Cleo left Kyle and a rather uncomfortable Carter in the living room
while she went to the kitchen to make coffee. It was a bit unfair of
her to leave them alone without much of an explanation to either of
them but she had to sort herself out.
I t was true, she did need desperately to talk to someone, she just wished it could've been.
Peter. Damn.
She shook her head and took a deep breath. She'd sort that out later.
She carried the two cups of coffee through to the lounge and told Kyle to go and finish unpacking. She sat down and put the mugs on the coffee table.
"Nice kid" Carter said, as they both watched Kyle disappear up the stairs.
Cleo smiled. "Yeah, he is. But that's nothing to do with me."
"So, what happened?" Carter asked, then shuffled awkwardly in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"No, it's fine" Cleo said, moving a pile of magazines off the sofa and leaning back properly. "He lived with my sister in Detroit. She's moving. She only called this morning then brought Kyle this afternoon. She didn't even have the guts to speak to me. She just dropped him off outside the hospital and left."
Carter nodded, realising the reason for her attitude at work. "I'm sorry, if I'd have known."
"It's fine Carter." She paused and leant her head on the back of the sofa. "Oh God, what a mess."
* * *
Cleo still sat on her living room sofa, staring into space. Carter had left about ten minutes ago. It was his choice to go, she thought he must've felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation and she didn't blame him.
They didn't really know eachother too well and she wasn't the sort of person to offload her problems to whoever happened to come along. But she had been keeping everything about Kyle to herself ever sinse she had moved to Chicago. It was a relief to get some of it off her chest, even if it wasn't anything in the whole scheme of events.
He hadn't said anything, but she could tell that Carter knew Peter didn't know. He didn't seem like the type to make judgements but she guessed what he must've been thinking.
She would've thought the same thing.
Cleo had been going out with the man for over a year. Having a son wasn't something you just forgot.
She didn't know how to even begin explaining. She also didn't expect him to understand why she had kept it a secret. Nor would she expect him to forgive her.
* * *
Cleo crept upstairs and quietly pushed open the door to the spare bedroom.
"Kyle? Are you awake?"
She whispered loudly enough for him to hear but quiet enough so she wouldn't wake him if he was asleep. He stirred and rolled over in bed to face her.
She walked through the door and closed it behind her, sitting down on the chair next to his bed.
She pulled the covers up over his shoulders and smiled at him. The moonlight was just about bright enough to show that he was smiling back and Cleo bent down and kissed Kyle's forehead.
He was the sweetest, most loving child. Why had she been away from him all this time? How could she have stood to be parted from him? Cleo knew there were reasons but she couldn't, at this moment, remember what they were.
"Are you OK?"
Kyle shrugged slightly and replied in a quiet voice. "A bit cold."
Cleo stood up and walked over to close the window.
"Do you really want me staying here?" he asked in a small voice.
Cleo looked at him in mild shock and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling him into a hug.
"Of course I do, Sweetheart. I love you."
They both sat there in the dark, in their loving embrace until Kyle finally drifted off to sleep. Cleo laid him down again and started to walk across the hall to her own bed. She turned around again and looked at his peaceful sleeping form.
What did she do to deserve such a wonderful little boy?
* * *
Kyle sat in the passenger's seat of Cleo's car. It had been a scilent drive across town. In fact, neither had said much all morning. Cleo pulled up outside the child minders but did not get out of the car. She sat there and waited for one of them to break the awkward scilence that was filling the air.
Thank God it was the school holidays. She couldn't cope with having to find a school so soon, let alone questions about why he wasn't in school. She was greatful she could find someone to look after him at such short notice.
She would love to stay home with him. She hated having to leave him and rush off to work when he had only been here a day but she couldn't hget out of it without arousing suspisions.
"Here we are then" Cleo finally sat and unstrapped and reached to open the door.
Kyle sat there for a moment and looked down at his lap.
"Mum." Cleo turned t face him, worried. "Who are those people on the photo on the bookshelf?"
That question hit Cleo like a ton of bricks. She didn't know what to say. She was stupid to think he wouldn't say anything but she had been dreding the moment when he would.
Now she was the one avoiding eyes contact. The last thing she wanted was to lie to her son more. She would just tell him the truth.
"Peter, my boyfriend and his son Reese."
"Do they know about me?" he asked in a shaky voice, still not shifting his gaze from the floor.
A tear fell down Cleo's cheek. "No."
Kyle sat there as well, silently trying not to cry. Cleo was too afraid to say any more.This whole thing was a mess. She had made it all ten times worse by keeping secrets. Now her baby was feeling unwanted and it was all her fault.
"You're ashamed of me, aren't you."
"No Honey, I."
They were interrupted by a woman knocking on the window, with a beaming grin on her face.
Cleo looked painfully across at her son. She took a deep breath before rolling down the window.
The woman had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a floral dress, far too summery for this kind of weather and was still smiling, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that surrounded them.
"I thought I noticed someone sitting out here", she said chirpily. "I'm Mrs. Ryan. You must be Kyle."
Cleo turned to him and offered him a small smile. She reached over and brushed rested a hand on his shoulder. She was glad that he didn't shrug her off, but he still looked just as upset.
"Come on Kyle. You Mummy will be back later to pick you up. Why don't you come inside and you can play with the other children?"
Kyle silently climbed out of the car and walked towards the house.
Cleo called out the window to him, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "I love you."
He turned around briefly and shrugged, before disappearing into the house.
I t was true, she did need desperately to talk to someone, she just wished it could've been.
Peter. Damn.
She shook her head and took a deep breath. She'd sort that out later.
She carried the two cups of coffee through to the lounge and told Kyle to go and finish unpacking. She sat down and put the mugs on the coffee table.
"Nice kid" Carter said, as they both watched Kyle disappear up the stairs.
Cleo smiled. "Yeah, he is. But that's nothing to do with me."
"So, what happened?" Carter asked, then shuffled awkwardly in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"No, it's fine" Cleo said, moving a pile of magazines off the sofa and leaning back properly. "He lived with my sister in Detroit. She's moving. She only called this morning then brought Kyle this afternoon. She didn't even have the guts to speak to me. She just dropped him off outside the hospital and left."
Carter nodded, realising the reason for her attitude at work. "I'm sorry, if I'd have known."
"It's fine Carter." She paused and leant her head on the back of the sofa. "Oh God, what a mess."
* * *
Cleo still sat on her living room sofa, staring into space. Carter had left about ten minutes ago. It was his choice to go, she thought he must've felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation and she didn't blame him.
They didn't really know eachother too well and she wasn't the sort of person to offload her problems to whoever happened to come along. But she had been keeping everything about Kyle to herself ever sinse she had moved to Chicago. It was a relief to get some of it off her chest, even if it wasn't anything in the whole scheme of events.
He hadn't said anything, but she could tell that Carter knew Peter didn't know. He didn't seem like the type to make judgements but she guessed what he must've been thinking.
She would've thought the same thing.
Cleo had been going out with the man for over a year. Having a son wasn't something you just forgot.
She didn't know how to even begin explaining. She also didn't expect him to understand why she had kept it a secret. Nor would she expect him to forgive her.
* * *
Cleo crept upstairs and quietly pushed open the door to the spare bedroom.
"Kyle? Are you awake?"
She whispered loudly enough for him to hear but quiet enough so she wouldn't wake him if he was asleep. He stirred and rolled over in bed to face her.
She walked through the door and closed it behind her, sitting down on the chair next to his bed.
She pulled the covers up over his shoulders and smiled at him. The moonlight was just about bright enough to show that he was smiling back and Cleo bent down and kissed Kyle's forehead.
He was the sweetest, most loving child. Why had she been away from him all this time? How could she have stood to be parted from him? Cleo knew there were reasons but she couldn't, at this moment, remember what they were.
"Are you OK?"
Kyle shrugged slightly and replied in a quiet voice. "A bit cold."
Cleo stood up and walked over to close the window.
"Do you really want me staying here?" he asked in a small voice.
Cleo looked at him in mild shock and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling him into a hug.
"Of course I do, Sweetheart. I love you."
They both sat there in the dark, in their loving embrace until Kyle finally drifted off to sleep. Cleo laid him down again and started to walk across the hall to her own bed. She turned around again and looked at his peaceful sleeping form.
What did she do to deserve such a wonderful little boy?
* * *
Kyle sat in the passenger's seat of Cleo's car. It had been a scilent drive across town. In fact, neither had said much all morning. Cleo pulled up outside the child minders but did not get out of the car. She sat there and waited for one of them to break the awkward scilence that was filling the air.
Thank God it was the school holidays. She couldn't cope with having to find a school so soon, let alone questions about why he wasn't in school. She was greatful she could find someone to look after him at such short notice.
She would love to stay home with him. She hated having to leave him and rush off to work when he had only been here a day but she couldn't hget out of it without arousing suspisions.
"Here we are then" Cleo finally sat and unstrapped and reached to open the door.
Kyle sat there for a moment and looked down at his lap.
"Mum." Cleo turned t face him, worried. "Who are those people on the photo on the bookshelf?"
That question hit Cleo like a ton of bricks. She didn't know what to say. She was stupid to think he wouldn't say anything but she had been dreding the moment when he would.
Now she was the one avoiding eyes contact. The last thing she wanted was to lie to her son more. She would just tell him the truth.
"Peter, my boyfriend and his son Reese."
"Do they know about me?" he asked in a shaky voice, still not shifting his gaze from the floor.
A tear fell down Cleo's cheek. "No."
Kyle sat there as well, silently trying not to cry. Cleo was too afraid to say any more.This whole thing was a mess. She had made it all ten times worse by keeping secrets. Now her baby was feeling unwanted and it was all her fault.
"You're ashamed of me, aren't you."
"No Honey, I."
They were interrupted by a woman knocking on the window, with a beaming grin on her face.
Cleo looked painfully across at her son. She took a deep breath before rolling down the window.
The woman had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a floral dress, far too summery for this kind of weather and was still smiling, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that surrounded them.
"I thought I noticed someone sitting out here", she said chirpily. "I'm Mrs. Ryan. You must be Kyle."
Cleo turned to him and offered him a small smile. She reached over and brushed rested a hand on his shoulder. She was glad that he didn't shrug her off, but he still looked just as upset.
"Come on Kyle. You Mummy will be back later to pick you up. Why don't you come inside and you can play with the other children?"
Kyle silently climbed out of the car and walked towards the house.
Cleo called out the window to him, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "I love you."
He turned around briefly and shrugged, before disappearing into the house.