by Paige,Alyvia
HMM, CLEARLY NO ONE knows Braxton. I guess I’m not too surprised. He was at the wedding and reception yesterday as well as having previously met Chase not long after Keelie died. Making my way to the kiddie pool with Hannah, Isaac, and Alie – I assume that’s her actual name. Mini Brax keeps addressing her as such.
“Hey, I’m Adalyn.” I offer her my hand in proper greeting fashion.
“So clinical,” Hannah laughs. “Alison this is Addy, she’s my baby whisperer.”
“Your what?” Alison and I ask in unison.
“She’s my OBGYN head nurse,” she clarifies.
“Oh, yes. That I am. Nice to meet you.” I smile again before pulling my swimsuit cover-up off and begin to sit down in the water with Isaac. “Hey, lil’ man, can I hang out with you in here?”
“Yes. You’s ma angel, Addy,” he affirms.
“I am?”
“Yes. Memaw says,” he confirms resolutely.
“Fuck me, woman. Really?” Braydon’s voice echoes off the walls. “Ouch!”
“Watch your language, Bray,” I laugh finally sitting down as they restart the game. “You’re making your team lose. Focus. Eyes on the prize, superstar.”
“Oh, sweetheart, they most certainly are on the prize.” Braydon openly gawks at me. I chose a conservative suit to avoid the attention. My navy striped tankini covers my chest and ties to my bikini bottoms. It looks like a three piece, but the actual top is one piece with side cutouts. Men. “Ouch, stop it!” he yells through a laugh.
Yes, that’s now two points scored because he can’t pay attention to the game.
“Addy, pay iff me,” Isaac whines.
“Okay,” I appease him as my head whirls with questions. Questions this handsome little guy couldn’t even begin to answer.
“Mommy died,” he says, plain as day, little sadness in his words.
“I know, sweet boy. I knew your mommy.” I smile sadly as I caress his cheek. “I was there when you were born. A teeny, tiny lil’ guy.”
“Yep, and you’s angel,” he repeats.
“Okay.”
“You know Daddy?” he asks me. I can’t help but hear Hannah and Alison gasp. They were trying to be quiet, that much I can tell, but it was audible enough.
“Who is your daddy, buddy?” I ask in fear of exposing more information that may further confuse him.
“Not Uncky Ase. Not Uncky Bay.” He frowns in contemplation.
“Isaac, how old are you?” I inquire to change the topic.
“TWO!” he shouts, conversation averted.
As if the universe needs to make things even messier than they already are for this sweet boy, the same door I entered just a while ago opens, and in strolls Zach Braxton Adams.
“Who dat?” little Isaac asks.
“That’s Braxton. He’s my friend.”
“Dat’s MINE!” Isaac shouts excitedly.
“What’s yours?” Hannah blurts out.
“Me. Iaac Baxon Timmonoms.”
“Hoooooly shit,” Alison gasps.
“Angage, Miss Aaie,” my almost-two-year-old little friend scolds.
“I’m sorry,” she giggles. “Addy, is that –” Alison cuts her question off.
“Yes, so uh this might become really messy.”
“He’s freaking gorgeous!” Hannah mutters.
“Oh yeah he is,” Alison agrees.
“No, Addy. No go,” Isaac whines as I stand up to greet my friend. I knew he might stop by, but I assumed he wouldn’t.
“I’ll be right back, big guy.”
“Me go!”
Laughing, I swoop down and snatch him up in my arms, peppering kisses all over his face. “I’m keeping you.”
“Otay,” he giggles.
Making our way toward Braxton, I tickle Isaac, laughing as he curls himself into me while squealing hysterically.
“Hey, Brax, what’s up?” I ask nonchalantly.
“Just thought I’d swing by now that my conference call is over.”
“You work too much,” I snort laugh.
“Pot meet kettle,” Braxton laughs, his hand moving between us. “I grabbed a pair of trunks from your guest room. Should I even ask why you have Braydon’s clothes from college?”
“Don’t judge me, Zach Braxton.”
“No, dat me, sealwy,” Isaac perks up, his point of focus off the pool behind us where it’s been to now squinting at Braxton.
“Silly boy, your name is Isaac,” I tease while tickling his exposed knees.
“No. Me, Iaac Baxon Timmonoms. Sealwy.” He giggles back.
“Uh, Ads, can we talk. Alone?” Braxton asks his head tilted the opposite direction of Isaac’s as they inspect each other’s face.
“Yep. Isaac, I’ll be right back,” I tell him as we make our way toward the kiddie pool. “You play with Hannah Banana?”
“Otay.”
“ADS, MAYBE WE CAN go somewhere else, everyone, literally everyone, is staring,” Braxton whispers as we make our way toward the opposite end of the room.
“Yeah, let me grab my cover-up.” I smile and look over to the pool where the volleyball game is now nonexistent. “Hey, nosey butts, this is Braxton. Braxton, this is everyone.”
“Addy,” Braydon yells from his place in the water, “room key in my wallet.”
“Thanks,” I call back, picking up his wallet and making our way toward Braydon’s room, 753 as the card envelope states.
“So what’s up?” I ask once we are in Braydon’s room. I’m still unsure as to why he stayed here, I mean, he lives at maximum ten miles away.
“So, Isaac,” he sighs.
“Yep, he’s yours, but I think you maybe knew that?”
“I didn’t, well I guess I did, I don’t know,” he moans. “I was with Keelie, but we weren’t exclusive. She knew I had to focus, but she agreed to just have ‘fun.’ When she told Braydon she was pregnant with his kid, I didn’t know. I mean, I assumed it was possible on her part to sleep around, but I never thought Braydon would even consider it. Dude was head over heels in love with you, Ads.” Expelling a long, loud breath, he collapses onto the desk chair. His head bouncing off the desk.
“Well, what now?” I inquire. “Also, what the fucking fuck about not even mentioning it to me. Not even in the hospital room when she went into labor. I mean, yeah, I temporarily drew some conclusions, but she was so spiteful the entire time I knew her, I didn’t pay my questioning much mind.”
“I know I should have said something. Fuck, this is a mess. What the hell do I do?” His voice barely above a whisper, his eyes full of sorrow.
“Well, I guess it’s time to decide if you want to be a dad to that little boy.” I smile half-heartedly leaning on the desk as he stares up at me, tears pooling in his eyes.
“He looks just like me, minus her eyes, he has her eyes.” His voice drops to barely a whisper as a tear slides down his face. “They won’t just give him to me.”
“Well, while that’s true, you will likely need to make life adjustments. I mean, he is all they have left of her. Can you relocate yet?”
“I don’t want to relocate. I love where I am.”
“Yeah, well, I just got the acceptance letter to join the NICU team at Alabama Memorial. Sometimes you move to where your passion resides.”
“Ads, that is amazing,” he says, a genuine smile now tugging at the corners of his mouth. “What if I’m bad at it?”
“Oh hell, where’s your dick? Stop being a pussy. Head out of your ass. You’ll never know unless you seek it out and try. You won’t fail. I don’t think you’ve ever failed anything!” I shout.
“I failed Kee.”
“You did not fail her. I did not fail her. The medical staff did. Not. Fail. Her. It was her time to go; we don’t decide that in our field. You know this.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs weakly.
“Hey.” I nudge him with my hip and smile. “Let’s go meet your lil’ guy. Also, Alison, the redhead, nearly swallowed her tongue when you walked
in.”
“Don’t need a woman, Adalyn.”
“Nope, but you need a friend. She seems nice enough. She’s Isaac’s preschool teacher.” I offer up the bit of information that I know.
“Interesting, although I think she’s dating Chase.”
“Never know unless you ask. Now, let’s go downstairs.”
Braydon
“HEY, LIL’ GUY.”
“Hi, Uncky.”
“What’s up, chicken butt?”
“Huh?” Isaac’s face bunches up, and his head tilts to the side as he watches me.
“What are you doing?”
“No sim,” he answers.
“Why not?”
“Addy ent bye-bye,” he pouts.
“Oh, but she’s right there,” I disagree when she walks through the door with Braxton. Gosh, he looks terrible.
“Addy!” Isaac squeals.
“Hey, lil’ man! You remember Braxton?” she asks him.
“Yep. Me name.”
“Can he hang out with us?” she questions, her voice fun and light.
“Hi!” Isaac squeaks.
“I haven’t seen you since you were a baby, you’re so big,” Braxton acknowledges after looking over his son quietly.
“Me no baby. Bih boy,” his mini me argues.
“Yes, now you’re a big boy.”
“Mommy died.”
“I know, buddy, look.” Braxton pulls his phone from his pocket and squats down beside Isaac showing him a picture of Keelie the day he was born. “Isaac, who is this?”
“MOMMY!” he cries excitedly. “Mine.”
“Yeah, that’s your mommy. That’s you in her belly.”
“No me ere, seawly,” Isaac confirms smacking his hand off his chest.
“What? Where?” Braxton asks looking around as if not seeing the toddler right in front of him.
“Ere! Ere!” he giggles.
“There you are!” Braxton exclaims while leaning in and tickling Isaac’s stomach.
“Hey, Isaac, it’s naptime, say goodbye to Uncky.”
“No, no, no, no, no!” he cries.
“Yes,” Chase stresses, his voice hard.
“No, Uncky.”
“Chase, I’ll take him. I miss my lil’ buddy,” Brielle says out of nowhere.
“Hey, Isaac,” Braxton coaxes Isaac’s attention toward him. “How about if you take a lil’ nap now, then we will get a snack once you wake up?”
“Snaaaaaack!”
“Only after your nap,” Braxton reiterates.
“Nigh nigh, me,” Isaac coos hugging Braxton close.
“Night, night, buddy. I’ll see you soon.”
“We need to talk,” Chase grunts once Isaac is in Brielle’s arms.
“Oh, Chase, don’t be a douche,” Brielle bites out before leaving the party.
“Yay,” Braxton and I say in unison.
I’ve never paid much attention to my half-brother’s mannerisms, but the longer he stands in front of us, the more I see the angry tick. The flexing of his clenched fists. The tension in his face. He is our father reincarnated. God help us all. One of that man is plenty. Now I’m really glad that Jase blacked his eye a while back. The thought of Jase’s fist connecting with Chase’s eye socket provokes a bubble of laughter to slip through my lips.
Stoic expression… crushed.
“I don’t think any of this,” Chase growls waving his arm in the general direction of Braxton, “is something to laugh about, Braydon.” Someone is moody.
“Sorry, just thinking about something, something unrelated,” I retort trying to reign in my grin.
“Braxton,” Chase addresses my best friend then squares his shoulders. I’m guessing he doesn’t realize my buddy can take his ass out without even trying. Chase may be built, but he doesn’t stand a chance. “You need to realize that my child doesn’t know you from Adam. You don’t need to fill his head with bullshit, and when he wakes up, you will be gone.”
“Hold up,” Brax quips, a smirk on his face. “You’re not my son’s father. Yes, I know he’s mine. His looks confirm the last shred of doubt I had. And I know that Keelie told you about us before she passed. I was there, on the phone with her. So, you need to know, now that I know, I will be in his life. Oh, and no, I will not be gone when he wakes up.”
“You aren’t shit. You aren’t coming near him. You ruined Keelie. You will not ruin the only memory left of my sister.” Chase’s voice has lowered a full octave, his face red.
“Chase, don’t do this here. Think of Isaac. It’s not –” Alison tries to calm the situation, her dainty little hand resting against Chase’s bare bicep.
“You shut the hell up,” he bellows in Alison’s face after cutting her off causing both Braxton and me to rise from our seats. “If I wanted your fucking opinion or concern, I would have asked for it. You’ve got no place in this conversation.”
I heard the loud clap of skin on skin before I registered that she’d just smacked him in the face leaving a bright red handprint in its wake.
Braxton quickly steps between Alison and Chase, forcing him to step back a few feet. “You do not speak to a woman like that under any circumstance. I don’t give a shit who she is.” I’m almost caught off-guard by the coolness in Braxton’s voice. His temper spikes, but he’s holding back.
“Don’t fucking threaten me, and stay away from my family,” Chase bellows before pivoting in an attempt to storm away, but Braxton has his arm and is swinging him around before he is even able to take a full step.
“Let me ask you something, tough guy.” Braxton lowers his voice; my guess is he’s trying to eliminate the scene building further. “How are you supporting my son?”
“That’s none of your goddamn business.”
“Hmm, maybe you’re right. But I already know. You’re head of a very lucrative account at Maxwell Bennett, is that correct?”
“Yeah, so,” Chase boasts, puffing his chest out.
“So, if you don’t watch yourself, the nice cushy salary you’re receiving as a benefit of having that account specifically assigned to you, it will be eliminated.” Braxton’s words were clear as day filled with a threat everyone in the room could feel.
“Yeah, okay. Fuck off,” Chase growls as he storms through the lobby entry door from the pool.
BRAXTON AND ISAAC SIT together all through dinner with Isaac flanked on Alison’s right side. Chase attempted to thwart the destined bonding, but Isaac is a very temperamental toddler. He threw a fit unlike anything I’ve ever seen; hell, I’m not sure anyone here has experienced this level of crazy toddler hostility. He screamed, bawled, threw anything he could get his little fingers on, kicked, pulled hair; seriously this kid went psycho. I feared for my life.
Adalyn slowly approached Isaac after neither Chase nor Alison could calm him down. Her voice is one I’ve never heard slip past her lips. She soothed him, wiped his face, and kissed his reddened chubby cheeks. After a glare-down with Chase, she instructed Braxton to pick up the high chair and move it between him and Alison. I shit you not, that child has done nothing but smile and clap since being placed in his seat.
Mind-blown. Maybe Addy is the baby-whisperer. Hannah and Brielle’s moniker is on point.
Isaac squeals as the dessert cart is pushed toward our table.
“Isaac,” Braxton addresses him quietly. “Please don’t scream.”
“Otay,” he pouts. “Ake, pwease.”
“How about we share,” Braxton suggests.
“Otay!” Isaac beams his approval with an award-winning smile.
“Babe, do you want some dessert?” I ask before looking to see that Adalyn is no longer sitting to my right, but down four seats leaning into Hannah having a conversation.
“How’s your babe?” Brielle mocks.
“My wife,” I mutter under my breath not caring all too much if someone was to overhear.
“What was that?” Jase prosed.
“Adalyn,” I annunciate clearly
, both answering Brielle and Jase’s question and gathering Adalyn’s attention down the table. She exchanges another laugh with Hannah before making her way back to me. “Hi.”
“Hey,” she offers a greeting back, a light flush coloring her face as I pull her into my lap.
“Fuck, I missed you,” I growl into the crook of her neck.
“I was just down the table,” she giggles and weasels out of my hold.
“You know what I mean,” I sigh.
Chapter 28
Adalyn
“BRAXTON, WHAT TIME ARE you flying home?” I shout from the back room in the house. He, Braydon, Brenton, and Madi all crashed at my place after last night’s dinner. Once I have my scrubs and compression socks on, I make my way to the living room to join my friends. Time for reality… aka my professional life to continue. Braydon put off the discussion of my offer in Alabama another night, succumbing to sleep before I even made it out of the shower.
“Hold up,” he yells, his back to me with his phone raised to his ear. I jab a finger into his side and quickly jump away from the flailing beast before me. “Holy shitake, Ads!”
“Oh nice one. Someone’s trying to sensor themselves. And here I thought miracles didn’t exist.” I giggle as I strategically maneuver myself around the room to avoid the retaliating punishing finger-to-side poke.
“Yes.” Braxton clears his throat and begins speaking into the phone, his finger tapping the edges of a piece of scratch paper. “Hi, Tabitha, this is Zach Adams. I’m great thanks, and you? I need to have three tickets upgraded to first class.”
“Who’s he talking to?” I whisper to Braydon as he sits a plate of bacon in front of me.
“The airline. He had me get Chase’s flight information to Florida from Hannah.”
“Right, Chase Timmons, Isaac Timmons, and Alison…” Braxton’s voice breaks off and his eyes scrunch closed. “Yes, Alison Edwards. I’d like them all upgraded.”
“I’m so confused…” I mumble around a slice of bacon. Holy shit, batman, I love bacon. “Also, you passed out before we could talk,” I remind Braydon.
“I know; we are talking tonight or tomorrow. Whenever you get home,” he promises me before turning his attention back to Braxton.