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home.
I was finally going home.
My head rested against the window of the bus as I stared off into the fields. I held my baby's stuffed animal in one of my hands, and the other held my duffle bag.
I sighed and let a few happy tears go. 2 months.
2 months without my baby.
2 months without my best friend. 2 months without a fucking real bed and something other than my camo uniform.
The bus came to a stop. First drop off.
Miles and Felix, two of my squad team members got up.
"Aye aye aye" Miles chanted as he milly rocked down the isle. I gave him a big smile, and he returned one.
"Say hi to mama bear for me, soldier" I told him.
"Will do, will do. Drop by sometime, you know my momma love you. Carajo, I think she like you more than she like me, y eso que soy su hijo." He said while chuckling.
When he was next to my seat he gave me a hug. I've known miles since I joined the military. Both 17 and with nothing else to go to. Except I already had my baby.
"Take care of bug for me. Say hi to ash, and take care of yourself baby girl."
I chuckled and nodded as he let go and continued down the bus.
Felix gave me a warm smile, "take care, Palacios. Say hi to baby boy for me, yeah?"
He smiled and gave me a warm embrace.
"Sure thing, Rodriguez. Come by sometime, ash could use some company other than bug." I smiled as he let go and agreed. I watched his figure go exit the bus.
Felix and Miles were my two best friends in the military. Felix an attractive little white boy and Miles a mixed Afro Latino- black and dominican. The three of us entered together, and have been stuck with each other since. They lived together while I lived with Ashton, my childhood best friend.
The bus continued after they got off.
I fell asleep halfway home for about 20 minutes, dreaming of my bedsheets.
When my stop appeared, I got up. Sargent Brock, the leader of my squad, saluted me as I got off the bus.
The sky was gray, but I loved rainy weather and the cold. As my feet landed on the concrete, I took a deep breath in.
I walked toward the garage that my car had been kept in for these two months. I greeted Albert, the garage keeper.
"Good morning, palacios." He saluted, smiling. I walked up to his desk and knocked it.
"I'm done with my term-" I sighed "- and I'm tired of hearing my last name. How's it been ?" I told him while resting my arms on his desk. He got up and opened the door behind him where he kept all the keys.
"It's been alright, not very exciting. Your boys came by last week - bug is getting bigger by the minute- they took the car out, dropped me off some McDonald's. Other than that-" he came back "- boring."
He handed me the keys to my car. I took them and patted his hand.
"Thanks albert. I gotta run, I miss my boys and I need to get out of these clothes. Take care, maybe I'll be dropping of some McDonald's these days." I said while walking backwards into the garage. He chuckled and nodded
"Bye, palacios. See you later." I gave him a thumbs up and went into the garage.
I went toward my car. It was a white Volkswagen Beetle, old but I managed to keep it clean and nice.
I got in and smiled, ash and bug had changed the air freshener. Turning on the engine, I got my duffle bag and fished around for my iPhone. I texted Ashton telling him I was on my way home, then I turned the stereo on.
I played the arctic monkeys as background noise as I made my way down the highway towards my apartment.
When I got to the town limit, I decided to stop by at Safeway. I bought myself a caramel macchiato from the Starbucks that are always inside Safeway's and I got ash a strawberry açaí.
When I pulled up into the driveway. I saw a sign on our door.
"Welcome home mommy!" It read. I smiled and unlocked the door with my free hand. I could hear bug telling ash to hide, because Ashton sucks at pranks
and my 4 year old son beats him.
I walked in and the lights were turned off, there was some candles on the kitchen table. The living room and kitchen were decorated with burgundy decorations and a cake on the table with a heart and 'Palacios' written around it. Placing the Starbucks on the counter, I took in the little party.
"BOOOO!" I felt a pair of hand hugging my thighs. "hey momma" hunter said, still holding my thighs.
"Hey baby bug!" I said picking him up and nuzzled his neck.
Happy tears escaped my eyes.
"You like your supwise?" He said, his vibrant green eyes looking into mine and his small hands playing with the strands of my hair. I looked back at him and kissed his forehead then ruffled his curly brown locks.
"Baby I love it."
His whole face lit up and he pointed to himself, "I made it myself, no help from da- uncle ash" I put him down and smiled at him. Almost not catching that he was about to say dad to ash.
"Really baby? That's amazing, thank you soooo much. You beat uncle ash. And that's why I love youuu." I told him while ruffling his hair. He smiled so big that his one little dimple was prominent on his face. "I missed you mommy." My heart hurt a little because I had left him alone for two entire months, but it was the only way that I could contribute to the roof above our heads without a high school diploma.
(A/N idk if they pay you for being in the military lol let's just pretend, if you do know then please educate me)
"I missed you more baby. There's some Starbucks on the table and guess wha-" I didn't finish my sentence because he had already zoomed to the table.
I heard steps behind me and then a chuckle, "what's cooking, good lookin?" ashton said from behind me. I turned around and embraced him. He hugged me back. "I missed you ash" I mumbled against his chest since he was taller than me. "I missed you too, that kid of yours is a living tornado." He said while letting go of me.
I laughed and he kept going, he held my shoulders "do you know how many times he walked around with temporary pAint on his feet. - I didn't even know we bought him temporary paint!" He let go of my shoulders and his hands went to his hair, lightly tugging on it "There was tiny footprints on the carpet for a week. And he painted the walls too.-" he was interrupted by hunter laughing his head off.
We turned and saw him on a table, with red frosting all over his cheeks. "You think it's funny huh?" Ashton said in a grandpa voice. "Just wait till I get my hands on you" and then he walked over to the table but bug had already ran around and into my room, most likely to hide.
My room.
With frosting all over his hands and face.
My laughter died down and then I was the one running behind him into our room.
-
Later that evening, when I had taken a shower and put bug to bed, I was sitting in the living room couch. We had a 48 inch plasma tv, but no one but bug really used it. Everything in the living room was a random color since bug liked all the colors of the rainbow.
I heard a door open and I figured it was hunter. I put the book down and made my way to the hallway. "Let's go back to sleep baby bug" I said tiredly.
"It's ash, azul." Ashton said lowly. I looked up and my face flushed. He giggled and all I said was "oh".
I walked back to the living room and he followed. "Can we talk, it's nothing serious but I just-" he stumbled on his words a bit, causing me to grow suspicious and frown. "Que pasa ash?" I told him as I sat on the small love seat.
He sighed and combed his hair with his hand.
"It's- It's about"
"It's about bug isn't it? Oh god what did he do, I'm sorry if he took your shaving cream again, I told him it wasn't the one I use last time he took it." I rushed out, feeling a little bad since my kid is a human Tasmanian devil.
He chuckled and looked up "Nope, I learned my lesson the first time. It's just that" he started doing the nervous guy thing, when they scratch the back of their neck.
"He went to daycare the other day, and" I sat up in my chair as he sighed "they did random acts of kindness cards, you know how they do that, and they wrote some to their parents."
My heart hurt because I had a feeling where this was going.
"He came back and he gave me your card, and then he started crying. He asked me why he didn't have a daddy like the other kids" Ashtons voice was strained and hurt was evident in it too. As if sensing my hurt he looked up.
"I told him he had a daddy, I didn't want to see him sad. He asked when he would come back and I didn't know what to tell him." His lips made a line and he tensed a little. My heart aching, for my baby and for ash because he had to go through this on his own while i was gone.
"He needs a dad, Azul" he said lowly. I sucked in a breath and memories came back.
"Ash you know why I'm doing this alone, I wish things could be different, but" I lost my words. I was so jumbled up in my head and heart because I knew my baby needed his dad
"He doesn't even know he has a son Ash. I didn't mean anything to him, I can't just go into his life and bring a baby. Hell, I bet he would completely ignore us if I ever showed up again." I whisper shouted to him.
I've tried so hard since the day hunter was born to forget his father, and I was doing well. I could sustain myself and my kid, and Ashton. But Ashton was right, bug needs a father, he deserved one. Hunter is such an amazing kid, he deserves to have a normal family.
"I'm not talking about going back to him." Ashton said suddenly "you know how I feel about you. About us. I've taken care of hunter since he was born. I was with you when you gave birth. I was with you when he made you cry and when you got up again."
My stomach churned because of everything ash was saying. "Ash you know I can't. I love you; and if we were to have a thing- " he let out a frustrated groan
"we would be fine Azul. Give me a chance, give us a chance. I know what you are afraid of. I know he hurt you. Dammit." His posture was tense and his hands were fidgety.
"What happens if we fight ash, if you leave me and you hate me. What happens when we break up. You're not only important to me, bug needs you too. We need you. I don't want to loose you because I love you. I can't loose you. I can't loose us." My words were laced with pain, because everything I said was true, I love Ashton too much to hurt him.
"I won't hurt you. I promise I won't leave either." His words were soft and understanding. "I know you loved him. Just give us a try. I know you feel like I do, you're just scared of love again." He stood up and so did I.
My heart was being pulled in two directions. I knew Ashton was right. In both arguements. My heart was pained and I needed rest.
"Ash . . . Let me think, give me time. Please." I said looking down and walking past him. I sensed his mood change and he pulled my arm back to give me a hug.
"Thank you." I nodded into his chest while hugging him back. When I pulled away I turned and walked to the door of my room.
"Goodnight Ash. Te amo." My hand turned the knob and walked in, seeing my baby asleep on his side of the bed. Before closing the door I heard Ashton whisper;
"I love you too. I won't hurt you. I wont be like harry."
- - -
WOWOWOWOWOWZA.
NEW STORY.
I'm sorry this is long. Actually no, i love that its long. I got the idea of logging into pattwad on my laptop and I write better when I'm on my laptop, thank me later.
I'm actually going to try to write this because I have a WHOLE PLOT for this book and I think y'all will like it. Also some things are in Spanish because I'm Hispanic (; so i'll just add the translation (AND MY HALF ASS PRONUNCIATIONS BCS I WANT TO HELP Y'ALL NON SPANISH SPEAKERS) of the words/phrases here:
Carajo (kara-ho) - hell
Y eso que soy su hijo (that's too long so no)- and I'm her son
Qué pasa (ke- pahsa)- what's happening/ what's wrong
Te amo (this one is not hard lmao)- I love you
I hope you got the jist of it, that you liked it or something.
All the love xo
Abby.