"Why are you being so nice to him?"
I asked Thomas as he made a plate for our surprise guest and placed it in the microwave. It wasn't that I didn't want him to be evil or spiteful towards the man even though he had every fucking right to be. It was just the fact that Wesley is the reason why he lost his legs for God's sake.
"I forgave him," He says with a small shrug of his shoulders like the three words were something he says every day.
"You what?" I crossed my arms as he purposefully avoided my gaze and leaned over the counter where the apple pie was now resting.
"Matty, why do you think I never pressed charges?" He asked and I sat down on the island stool.
"I dunno, I thought you didn't want to go through the trouble," I sighed, scratching the back of my head and he started to cut a slice of apple pie.
"It was an accident Matty, not a premeditated homicide. And yeah, accidents and countless apologies won't grow my legs back but like I said before, Wesley's not some asshole. He was our security guard. He protected us and put our lives before his own at all times," He explains and hands me a small plate with a slice. I stayed quiet for once and let him continue.
"I studied all the evidence myself, read every conclusion and the police reports. That man got off a plane from London at LAX and drove to our dorm. When no one was there, the other guards told him the two of us moved. He also knew you were pregnant," He adds and takes a large bite of his apple pie. I continue to poke mine with the edge of the fork.
"Now let's pretend I left to another country for nearly six months and suddenly I find out you're pregnant with my child. I take the first flight out here and go to the place where you live only to find out you moved to the middle of nowhere with your other lover. What would I do? What would you do? What would any reasonable person do?" He says and I gulp.
"Haul ass to the farm..." I admit and he slowly nods in confirmation.
"So I haul ass to the farm, my heart racing because I just want to see you again, I want an explanation, I want to see my baby which I don't even know her name or how far along you are, and I want to know if you still love me. My mind is literally in a billion different places and I'm not paying attention to the road...then..." Thomas claps his hands together scaring little Houston and making him bark.
"My therapist put it into perspective for me when I was having a hard time," He says and I reach my hands out, motioning for him to come closer and he does.
"Yeah but that doesn't mean you have to forgive him so freely and be nice to him," I let him know as I wrap my arms around his upper body. Well as far as I could with the little cockblocker between us.
"No, and Wesley and I might be two completely different people but we share one thing in common. You and Jaydean come first. I respect him for that," Thomas says and the barn door to the guest room slid open.
Wesley came out into the kitchen dressed in a way I had never seen him before. Wearing one of my pre-pregnancy light gray hooded sweatshirts and a pair of black shorts I tried really hard to keep my mouth from dropping to the floor.
He avoided our gaze and shuffled over to the other side of the table with not a single ounce of the confidence and pride he once had. But he now smelled like sweet milk and honey instead of milk instead of mud which was a vast improvement. His clear blue eyes said so much as he eyed the table.
I was always good at reading a person through their eyes and his hoplessness was clear as day.
"Feel any better?" Thomas asked and Wes nodded.
"Yes, thank you," he quietly mutters and I grab his plate from the microwave along with a fork.
"Eat something please, your bones are going to poke our eyes out," I joke as I push the plate of chicken pot pie towards him and he picks up the fork with the slightest hint of a smile.
"Wesley, there's no car outside...did you walk here?" Thomas asked next but Wes just quietly ate, ignoring his question.
"You never answered my calls, I thought something happened to you both," He said on an off-topic side note and Thomas wrapped a protective arm around my waist.
"I didn't know what I would say to you," I answered honestly and he finished eating. Reaching in his pocket and pulling out a small crumpled paper.
"You don't have to, I came here for one reason and it wasn't you," He flattens the paper and I recognize the sonogram which I handed him the night of the accident.
"I know you said you never wanted to see my face again but I want to see theirs," He points to the baby's sonogram with his index finger and I let out a long sigh.
I clear my throat and slip out of Thomas' arms, leaning forward over the kitchen island to Wesley's determined look as if he expected me to not give him any information.
"This is your daughter Wesley," I say in the nicest way I possibly could and his lip quivers a bit.
"Is she okay? She's not like...messed up or anything?" He asks and I shake my head.
"I'm going to go get the book to show him," Thomas says, giving my shoulder a small squeeze before going upstairs to get the book of sonograms in Jayde's room.
"No Wes, she's perfectly healthy. I didn't know about your genetics so I got some advanced gene testing done but everything came back negative. She's a perfectly healthy little girl," I reassure him and he lets out a sigh of complete relief.
"What's her name?" He asked with a voice as soft as the night we conceived her.
I reached over the skinny island and pushed his plate to the side, resting my hands over his and giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Well her full name is Jaydean but Thomas and I have been calling her Jayde for short. Although I have my moments when I scold her with her full name after she kicks my ribs too hard," I mention and the little tears leak from the corners of his bright blue eyes.
"It's beautiful Matthias, just as beautiful as she is," He says with that accent I hope little Jayde picks up on now that he'll be in her life for sure.
"It's Jaydean Arabella for her first and middle but her last name is up for debate if you want," I mention and he looks at me confused.
"Well I mean, She could be Jaydean Arabella Grayson or Jaydean Arabella Anderson. I don't mind Anderson," I'm quick to explain but he quickly shakes his head as if to reject the idea entirely.
"No, she has to be Grayson," he quickly interjects but I felt bad for naming her without him and wanted her to take on his last name.
"Well, it doesn't have to be if-"
"Wesley Anderson isn't my real name,"
********
So I lied, Jayde isn't here just yet but I promise she will be soon alright, we just gotta get through all this touchy-feely shit
A slight surprise in the next chapter though.