by S M Mala
‘Let me go,’ Kayden said, struggling to get out of Mylo’s arms. He ran towards his rucksack and pulled out his pyjamas. ‘See! I packed.’
Bea started to laugh, seeing the determined look on the child’s face.
Then she noticed Mylo look proudly at him and instantly saw the connection of love for the little boy. He might not be his biological father but he certainly adored his son and the feeling was mutual.
‘I think,’ she said, walking up to Kayden. ‘That if both your dads don’t mind, you can stay here tonight.’ Then she noticed the oldest child scowl at her as the younger one seemed puzzled. ‘Unless you both would like to stay as well?’
‘No thanks,’ River said, turning his nose up. ‘We’re meeting Uncle Dean. He’s my god father.’
‘And how similar you seem to be,’ she replied and could see Mylo was going to smile. ‘That’s a shame. Maybe another time.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he replied, turning his nose up at her.
‘Can I stay?’ asked Bligh, looking guiltily at his dad. ‘Just so Kayden settles in.’ He turned to Bea. ‘If you don’t mind?’
‘I mind,’ whispered Kayden. ‘As I want it to be only daddy and me.’
‘Well, don’t mind,’ she replied and noticed Mylo frown. ‘It might be fun.’
‘That’s fine by me,’ Cole said, forcing a smile. If ever the man didn’t want to agree to something, he was badly hiding it. ‘We’ll be back tomorrow after breakfast so we can confirm what’s going on. Come on River, let’s go and see Uncle Dean.’
He hugged both his sons before squeezing Mylo’s shoulder and turned to wave goodbye. River just stomped out and slammed the door.
And Bea was totally ignored.
‘Teenagers,’ sighed Kayden, shaking his head from side to side. ‘So rude!’
‘I’ll cook and you guys can go play,’ Bea said, walking off into the kitchen, relieved the snotty young man had left along with his father.
Within minutes all she heard was laughing, as if there was a sigh of relief.
It made her smile and it truly hit home that Mylo had given up his kid.
And that must have really hurt him, to know the other person had the thing he loved most in the world.
Kayden.
Getting some snacks, she went into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. Kayden and Mylo were cuddled up on the sofa and Bligh was in the armchair, all in hysterics. She put the bowls down and headed back out.
‘Hey Bea, why don’t you join us?’ Mylo asked pleadingly.
‘I’m making us paella.’ Then she hesitated. ‘Do you guys eat prawns, chicken and things like that.’
‘Our dad owns restaurants,’ laughed Bligh. ‘He has taught us to eat everything.’
‘And you Kayden?’
‘I like food,’ he said, unable to tear his eyes away from the large screen while holding tightly onto his dad. ‘And lots of it.’
Going back into the kitchen, she poured herself a large glass of wine and continued to cook, thinking about the current set up. And she was certainly going to find out more about the relationship between Cole, River and Kayden. Something didn’t sit well based on what she had witnessed.
When they sat for dinner, she observed the interaction between all three.
Bligh told Mylo about his school and friends, all the while being interrupted by Kayden who would add something silly to the conversation, just to make his dad laugh.
‘And what do you do Bea?’ asked Bligh.
‘I work in a school, trying to spot children who might be having problems at home. And then there are children who are being bullied.’ She darted a glance at Kayden. ‘We look out for signs of people hurting them as well as dealing with challenging kids.’
‘What? The bad kids?’
‘They’re not bad and it’s common knowledge they are being hurt emotionally and physically. Sometimes they don’t want to be in school and can act up.’
‘You mean naughty boys and girls?’ asked Kayden. ‘Sometimes I’m naughty but I don’t mean it. It’s just that I get caught.’
‘You always get caught,’ laughed Bligh. ‘He just looks guilty.’
‘I can’t help it if my cheeks go red,’ he replied, eating a prawn and munching hard, diverting his eyes away. ‘I just want to have fun.’ Kayden turned to Bea. ‘I like fun.’
‘I like fun too.’
‘Do you have children?’ asked Bligh, instantly surprising her.
‘No, I don’t,’ she replied and noticed Mylo look up.
‘One day we might,’ said Mylo, starting to smile.
‘How?’ asked Kayden.
‘You don’t want to know,’ replied Bligh, who was now going crimson. ‘So you and Bea are together.’
Kayden dropped his fork and suddenly the happy mood changed as the child looked at Mylo.
‘I love Bea and Bea loves me,’ replied Mylo, all the time looking at Kayden. ‘And that doesn’t mean I love you less, little dude.’
‘A girl?’ asked Kayden, looking at Bea. ‘A real girl?’
‘Is that a problem?’
‘You don’t like boys?’
All three of them looked at each other as Bea wasn’t even going to attempt to open her mouth.
‘Kayden, your daddy used to like daddy Cole,’ said Bligh, diplomatically. ‘And he loves Bea now.’
Picking up his fork, the little boy continued to eat while thinking hard.
‘Is that a problem?’ Mylo asked, looking petrified that the child might not be happy. ‘I really like her and you’ll like her too. It doesn’t mean I like you less.’
‘I like girls,’ he said, looking at Bea. ‘I didn’t think my daddies liked girls.’
‘Oh, we all know daddy Mylo likes girls. Dad used to say all he ever did was watch them walk down the road, then flirt with any that came his way,’ Bligh added.
Bea turned to look at her blushing boyfriend, who grimaced.
‘Yeah and Uncle Dean said that daddy was silly as he liked girls.’ Kayden then raised his eyebrows up and down while smiling at Bea. ‘And I like you.’
‘Thank you,’ she replied, trying hard not to laugh, seeing the kids were being given some crossed messages.
‘River said no-one wanted me other than daddy,’ said Kayden, still eating his dinner. ‘But he didn’t want me that much because daddy went away.’
‘That’s not true,’ Mylo gasped and put down his fork. ‘I do want you.’
‘Then why can’t I live here?’
‘Because it was agreed that your dad would bring you up with River and Bligh,’ he replied, looking lost on what to say.
‘Come back home.’
‘It’s not that easy.’
‘Bring Bea. She can stay in my room.’
‘Mylo wants to live here,’ Bligh said, eating slowly.
‘Daddy, I want to live here,’ Kayden said, sliding off his chair and going to stand near Mylo. ‘I cry a lot and I want to be with you.’
Grabbing the boy, Bea watched how Mylo hugged him with all his might and looked totally devastated on what to do. He picked him up and went into the garden, shutting the door behind them.
‘River is a bully but no-one says anything. I think he’s used to getting his own way,’ whispered Bligh, as Bea noticed Kayden place his head on Mylo’s shoulder. ‘He’s really hurting Kayden.’ Then the child looked guilty. ‘I shouldn’t say but he is. I try and stop it but I get punched really hard.’
‘But you get on with him, don’t you?’ Bea asked, looking at the pretty boy, feeling angst for both the kids.
‘I don’t think River likes anyone. He really hated Mylo.’ Bligh flicked him a glance. ‘And when Kayden came along, he has been really nasty ever since.’
‘Is Kayden really unhappy?’
‘When Mylo left, he was upset. Kept on crying and it was hard. He was only really little.’
Bea’s heart twisted, now knowing the true complications that Mylo had been faci
ng.
Something came into her head, which seemed so plainly obvious but she knew it sounded bad. The question of whether Mylo was rushing things because he wanted to have his son with him.
Swallowing hard, she dreaded this new hurdle of uncertainty.
‘What’s Kayden’s surname?’ she found herself asking, wanting to dig a little deeper.
‘Kearney.’
‘He has Mylo’s name?’ She didn’t want it to sound too alarming.
‘You didn’t know?’
‘Yes,’ she replied with a shrug. ‘I just forgot.’
That’s when she realised that Mylo had ‘forgot’ to tell her that bit.
‘That makes it more confusing that he doesn’t have Silverman as his last name and River uses it against him.’
It was worse than she thought. Her new fears were beginning to surface.
‘Why is River being so mean to a four year old child?’
‘He’s sixteen and has always been like that. There’s a mean streak in him and he doesn’t care. I think he gets a kick out of watching us get upset. I’m twelve, so you know. Kayden’s going to be five in September and he’ll remind you about that soon enough.’ Bligh finished his food and wiped his mouth with his napkin. ‘Thank you, that was delicious.’
‘You’re a lovely boy and thank you for being kind to me. I hope you realise I’m not here to change anything. I’m trying to get used to this whole set up so forgive me if I ask questions. It’s not to pry but to understand.’
Mylo walked back in with Kayden, who was now chatting non-stop about something he saw on television. It was then Bea looked at the little boy’s jeans riding up and saw a bruise. Now wasn’t the time to ask where he got it from.
‘I said Kayden could sleep with me,’ he whispered, seeing Kayden bite his bottom lip. The child looked straight at Bea and she knew he was worried she would say no. ‘I told him it was up to you.’
‘Of course you can.’ She let out a little sigh seeing the man and child together. ‘I’ll sleep in the spare room and Bligh can stay in the room next door.’
‘Bea, you should be in the main bedroom and we’ll go next door,’ said Mylo, stepping closer.
‘I don’t mind. I like all daddy’s beds,’ said Kayden, smiling down at her. ‘Do you sleep in the same bed as daddy?’
‘Yes.’ Looking up at the child, she noticed the little mischievous smile as he moved closer to her. ‘We sleep together at night.’
‘What else do you do?’
‘Cuddle.’
‘And what else?’
‘Why do you want to know?’ asked Bligh, getting up and taking the plates towards the kitchen. ‘Stop being a nosey little boy.’
‘I’m not a nosey little boy! I’m asking questions like I’m supposed to do,’ he replied, then poked his tongue out, starting to get upset.
‘It’s nearly your bedtime,’ Mylo said, laughing at the child. ‘And don’t be rude to Bligh. He’s nice to you.’
‘Not always.’
‘Do you want a bath?’
‘I don’t smell.’
‘I don’t care. You have to have a bath.’
‘Do I have to?’ he asked, pulling a face. ‘I don’t want to go to bed early. I want to stay up. Why can’t I go to bed when Bligh goes to bed?’
‘Because you are four years old,’ replied Mylo, shaking his head at the kid. ‘And you have to be in bed by seven o’clock or you get really grumpy the next day.’
‘I don’t get grumpy anymore!’ he replied defiantly, making Bea laugh.
‘Oh Kayden,’ sighed Mylo, taking him away and up the stairs.
‘What about dessert?’
‘You can have biscuits and milk afterwards.’
Standing at the door, she noticed Bligh was loading up the dishwasher.
‘You don’t need to do that,’ she said, walking towards him. ‘Why don’t you chill out in the living room?’
‘I don’t mind. This is one of my chores when I’m at home.’
‘But you’re on holiday.’
‘Honestly.’ Bligh then blushed as she grinned. ‘It’s fun being away from River.’
Bligh was letting information slip as if he wanted her to know something but wouldn’t say.
‘Do you mind if I ask you a question?’ he said, glancing at the ground. ‘Don’t you feel funny about Mylo being with my dad? Like he was gay for a while and now he’s not.’
‘Do you think it’s odd that Mylo is with a woman not a man? Is our relationship strange to you?’
‘Mylo sort of didn’t fit in with dad’s friends. When they’d argue, dad would tell Mylo that he didn’t know what he wanted and that was the problem.’ Bligh let out a long sigh. ‘Thing is, do you ever know?’
‘I don’t think you really do,’ she replied, going to the fridge. ‘I think you know what you don’t want.’
‘When Mylo told you about my dad, you must have thought the whole thing was really weird.’ He let out a little laugh. ‘I can’t imagine explaining that to a woman.’
‘Mylo took his time,’ she diplomatically replied, knowing the child was still Cole’s son.
‘I mean, Mylo likes you and that’s good.’ Then he smiled mischievously. ‘And Uncle Dean doesn’t so that’s even better.’
‘You don’t like Uncle Dean?’
‘Who in their right mind would?’
She had to laugh.
Bligh had a point.
‘There are kids in the house.’
Bea was trying to fight off Mylo in the spare room. ‘You can’t seriously want to have sex now.’
‘I seriously want to have sex,’ he replied, pushing his hand under her top. ‘And they sleep like logs especially when they’re jet lagged.’
‘No!’ she sharply replied and removed his hand from her breast. ‘It’s not appropriate and I’ve officially met them for the first time today. What sort of impression would that make?’
He started to laugh, now caressing her backside.
‘They won’t hear.’
‘With the amount of noise you make, they will.’
Walking away she looked at her nightdress on the bed before glancing at the room.
‘It’s nice in here,’ she said, seeing the pristine decorated walls and tasteful furnishings. ‘Is that why you bought a four bedroom house, for all your additional family members?’
‘I want to talk to you,’ Mylo said. She turned to look at him, standing with his hands on hips. ‘Can I sit on the bed?’
‘As long as you behave, yes.’
Mylo flopped back onto the mattress and stretched out.
‘It’s really comfortable,’ he sighed, smiling.
‘You’ve never slept in it?’
‘Never needed to.’
Mylo patted the duvet for her to sit down. She did tentatively, not trusting his uncontrollable hands.
‘What do you want to talk about?’
‘Don’t think you’re being pushed out.’ Mylo sat up on his elbows. ‘I want you to be part of this but if you feel uncomfortable, I understand. The last thing I want is to put pressure on you.’
‘It’s fine.’ Bea shrugged. ‘Bligh is a nice boy and Kayden loves his daddy, that’s pretty certain.’ Then she thought a little before asking the next few questions. ‘You never told me Kayden took your surname.’
‘I’m sure I did.’
‘You’re not being straight with me.’ She noticed he glared at her. ‘I’m not putting in a pun based on your… your…’ Bea grimaced. ‘You know what I mean. Why didn’t you say?’
‘I didn’t think it mattered.’
‘Everything matters if we’re being honest with each other.’ Another hesitation happened as she knew this next question was going to upset him. ‘And what if Kayden really wants to live with you. Will having me here, as a wife, help?’ Mylo seemed genuinely shocked by the question.
‘Do you think I’d do that?’
‘I don’t know. Would you?’
/> Mylo sat up and looked around the room then stood.
‘I’m going to bed,’ he said, heading for the door. ‘Kayden might wake up.’
‘Okay. Goodnight,’ she replied and watched him walk away, closing the door behind him.
After she put on her night dress, she threw herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
More and more questions and doubts were being thrown at her about Mylo’s sincerity regarding their relationship. Every time she thought things were sorted, another little niggle would surface.
The door was flung open and he marched back in looking agitated.
‘How could you say that?’ he said. ‘That’s a really horrible accusation to make.’
‘I’m testing the waters as people will ask,’ she calmly replied, seeing his eyes widen with annoyance. ‘I know you’re well educated and have initials before and after your name but I know they don’t spell ‘stupid’. Think about it.’
‘The fact you thought about it makes me wonder.’
‘What’s there to wonder about? Every month I find out something about you which I didn’t know, because it slipped your mind.’
Bea felt calm, all things considered, and thought that was a good sign.
Or it was the calm before the massive engulfing storm.
‘I’m not questioning you. I’m asking,’ she said in an even tone. ‘In the next few weeks and months, people are going to find out about the whole set up with you, Cole and Kayden. What I want to do is understand how I’m going to answer them. Wouldn’t you, if you were me?’
‘And what are you going to say when people ask how you feel?’
‘Bligh did this evening. I told him I’m trying to get my head around it.’ She sat up. ‘All this modern love thing isn’t something I’ve done before.’
He narrowed his eyes at her as if mulling something over.
‘Do you think I’m using you?’ he asked, shaking his head in a challenging way. ‘Is that what’s going through your head?’
‘What’s going through my head is I’m not sure what’s going through yours.’
‘I spend half my time trying to convince you that I love you and nothing that happened in the past matters. And you simply don’t seem to understand, or want to understand.’