently.
I cock my head back at that, but ultimately smile and nod. "Yeah, I know." I laugh to myself, flattered he's pointing it out. I don't know what I did to deserve it. "I respect you too, Wyatt." I return.
His smile softens. "Thank you." He whispers. He, surprisingly, continues. "I will always trust your judgement and respect it. I hope you know that." He nods. My smile slowly begins to fade down while he talks. "I know you think about everyone when you make a decision. You put Cameron at the top of your list, and I think that's a really great thing. I just...I mean, I know sometimes him being at the top of your list puts...your blinders on. You might overlook something because you're trying to do what you think is best for him."
I can't find it in me to even pretend to smile at him anymore. "What're you getting at, Wyatt?" I ask on an inhale. I think I already know though. Part of me silently begs him not to say it. I don't want to hear it come from him, because I don't know what's going to happen once I've heard it. I don't want to know. Things have been fine between us while we get to know the new us again, and I don't want that to change. But if it has to, it will.
He frowns back at me, biting his tongue for a moment longer. He knows I know already too. For a moment, I see the hesitation in his eyes. Like maybe he's asking himself if he really wants to do this to us. Something deep down must tell him he does, because he nods softly and looks down at the ground. "I think...Noah might be in your blind spot right now, Kiara." He admits quietly. He can't even look at me while he says it. "You're excited to give your son something you've never before and—"
"Wyatt," I blink quicker as I avert my gaze too, looking off to the side while I try to stop him while he's ahead.
He huffs weakly. "I'm so sorry, Kiara. But I think you're wrong." He admits. I force myself to look up at him at that. He shakes his head slowly. "I think you're seeing him the way he wants you to. You're falling for this...this reformed act he's putting up, and you can't see who he really is because you just want someone to be there for Cameron." His sentence starts getting quicker as I start shaking my head and lifting my hand for him to stop. He steps closer to me while I take a step back. "He's not the man you think he is, Kiara. And in any other situation, I'd let you be happy pretending he's a good man, but I can't do that while Cam's here. He's here to see it all, and I can't let him find out who he really is—"
"Wyatt, stop it." I demand, finally lifting my gaze to his. I try to look him in the eyes, but my vision quickly starts growing blurrier and blurrier. I try blinking it back. "You don't know what you're talking about—Especially when it comes to my son. I know what's best for him, and I don't need you or my mom or anyone besides his dad telling me what that is."
"His dad? Kiara, he's a fucking drunk!"
"He's been sober for, like, six years!" I scoff, throwing my hands up in exasperation. I don't know how many times I've told Wyatt this, but he still won't listen. "Fine—He was when I first met him, but he's not anymore."
"Bullshit!" Wyatt stubbornly calls. "You know he took me to a bar to meet, right?"
I blink. Falter. "What?"
"Yeah." He scoffs. "A bar, Kiara. Tell me how he's sober and still going to fucking bars." He demands. I stare silently. He nods, satisfied with my silence. "He's not telling you the truth, and you're falling for it." He decides, voice still too harsh for my liking. I can't even bring myself to respond anymore, too busy swallowing down the lump growing in my throat. It almost hurts. "I understand you want Cameron to have a father figure better than the one you had growing up. But Noah is not the man you want for that. He's going to turn up exactly how your dad did, and by the time he does, it'll be too late for you to pull away." He warns firmly.
I tune him out by then, staring blankly at nothing in particular while he goes on to tell me about how much he just doesn't trust the man I've let around my son for the past five months. I've let him stay the night over there without checking in with him directly. I've let him spend countless hours after school alone with him. I've let him stay the night here with us.
"Kiara...baby, I love you...but you're wrong about this." He whispers at the end of his rant. "If you're afraid of Cam losing that person in his life—don't be. I'm right here for you guys when you're ready for me. Just...please don't wait until it's too late."
Too late? I know when that marker is, but will it ever come to that with Noah?
He never told me he went to the bar he mentioned with Wyatt. Then again, Wyatt never said anything about it until a while later. Why he chose to say it now, who the hell knows? Maybe whatever happened tonight with the glaring was his last straw.
"Mom?" A timid voice calls from down the hall. My eyes fall shut. We're being too loud for a small apartment.
Wyatt's eyes are still on me when I find it in me to open mine and look up at him. "Please," He whispers. "Don't fall for this little act any longer. It's already gone too far with Cam." He shakes his head.
I suck in a sharp breath at that. "Mommy?" Cameron calls again, voice a little closer but still quiet and timid. I still haven't answered him.
I clear my throat. "You should go." I whisper, nodding to the door behind him.
His shoulders drop at that. "Kiara,"
"Just go, Wyatt. I'll talk to you later." I insist, still standing here until that door is closed and he's gone. He watches me for a moment longer. Ultimately, he sighs and shakes his head, mumbling to himself about Noah as he turns around and opens the door. I sniffle and look up at the ceiling once he harshly shuts it behind him.
I try shaking it off and clear my throat as I turn around and quickly find my way to Cameron who stands cautiously at the doorway of the hall, waiting and watching for me. "What happened?" He mumbles.
I smile softly. "Nothing, baby. I'm sorry." I dismiss as I step over.
He's still frowning, eyes beginning to get glossy too. "Are you crying?" His voice breaks. He's just scared from the raised voices and seeing me with tears in my eyes, and I kick myself for not stepping outside or something with Wyatt instead.
"No, I'm sorry." I lean down to scoop him up in my arms with a short-lived laugh. He lifts his hands to my face once he's up in my arms, wiping away a stray tear that manages to find its way out. "Thank you." I whisper.
"Are you okay?"
I smile a little wider—as wide as I can muster up. "I'm better now." I confirm as I lean in to dramatically kiss at his cheek. He start giggling at that as I carry him further down the hall towards the bathroom.
His laughter calms once I stop though. I set him down on the floor beside the tub and kneel down on the ground to reach in and turn the water on. He waits beside me to get the water warm enough for him. "Um..." He mumbles, hardly audible over the sound of heavy, rushing water.
I reach in to turn it off for now, looking over at him. "What is it?"
He takes a deep breath. "Can..." He hesitates. "Is Dad still picking me up on Monday?" He whispers, having heard the worst part of that argument. My heart sinks and burns. If I wasn't already angry at Wyatt, I definitely am now for letting my son hear the stupid shit said about his dad. Whether it was true or not—I don't care. My son didn't need to hear any of that.
I take a deep breath before I answer him. "Of course, Cam." I reach over to rest a hand on his cheek. "Dad is still right there for you when you need him, do you understand?" I firmly coax. Slowly, he nods. "He and I both love you so much, you know that?" I smile, nodding as I keep my gaze on his.
He swallows. "Okay." He whispers. "Can I talk to him?" He requests, still as if he's unsure about it.
"Yes, but not for long." I nod over to the doorway for him to go ahead and get his walkie talkie. "He's taking care of Elaina still and you need to get in the bath." I reason. He smiles a little as he nods before he turns to hurry off to his room to retrieve his walkie talkie.
Instead of just talking to his dad in that room, he comes running back into the bathroom. I wait a little longer to turn the water back on so I don't ruin his conversation.
He presses the button down. "Daddy?" For once, he doesn't use a code name. I reach over to lightly pinch his cheek while we wait silently. He smiles and tucks his chin some to try and pull away without really pulling away. I smile more and swiftly pull my hand away to subtly wipe the corner of my eye. He doesn't seem to notice it.
"You forgot my code name, Nutcase. Over."
We both laugh at that. Cameron may have dropped the code names and such, but Noah doesn't take the bait in case Cameron turns on him. He doesn't though. Instead, Cam presses that button down and hold the walkie talkie to his lips. "I love you."
A short moment of silence. "I love you too, Cam." His voice is quiet but still comes through clearly. It's clear in the background noise that he's driving too. "Is everything okay over there? How's your mom?" He dives into confused but gentle questions immediately.
Cameron hesitates. He stares down at his walkie talkie and looks at me. Before I can tell him what to do, he presses the button. "I don't know." He admits.
God. What am I doing to my son?
I reach out for him, guiding him closer to turn around and drop down in my lap while I shift to sit crisscross. "What do you mean, Cam?" Noah pushes before I can take the walkie talkie and clarify what he meant. "Do you need me to come back? I'll be there soon."
I'm quick to press the button as soon as I can. I know there's a thing where if we press the buttons at the same time, nothing will go through. I hope he's not still talking while I start. "No, it's okay. You don't need to—We're fine." I rush my assurance. Knowing him, he's already getting ready to go.
He doesn't quite believe me. "Are you sure? Elaina's not down yet. Drives help her. It'll be easy for me to come back. We're not even halfway to my place yet."
I smile to myself as he quickly tries to talk me into telling him to come back. "It's okay." I insist. "Cam's just about to get in the bath and wanted to talk to you before it was too late." I explain, leaving out a small part of what happened tonight. We'll talk in a more private space. One where our seven-year-old son can't hear us and get hurt even more.
"Oh," His voice is a little muffled with static at first. "Okay, um..." The static stops for a moment. "I love you, Cameron. Be good for Mom, okay? We'll try to figure out if we can go somewhere before Monday, sound good?"
Cameron accepts the walkie talkie when I hand it back. He's smiling now as he presses the button. "Like for milkshakes?" He asks hopefully.
A laugh. "Yeah, maybe." He agrees. "Get in the bath before that though. I won't go out in public with you and your stink."
Cameron laughs at that. "You can't stink either." He returns.
"Deal." Noah agrees. Cameron grins and looks at me over his shoulder. I smile back at him and lean in to press my lips gently against his temple. He lets me this time around without playfully pulling away and pretending to be grossed out.
"Okay," I hum. "Go put that away. It's bath time now." I dismiss. He hums and stands from my lap to head back to his bedroom to put his walkie talkie back.
While he's gone, I take a moment to really breathe, forcing myself to let go of that conversation. For now.