JACKSON
UPTOWN, CHICAGO, PRESENT
We're wine drunk. Between us, we've downed two bottles and are on our way to a third if we'd stop giggling long enough to pour.
"Do you remember…" April wheezes, tears in her eyes from how hard she's laughing. We've been trying to keep our voices down, but if anyone's too loud, it's her. I can tell she doesn't drink often. I'm pleasantly tipsy, but she's way past that. "How bad you were freaking your shit when you asked me out?"
I cover my face with one hand. "Ass," I say. "Don't bring that up. You're just being mean."
She throws her head back and exposes her pretty neck. I want to reach out and touch it, but I show some restraint.
"I've never, ever seen so much sweat on one person," she says. "Ever."
"Hey, you're the one who said yes."
"Yeah, 'cause I had the biggest ass crush on you first!" she says, leaning forward. "But I knew way before that you were gonna ask me out. Did you know that?"
"You did not," I say.
"I so did…" she slurs. "Teddy heard from Lexie who heard from Mark."
"How do you even remember that?"
"I know everything about us," she says. "And my memory is long…"
"Everything," I say.
"You heard me," she says. "Why were you so nervous anyway? You're… the star footballer player. You were. Are. Both."
"You were hot!" I say.
She cackles. "Hot!" she repeats. "Hot. Yeah frickin' right. More like the biggest nerd ever."
"Shut up," I say. "You were a cheerleader. People liked you."
"But people loved you…"
I puff out my chest boastfully. "You're right," I say. "Most of all, you did the most."
She giggles, resting the side of her body against the couch with her eyes on me.
"What?"
"I'm just looking at you," she says. "You're such a… such a man now." She curls her arms to showcase her biceps and bares her teeth. "A big strong man!" She reaches out and drags her fingertips down my cheek, scratching over the light stubble. "I left a boy. Not a man."
"That's what happens in seven years," I say.
"Seven years…" she trails off.
"Hey," I say. "Remember when we were fucking that one Halloween? In the trunk of my car in the parking lot of that abandoned warehouse by the graveyard? And some assholes knocked on the windows?"
"Oh, my god," she laughs. "I think I died for a second. Like, for real. It was so damn scary!"
"You thought it was ghosts," I say, eyes glinting. "More like Jesus's Holy Ghost coming to smite you for all your sins."
"Shut up!"
"I think that was when we made Theo," I say, thoughtfully recalling.
She shakes her head. "Nope," she says. "Nope, nope, nope. You impregnanted me-"
"Impregnated, if you really need to say that word."
"Whatever," she says. "When you got the letter from Bama."
It comes back to me, calling her over to my house, sharing the great news, having celebratory, unprotected sex. Classic.
"Oh," I say.
"Think I don't know," she scoffs playfully. "Yeah, I know. I know very well."
She goes to take another sip of wine, and I realize I've lost count of how many glasses we've each had. I pull her glass away and set it on the coffee table next to me.
"Hey," she says, pouting. "Don't grab."
"Bartender says you've hit your limit," I say, unable to keep the smile off my face.
"That bartender's got his head screwed on… screwed," she says, propping herself up on her knees and leaning over me to try and grab it. In her reach, though, she tumbles forward and ends up on my lap, retrieval of the wine unsuccessful.
When she turns to look at me, a strange, knowing moment passes over us. We lock eyes and her breath hitches, smelling like the wine just out of her grasp. She bites her lower lip as my eyes rove down to it, and I take her face in my hands only moments later.
The tips of our noses touch. I expect to feel nervous or cautious, but I feel neither of those things. Holding her like this feels like everything falling into place, and my once-buzzing brain is now silent and calm. I feel centered for the first time in a long time.
I kiss her. I don't think, I just do it. After an initial gasp, her lips melt against mine and she winds her arms around my neck, pulling her body closer as our eyes stay closed.
When we pull apart, her gaze is swimming. "You've always been such a good kisser," she says, licking her lips. "Jesus."
I blink slowly, marveling at her face. The alcohol has painted a blush on her cheeks, a dull sparkle in her eyes. Her chest is heaving, I feel it moving against my own, and her heart is hammering through fabric.
I weave my fingers into her hair and comb it away from her face, and she leans her head against my hand. As I hold her, she plants her grip on my shoulders and moves to straddle my hips, sitting comfortably on my lap with her mouth ghosting over mine.
I get a good hold around the small of her back, noticing all the ways her body is familiar. When she tilts her head to kiss me again, I close my eyes and slip my hands inside the back of her jeans, palming her ass over her underwear.
She smiles against my mouth, and I swallow the sounds of her laughter. She urges her hips forward, propelled by my hands, and wraps her arms tighter around my neck.
I open my mouth and she slips her tongue inside, past my lips. Our kisses are wet and sloppy, but at the same time, unhurried. We've been waiting a long time for this, and I know I'm not the only one relishing it.
When she starts grinding on my lap, my erection is impossible to ignore. I know she feels it, too, which only encourages her. Without breaking from my lips, she moves her hips slow and deliberate, rubbing her center against mine, cold fingers trailing over the sides of my neck.
I grip her ass tighter, then pull my hands out to fumble with the button and zipper of her jeans. When I get them undone, I work on pushing the waistband down, but it can't go far because of the position we're in. But working with what I have, I angle my arm between our bodies and slip my hand in the front of her pants as best I can.
Her mouth comes open and she pulls away, pressing her face into my neck instead as I move my hand, stroking her skin over damp underwear. She's turned on, that much is obvious, and already wet.
The feeling of her lips on my neck is driving me crazy. I'm fully hard, ready to be inside her and hoping she's got the same endpoint in mind. We haven't spoken at all; there's been no reason to. Our bodies do all the communicating for us.
"Bedroom," she breathes, backing off to stand. "Come on. I'm gonna scream if we don't…"
"I know," I say, and hurry there with her.
She shuts the door behind us and strips off her shirt first, pants coming next. When she's in just her underwear, she flops back on the bed and giggles, still drunk, while looking up.
"Come get me," she says, knees bent and pressed together.
I strip down to my boxers, leaving my clothes in a heap near the door. I can't help but smile as I crawl over her; everything about this body is familiar. Being intimate with her is like coming home. I'm reunited with my first love in every sense, that intimacy having only improved with time.
I lower my weight onto her and she hugs my waist with her thighs, wrapping her feet around the backs of my legs. "Heavier than I remember," she says, dragging her fingertips over my shoulder blades.
"Again with the fat jokes," I say, and kiss her throat when she throws her head back to laugh.
She rests her arms above her head, eyes closing as I shower her body with kisses. From the inside of her bicep, the curve of her jaw, the outline of her collarbones, I try not to miss a single spot. When I get to her chest, she wriggles out of her bra and throws it to the side.
"Or did you wanna show off and prove you can actually unbuckle it this time?" she asks.
I roll my eyes. "Fuck off," I say.
She shrieks with laughter, pulling my neck down so my head moves to her chest.
"Shhh," I say. "You're gonna wake him up."
"Oops."
While holding her ribcage in both hands, I suck her nipple into my mouth and hang onto the sounds she makes. "Oh, baby," she moans, hips lifting from the mattress.
It's been so long since she's called me that. I suck harder, hoping to get more nicknames out of her. I can't let go of the way that made me feel.
I grab her other breast in my hand, squeezing roughly while my teeth graze over the nipple in my mouth. Her skin tastes the same as it always did, and when I close my eyes the thought crosses my mind that I never want to move from here. I've always been obsessed with her breasts - I can't help it.
"You're killing me, you're killing me, baby…" she moans, still writhing.
I pop away from her breast, smiling proudly. She looks at me and smiles breathlessly, letting her head fall back with all its weight to the pillow.
"I gotta tell you something," I say, moving to kiss the skin around her bellybutton. It's soft and smooth as she breathes, and goosebumps appear when I run my fingernails over it. "I still have the forever bracelet."
Her stomach moves as she giggles. "I know," she says. "I do, too."
Suddenly, I feel drunker than ever. My head spins with affection for her - this girl who used to be my world and is on the way to becoming that much again. As I work my way between her legs, peppering kisses as I go, words come tumbling from my mouth without my given permission.
"Let's get married," I say, slurring.
She laughs. She's a giggly drunk, so I've found. "Those bracelets married us years ago," she says, throwing her arms above her head again. "I always knew you'd find me."
My thoughts are too clouded to decipher what that means, so I shove it out of my mind and pull her underwear off.
"Please don't say you're too drunk to give me head," she says, hips squirming.
"No such thing," I say. "Why? You miss it?"
"Don't be an ass, baby," she says. "It's not cute."
"Baby…" I say, looking up at her while opening my mouth between her legs and laving my tongue over the skin. "Say that again."
She whimpers desperately, eyes rolling back into her head, as I move my head side-to-side. "Baby," she whines. "That feels so… oh, my god."
By how fast she comes, my guess is that no one's eaten her out since the last time I did. That makes a strange burst of pride explode in my chest, though I don't say anything in regards to it.
"Holy… holy…" she pants, eyes directed up at the ceiling.
"I know I am," I say.
She shoves my shoulder with her foot, but I catch her ankle and bow her leg out, kissing my way up to her face again while holding her knee down.
"You're too strong," she says, then puts on a puppy-dog face. She tries to keep the look, but keeps cracking up every few seconds and breaking it. "Baby…" she pouts.
"What," I say, moving up from her leg to pin her arms down playfully.
She sighs and pushes her lower lip out further. "My nipples want you back," she says, trying to fight a smile.
"They do, do they?" I ask, then look at them. They're dark pink, risen to the point of pain with pebbled skin surrounding. "Those look painful, Peach."
"They are," she whimpers. "Make me feel better."
"I'll make you feel better," I say, then let go of her wrists. I massage one breast while I get my mouth on the other, covering as much area as I can with my tongue and hearing her moan and sigh because of it.
"Ooh, yes," she says. "Just like that. Oh, Jackson, you're so good… you're so, so good…"
With my mouth on her nipples, she reaches between our bodies and slips her hand inside the front of my boxers. I flinch a bit at the contact - her hand is cold - but relax as she wraps her fingers around me and starts to pump slowly.
"You're so hard…" she purrs, back arching. "And bigger than I remember."
"We were 17," I say. "I've had some time to grow."
"Mmm…"
"You wanna see it?" I ask, pulling away from her chest.
She giggles, low and dark as she grabs for my waistband. I start laughing too, and bat her away.
"You're handsy," I say.
"You like it," she says. "Show me, then, if you think you're so impressive."
I quirk one eyebrow and take my boxers off. When I'm fully naked, April's eyes center between my legs, unable to look away it seems.
"I don't wanna say 'I told you so,' but..."
"Want me to suck it?" she asks, pushing herself up to her hands and knees.
My buzzed mind spins. I'd be an idiot to turn her down; nothing sounds better at the moment than a blowjob from her. Seeing that pretty mouth wrapped around me… I'd be lying if I said I've never pictured it to get off.
"Fuck yes," I say, and she stands up from the bed.
She pulls me to the edge and sinks to her knees, still completely naked. Her hands slip against the skin of my thighs edging inward, and she pries them apart while licking her lips and looking up at me through her eyelashes.
"When did you become such a sex kitten?" I ask.
"I've had a long dry spell," she says, swaying on her knees. "Long, long dry spell… not anymore."
She takes my dick in her hand and uses the pre-come as lube, pumping fluidly as I grip the comforter tight in my fists. With a sensual sigh, she puts it in her mouth and holds onto my leg with one hand, grappling for my fingers with the other.
I can feel the small sounds she's making in her throat. When I watch her, I almost lose it right then and there. I unwind our hands and pet her hair back from her face, stroking slowly, as she finds a rhythm with her mouth and tongue.
"Shit," I hiss, gritting my teeth. "Fuck, babe."
She chuckles, and I close my eyes. Without opening them, I feel her tongue run along the length of my erection, then she presses kisses from the shaft all the way to the tip.
"April," I groan.
"So impatient," she says. "Don't worry. I got you. I know just what…"
With her hand still pumping steadily and her mouth on my balls, I shoot my load all over her shoulder. I open my eyes and see it dripping down her arm, and without breaking eye contact she takes one finger and gathers as much as she can before sticking it in her mouth and sucking it off.
"God damn," I moan, breathing heavily. "Come here. I need… I need you. Right now, holy shit. I need you so fuckin' bad."
I pull her onto my lap, facing out. But she stops me, laughing, before I sink inside. "Slow down, soldier," she whispers, reaching behind to hold my head. "Your Peach has been celibate for seven years." She turns her head and whispers right into my ear, "I'm wet… but I'm tight, baby."
I close my eyes, half-hard again already. This girl who I fell in love with - now a woman - will be the death of me.
"Oh, my…" she moans, lowering herself onto my lap as I bury myself in her body. "Oh, Jackson. Jackson, oh… my god…"
"Yeah?" I manage to say, hands tight on her waist. I kiss her back in the middle of her shoulder blades, nuzzling my nose against the soft skin there. "Fuck, baby. God, you're tight."
"I told you," she breathes, pressing her lips together and groaning once I'm all the way in. "Oh, god. God, you're so big."
I reach higher and hold her breasts in my hands, pulling her back flush to my chest while tightly squeezing them. Everything about her feels so good. She's soft and muscular, sweet and flexible, and I would stay like this for the rest of my life if I could.
"Fuck me," she begs, curving her spine.
I kiss the back of her head. "That's kind of up to you, Peach," I say. "You gotta move."
"Oh," she giggles. "Right. Okay, let me…"
She lifts her hips until I'm halfway out, then lowers back down incredibly slowly. I watch her ass move, my hands still locked on her chest, and bite my lip hard. She's a fucking masterpiece.
"Just like that," I say, assisting with the oscillation of my hips, too.
"You like that?" she asks, panting. "That's good?"
"So good."
She keeps moving, overlapping my hands on her breasts, and her noises begin not long after. Her moans are so delicious that I want to consume them, consume her, take everything she is and tuck it somewhere where no one else can see. I want to conserve every little thing about her and keep it all to myself. I can't get enough of her, she's so goddamn sexy. I can barely handle it.
She was cute before, when we were kids. Hot, even. But now, she's older. She's confident in her sexuality and she's beautiful, sexier than anything I've ever seen or been with.
When I come, I rush to get her there, too. My hand flies between her legs, rubbing her clit while she roughly grabs my arm and urges me along.
"Oh, shit!" she cries, tensing as her hips buck and jerk on top of me. "Oh, fuck, geez, baby, oh my god…yes! Yes!"
I come inside of her, long and hot, and turn her around after it's over. She overlaps my body on the bed and kisses me with everything she has, opening her mouth hungrily on mine with her hands all over my chest.
"Mmm, oh my god," she moans, hips still subtly grinding on my lower torso. "Jackson, I love you. I love you, I love you so much… let's go again."
I don't know if that's the alcohol talking, but there's no way I'm turning her down.
…
In the morning, I edge into consciousness because of a faraway-sounding little voice. I furrow my eyebrows and open my eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight coming in through the blinds.
"... Mommy? What're you and Daddy doing in your bed? And why do you guys have no PJs on?"
I'm still not all the way awake or alive. I'm just rolling over when April scrambles to cover her bare chest with the sheet, shielding Theo's eyes as she whips it up over my naked ass.
"Damn it," she mutters under her breath. "Oh, god."
"Mommy, swear jar."
"Yes, Theo," April says, her voice risen an octave. "Um… can you… um, can do you a favor for Mommy and grab my purple t-shirt from the chair over there?"
I make no motion to leave. I just smile at the two of them, eyes over my shoulder, and April slips the shirt on over her head.
"Good boy," she says. "Honey, um… go… go find an outfit for today, okay?"
"So you can get not naked? Mama, I saw Daddy's booty. It was big."
"Theo!" April says, but I can hear the laugh in her voice. "Please, go find a pair of clean jeans and a polo. I will be right there to help you."
When he leaves the room, I roll fully onto my back and look at her. She's rubbing her temples, half-dressed from the waist up.
"I'm hungover," she says. "My head hurts like hell, and I'm pretty sure my six-year-old just saw my naked chest."
I chuckle, and she sighs when she looks down at me. She's wearing an expression in her eyes that I can't quite read.
"You're seeing someone," she says, shaking her head. "I can't believe I… I just was an accomplice to cheating. This is horrible. We shouldn't have… we weren't thinking… we were drunk, oh my god. Jackson, what the hell did we do? You're involved!"
"Do you really think I'd be with her had I known?" I say, surprising even myself. "That you were out here, being you? That that little dude existed?" I reach and swipe a piece of hair from her eyes. "No."
She swallows. "That doesn't change the fact that you're seeing her and last night… happened."
"It definitely happened."
She can't fight her smile on that one.
My mind is hazy from last night, but I can remember that things were said, words exchanged. And not light ones, either. But right now, I can't make sense of them - if they were both of us just acting stupid drunk, or if those intoxicated words meant more than we let on.
"I'm gonna make things right," I say. "It's gonna be messy and… I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I'll fix this."
She doesn't seem fully sold on the idea, but she nods anyway. "I'm gonna go try not to give our son the sex talk," she says, slinking out of bed. Before she can get far, I slap her ass and get smacked in return before she pulls on a pair of pajama pants.
I lie there in bed and listen to the rise and fall of my girl and my son's voices. I wasn't rational last night - I know my actions weren't morally sound. I know I betrayed Steph, and I'm a liar and a cheat and all those horrible things. But what I hate most is that I can't find it within myself to regret it.
Last night, April and I connected on a level I never thought we'd return to. Every feeling I've ever had for her resurfaced tenfold. She's not only the mother of my beautiful child, but the love of my life. She's never lost her spot as the love of my life.
"Why was your bed all messed up?" Theo asks. I can hear them talking from his room. "The sheets were all crumply. You say to always make your bed, mama. Were you and Daddy roughhousing?"
April clears her throat and pauses before speaking. "Yes, baby."
"At night? You're supposed to be sleeping. Did you stay up past bedtime?"
She must answer, but I can't hear. His barrage of questions continues.
"His boobies were dark," Theo says. "This part." He must point to himself, but of course I can't see. "Why, mommy?"
"Because he has brown skin," April says.
"Mine aren't that dark."
"Your skin is a mix of mine and Daddy's," she says. "So, it's a little lighter."
"Why was there hair on his chest, mama?" Theo asks. "Did it fall off his head? Are we gonna have to go back to Kenny Mac's?"
I don't hear an answer this time.
"Your skin's turning pink… Mommy, are you sunburnt?"
"Theo…" April says. "Let's just get dressed, okay? You don't worry about what Mommy and Daddy were up to, okay? We like to do grownup things sometimes, after you go to bed. So, you don't even need to think about them."
"I'll try."
A little while later, I get up and put clothes on, then walk out to where Theo is eating cereal at the kitchen table.
"You wore that shirt yesterday, daddy," he says. "We aren't allowed to pick out of the dirty basket, even if it smells okay."
"My bad," I say. "I forgot to pack a new shirt."
"Because you didn't know you were having a sleepover with Mommy in her bed?"
I clear my throat, a bit uncomfortably. "Right."
"I saw your booty."
I close my eyes and press my lip together. "Sorry about that, little man."
"I don't care. It's just a booty. Everybody has one. Even my mom."
"I think I knew that," I say, and earn myself a swat from April as she passes.
"No hitting, mama!" Theo says. "Daddy, will you take me to school today?"
I'm surprised by his question. So far, he hasn't expressed interest in doing anything with me without April present.
"With mom?" I ask.
"No, just you."
I meet April's eyes where she stands in the kitchen. "It's fine with me," she says. "But I want you to be safe. Hold his hand when you cross the street, and-"
"I'll tell him, mommy," Theo says. "We have to hold hands, even when there's a crossing guard. And wait for the walk sign. But sometimes we can run stop signs, but only if Mom's holding your hand and saying go, go, go!"
"Got it," I say, feeling honored that he wants me today. "Awesome."
Theo finishes breakfast and puts on his shoes, and once both of our coats are on, April lingers by the front door wringing her hands.
"We'll be fine," I say. "I promise."
"I know," she says. "He knows the way. He'll show you."
"I can come back here, after…" I say, trailing off.
"I have to get to work," she says. "But I'll call you at lunch."
Then, routinely, we both lean in for a kiss. When we break apart, Theo's eyes are wide and wondering as he dissects what he just saw.
"Have a good day, teddy bear," April says, kneeling to give him a big hug. "Give me a fact before you go."
"Teddy Roosevelt was president when was 42," Theo says. "Which means he's still the youngest president out of anyone!"
"That's what I like to hear," April says. "Okay. Have a good day. I'll be there to pick you up later."
As we walk out the door, Theo habitually takes my hand, looks up and says, "You kissed her."
"We did kiss, you're right," I say.
"Do you love my mom?" he asks. "She says you only kiss people you love."
"I-"
I'm about to answer his question, but when we get to the main floor of the apartment building, flashes and a big group of photographers meet us at the front door. When they see us approaching, they all start shouting at once and Theo throws himself at me, face in my stomach and arms wrapped around my thighs.
"Shit," I say. "Okay, come on, bud. We're going back upstairs."
We open the door back up and April comes out of the bathroom, putting on one earring and looking confused. "What's-"
Before she can finish, Theo pushes away from me and flies into her arms. She squats down and hugs him while looking at me with an anxious, alarmed expression.
"What is going on?" she asks.
"Paps are downstairs," I say.
"What?" her voice rises and she clutches Theo tighter. "How are they…? Jackson, how did they find the apartment? How do they know where we live? How did they know you were here? Is someone following us? Do they have eyes on-"
"Peach, breathe."
"Don't call me that right now!"
I look at her face, pink and pinched. To her, Theo is in danger and she's on high alert. She takes his backpack off, lifts him into her arms, and holds him close like a baby.
"Hold on," I say, then pull up TMZ on my phone. Just as I feared, I see the headline almost right away.
BABY MAMA DRAMA? SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QUARTERBACK JACKSON AVERY SEEN WITH STRANGE WOMAN AND POSSIBLE SON. THE RESEMBLANCE WILL SHOCK YOU!
I scroll down further, unable to believe what I'm reading.
EXCLUSIVE: JACKSON AVERY'S HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK - MYSTERY GIRL, FOUND?
"Fuck."
"What is it?" April says, hurrying over.
I waste no time in showing her the screen. She holds the back of Theo's head and stares at me, eyes wide and mouth even wider. There are pictures of the three of us on the train from the other day, all in a row, from when I spent some time signing autographs for fans. I didn't know someone would stoop so low as to sell a picture of the three of us to TMZ. And after that, are our grainy school pictures, copied and pasted next to each other.
"My son's face," April says, voice shaking. "Is on the cover of an internet magazine. That's my son's face! For everyone to see!"
"Our son," I correct.
"That doesn't matter right now," she says, a wall of tears threatening to spill.
"It always matters!"
Theo starts to cry, loud and wailing over April's shoulder. She throws me a heavy look and rubs his back, kissing the side of his head as she tries to calm him.
"I want those down," April says, and the tears fall as her lower lip trembles. "I want them down right now, Jackson. I've spent his whole life protecting-"
"I know," I snap, feeling equally as helpless. "I'm trying here."
She walks away, muttering softly to Theo. It's obvious he won't be going to school today, since we can't even get out of the building. I need to call my security and get them over here; it was stupid to not have them here in the first place. I just got so caught up - I forgot that a normal life isn't really in the cards for me anymore.
But with April and Theo, it felt like I was living one for a little while. Like we were in our own happy, domestic bubble for half a second. But now it's popped.
I had set down my phone, and when I pick it up again I see call after call and text after texting streaming in. From Hank Roberts, my manager, and from Steph.
"Jesus Christ," I mutter, and swipe over Hank's number.
"What the fuck, Avery?" I hear instantly.
"Hello to you, too."
"First of all, you all but fuckin' disappear. You're still in Chicago, doing who knows what. Well, I guess I know what! You're hangin' out with your wife and kid!"
I raise my eyebrows and let out a long breath. "I'm figuring it out," I say.
"For the sake of your career, you better 'figure it out' fast," he says. "If you haven't forgotten, you still got a girl back here. And the media knows that, and they're gonna run with it. And since when do you have a goddamn kid?"
"Since…" I say. My eyes dart down the hallway towards Theo's room, where he and April are. "I don't want to discuss this right now," I say. "I'll come back to Seattle, be there by tonight. I'll smooth everything over with the press and Steph. It'll be fine. Listen, I'm just as surprised as you are."
"Believe me, that's not true," he says. "But you better get your ass back here. You need to do some serious cleanup. I'm not doing all this fuckin' work for you!"
He hangs up the phone and I'm left frustrated and at a loss. I don't want to leave Chicago, but I know I have to. My life is back in Washington, and as much as I'd like to ditch it for the two of them, that's impossible. I'm bound by a handful of contracts. This is much more complicated than I'd originally thought.
I text Steph. I can't bear to call her right now, because I don't have the time to explain. I'm going to have to catch a flight, and quick.
SENT, 8:24am - hey. Sorry i missed ur calls, things are pretty crazy right now. Im coming home to explain it all. Be at the airport by this afternoon, at my place by dinner. Stop over and we can talk.
Quickly, I buy a plane ticket and click my phone off, walking down the hall to break the bad news to April and Theo, who won't like it. I'm not looking forward to their reactions. I peek into Theo's room and find them both sitting on the floor with LEGOs, voices not any higher than a light whisper.
"April," I say, and catch her attention. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
She nods, kissing Theo's head as she stands. I walk away from his door with my arms crossed over my chest, and she looks at me, guarded and curious.
"I have to go back to Seattle," I say, and her expression morphs instantly. It changes so much over the course of a split second, I can't keep track of where it lands. I see confusion, anger, frustration, fright, defiance, and sadness. It's all so much.
"What?"
"I need to clean this up," I say. "And I can't do it from here. There's just… I have business I have to take care of there. And I have to play. I've been gone for a long time. I… I'll only stay for as long as I have to, but I don't know how long that'll be."
Her lower lip trembles and my chest feels like it's cracking.
"I'll leave my security here with you," I say. "Someone will go to school with Theo, to work with you, and be stationed at the house. They won't let anything like this happen again. I swear."
She's still quiet. I'm not sure if she knows how to respond.
"I'll see you soon, somehow," I say. "Whether that means me coming back, or flying you guys to me, I'll figure it out. I'll figure all this out. I promise."
She nods slightly, a tear dripping from each eye to slip beneath her chin.
"Oh, Peach," I say, then hold her face in both hands. I kiss her, sweet and soft, and taste the salt on her lips. "This is only temporary. I'm not losing either of you. Not again."