Ch. 2: Surprise!
The instant we got home, I let Cam inside while I stayed out on the porch to call my best friend Aaron. We’ve been friends since, well, I can’t even remember when. People used to think that we were dating because we were always so close, but you see, there were two problems with their facts. The first being, I was obviously with Derek; the second being that Aaron was gay.
“Hey Kels, what’s up?” He answered.
I was honestly surprised he picked up his phone. Normally he’s always busy or can’t talk because something is going on. He’s fickle like that, I guess. “You’ll never believe who I ran into today.”
“Oh no.” He sounded scared to know. “Who did you see?”
Maybe he should be scared of what I was about to say. “Umm…” I started, not sure how to go about this. “Do you remember the name Zachary Woods?” I asked.
The line was silent for a minute while he thought about it. “It sounds familiar, but it’s not coming to me.”
“Does eighth grade through summer before sophomore year ring a bell?” I liked to make things complicated and not come straight out with the answer. Especially things like this. Make them figure it out on their own.
“No.” He sounded dead serious. “Tell me you didn’t run into him again.”
“Yep.” I said, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “Guess where?”
“You got me.” Aaron didn’t even try to guess. Lame.
“Yeah, well, I took Cammie to a baseball game tonight and it turns out that Zach plays on the Ohio State baseball team. Cam was all excited to get his autograph and it wasn’t until I took their picture that I knew who he was.”
“What did you do?” He asked.
I groaned. “What do I ever do when things like that happen? I turned and walked away. When I did that, he came up and asked if he knew me from somewhere, and I told him he didn’t. I wouldn’t look at him again so that he couldn’t get a closer look. He insisted on trying to figure out how he knew me, but I walked away again and thankfully he didn’t come after me.”
“Maybe that’s for the best, I mean, he sort of broke your heart back then. I don’t want to see you like that again.” Aaron said, honestly.
It’s true, though. Even though my aunt and cousins helped me get through it while we were still at the beach, it didn’t stick with me when I got home. I would wait around and wait for Zach to call me and they never came. That’s also one of the reasons I met Derek. He saw me sulking around at school, asked if I was okay, and then we just sparked up the friendship that led to Cam.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I sighed and looked up to the door when I heard it open. “Hang on.” I said into the phone and watched as my son climbed up onto the porch swing with me. “What’s up, baby boy?”
He curled into my side and laid his head on my shoulder. “I’m tired.”
I chuckled and ran my fingers through this hair and then started rubbing his back. “Okay, sweety. I’ll be inside in just a minute.”
He nodded, “Who is that?” He pointed to the phone.
“It’s Uncle Aaron.” Okay, technically he’s not Cam’s uncle, but I swore that since I had no siblings, my best friend would be considered uncle.
Cam’s face lit up with a grin as he came running back over to me and hopping up onto my lap. “Hi Uncle Aaron!” I put the phone on speaker while Cam continued talking. “Guess what! Mommy took me to a baseball game today and I got to get Zach Woods’ signature!”
“Oh cool! That’s awesome Cameron!” Aaron put as much enthusiasm as he could behind his words. “You’ll have to show me when I come over for your birthday party!”
“Okay!” Cam nodded at the phone, causing me to softly laugh at him again. “Night Uncle Aaron.”
“Night little man.” Aaron was laughing on the other end.
“Okay, I better get off here and get him tucked in. I’ll see you next weekend.” I told Aaron.
“Alright, have a good week. Love you, Kels.” I could hear his smile on his face.
“Love you too, Aaron.” I hung up the phone and walked back inside.
Cameron was sitting on the steps waiting for me, so I scooped him into my arms and started tickling him on the way up the stairs. He was laughing hysterically by the time we got to his room; begging me to stop. I gently dropped him onto his bed, causing another round of giggles from him. He instantly climbed underneath his blankets and snuggled in, instantly yawning.
“Get some rest, Cam. I’ll see you in the morning.” I leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. “Goodnight, baby. Love you.”
“Love you too, mommy.” He closed his eyes and was out like a light.
I walked over and turned on his ninja turtle nightlight before walking out of his room, leaving his door slightly cracked open. His room was a mixture of Lego’s and ninja turtles. Brandon – Derek’s brother – got Cam hooked to the ninja turtles a few years ago and he hasn’t stopped liking them ever since. I never really realized how much ninja turtles stuff there was, but believe me when I say the kid knows what he’s talking about when it comes to ninja turtles, and when you mess up, he will call you out on it. For instance, he asked for Michelangelo and I accidentally got him Leonardo. My mistake. It took weeks before him or Brandon would lay off that I had no idea which one was which.
Shaking my head at the memory, I walked into my room and grabbed out a pair of boxer shorts and a large t-shirt and took them into the bathroom. I needed a nice hot shower after today’s events. I needed to calm myself. It was one time of seeing Zach. It’s not like I was really going to ever see him again, especially once he makes it to the big leagues. Also, it’s not like he knew who I was. I’ve changed since the summer before sophomore year. I don’t really look the same. Back then, my hair was short and brown with highlights; I had braces, and I was still in that awkward stage.
Now, my hair is blonde, due to me dying it. I don’t have my braces anymore, but I’ve gained glasses. I’ve sort of gotten my figure back after years of working at it after Cam. All in all, having Cam has matured me. That includes my look. Not to mention growing up, but there was still no way he could have recognized me in those few minutes that I was there and actually made eye contact with me.
After my shower, I climbed into bed and pulled my laptop into my lap and leaned back against my headboard. I logged on and instantly got onto google and image searched Zach. Man, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do that to someone I knew. It was crazy to see how many pictures there were of him up already and he’s simply a college player right now.
He really was gorgeous beyond belief these days. It seems that he’s let his facial hair grow a little, but not too much, just giving him the right amount of scruffy. His hair was a light brown, almost blonde color; and those eyes. Man, those eyes were to die for. They were a piercing blue color. Let’s not forget about that ripped body. I mean, I watched him grow from little chunky kid to someone hot. But looking at these pictures says he finally grew into that body of his. Baseball definitely has done him good.
Okay, get it together, Kelsey. I thought to myself. I shook my head and typed Facebook in instead. Maybe there would be something interesting on there. Not likely, but you never know. Just as I suspected, there was nothing interesting. Instead of wasting my time looking at random stuff, I just closed out of the internet and put my computer back on the floor beside my bed.
The week went by pretty quickly actually. I was surprise. Every day when I got home from work, Cameron would ask me how many more days until his birthday, and every day I would have to help him count it out. It was cute, though, so I didn’t complain much. I had just climbed into bed after a nice long shower when there was a soft tap at my door and then a tired eyed boy peeped his head in. “Mommy?”
“What is it, sweety?” I asked, leaning up on my arms so I could see him.
He walked in a little more and sniffled. “I had a bad dream.”
“Come on, you can sleep in here tonight.” I pulled the covers back and let him crawl in beside me.
Cameron snuggled in close beside me and breathed out deeply. “I love you.”
“Love you too, baby.” I kissed his temple. “Would it help to talk about it?” He simply shook his head no, and I didn’t push him to talk about it. “Alright, good night, Cammie. Sweet dreams.” I said and kissed his cheek, running my fingers through his hair, trying to relax him.
I needed to get some sleep myself seeing as how his birthday is tomorrow and I’ll have a house full of kids and adults. Well, some of the adults should be considered big kids instead. Once my head hit my pillow, I was out.
I’m not sure how long I was asleep before I was awoken by a bouncing bed and my very hyper son jumping up and down. “Mommy! Mommy! It’s time to wake up!”
I groaned and rolled over. He jumped one more time and then jumped up and sat on me, rushing the air from my lungs from the impact. “Come on! Wake up!” He demanded.
“Okay, I’m awake.” I grumbled.
“It’s my birthday today!” He shouted.
I rolled over onto my back again, causing Cam to fall off my side and onto my bed. “Is that so?” I asked, receiving a nod in return. “Oh, then this means it’s the day to get six spankings and a pinch to grow an inch.”
His eyes widened. “No! No mommy!!”
“I’m coming for you.” I held my hands in front of me, teasing him, causing him to back up some still squealing.
I grabbed onto his ankle and pulled him closer to me. “Please no, mommy!” He said between breaths.
“Oh, fine. You’re no fun.” I poked him in his sides, tickling him instead. He giggled and giggled and I finally stopped, kissing him on the nose. “Happy birthday, baby. I love you.”
“Love you too, momma, but I’m not a baby anymore. I’m a big boy.” He pouted at the last part.
“Well, you may be a big boy, but you’ll always be my baby.” I told him. “Now, go play for a little while so I can set up for your party.”
I shook my head when Cam sprinted out of my room and into his. If only I still had that much energy. I may only be twenty two, but I swear that kid has the energy of three kids put together. With a groan, I pulled myself out of bed and changed into a pair of track shorts and a tank top.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much to decorate and I had plenty of time before the guests all arrived. I walked out to our shed and pulled out a few of our folding tables. I set up two together that the food and presents could both sit on. Then, I dragged a couple other fold up tables over by the table that already sits out on the back patio so that people could sit and talk. As far as actual decorations, I didn’t have many, but I pulled out the ones I did have and hung them around on various tree branches and tables and such. It was a ninja turtle and baseball themed party. Surprise, surprise. Cam’s two favorite things and he wanted to use them both at his party.
I walked back inside and checked the time. An hour before everyone got there now. I trudged up the stairs and hopped into my shower, taking a quick shower. I pulled on a pair of dark wash jean shorts and a white flowing tank top after I was out of the shower. I opted to just put my hair into a ponytail seeing as how it loves to frizz when it’s humid outside, and I can tell already it will be humid. After a look over in my mirror in my bathroom, I walked back into my room and threw on a pair of black flip flips that had a strap on the top.
Next step was to get Cam ready for his birthday. When I walked into his room, he was lying on the ground playing with his Legos. Before disturbing him, I went ahead and picked out his outfit. I grabbed him out a pair of dark shorts and his ninja turtle tank top to match his theme. “Alright big boy, it’s time to get ready. Come here.”
Cam got up off his floor and walked over to me. I helped him change out of his pajamas and into his clothes for the day. He just looked so adorable, and I can’t believe he’s going to be six already. It just doesn’t seem like it’s been that long already. Cam wrapped his arms around my neck after I slipped his shirt over his head, giving me a hug. “Love you, mommy.”
“Love you too, precious boy.” I hugged him back and stood back up. “Come on, I think it’s almost time for your friends to be here.”
“Yay!” He shouted and took off out of his bedroom door.
“Be careful! Don’t run down those steps, sir!” I yelled after him, laughing.
Just after I hit the bottom step there was a knock at the door. I opened it, revealing a few of his friends. “Come on, guys! Let’s go outside!”
A sigh of relief left me as he said that, thankful that he didn’t want to spend the day in his room. They all cheered and ran for the backdoor as I talked to their parents a little while longer. A few minutes later, a few more guests arrived, all being family, and I told the kids where the rest of them were. I moved so the adults could come inside. “Hey guys.” I said to my cousins who walked in. “Everything is set up out back if you want to go out there.”
Times like these are when I’m thankful that we live out in the middle of nowhere. I can trust the kids in the backyard without having to have constant attention. Of course, I still watch them considering they’re all between the ages of 4 to 7, but still. I just walked back in the door from taking snacks out to the tables when there was another knock. I opened it, “Aaron! Hey, I’m glad you finally made it!” I smiled and pulled him into a hug.
“Of course I’d make it for my nephew’s birthday.” He gave me a look that told me I was crazy.
“Uncle Brandon is here!” Cam said, sprinting into the house. “I heard his truck pull in!”
It’s true. You could hear Brandon’s truck from a mile away. He may be a year older than me, but he still acts like he’s a sixteen year old and made his truck as loud as you possibly could. I laughed and shook my head, realizing that I could hear his truck as well. I don’t know how I missed it before. “What, no hello to me? I thought I was your favorite uncle.” Aaron said and pouted, making Cameron laugh.
“Sorry Uncle Aaron. Hi!” He said and jumped into Aarons arms giving him a hug. As soon as Aaron returned the hug, Cam shimmied out of Aaron’s arms to run out the door to Brandon, who was now walking up the sidewalk along with someone else. “Uncle Brandon!” Cam jumped into his arms and tightly squeezed him into a hug.
“Hey buddy!” Brandon smiled, “I’ve brought a surprise for you.”
Cam looked over Brandon’s shoulder and squealed. “How did you get him to come here?”
“I have my ways.” Brandon chuckled and walked closer. “Hey there sis.” He said to me when he saw me.
It made me smile that he started calling me that after Derek and I had gotten married. I’ve never had siblings, so the fact that he still considers me his sister warms my heart. “Hey Brandon.”
“I want you to meet one of my old friends, Zach Woods.” Brandon said, finally introducing the person who was behind him. That’s when I got a good look at who was standing there and my eyes widened like dinner plates.
“Shit.” I mumbled under my breath.