Page 12 of James

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Chapter Five

James

“Thank you, James,” Bethany says gratefully.

“No problem. Okay, you know the drill, the officer will be by tomorrow,” I tell her for the second time. She thanks me again. I walk out of her house, making sure she locks it behind me, and then head for my car. I sit there a moment, sighing ruefully. Another day I didn’t get to see Jye. I miss my little man, and his mama. I miss my family. The last two days have been hectic.

I check my phone, no missed calls or text messages. That’s almost worse. They don’t even need me. I just come and go, as work allows me to, but I’m not actually needed. I hit the steering wheel with the palm of my hand in frustration. I need to be with my family.

***

Sasha

Today we’re heading to James’ house for a family lunch. Everyone wants to see Jye, and I have to admit that I’m nervous to face his mother. I used to be pretty close with Lucy when James and I used to date, and she's a lovely woman. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a mother-in-law, which is why I dread seeing disappointment in her eyes.

I glance at Jye in the rear view mirror and take a deep breath. He's fast asleep and sucking his thumb, looking adorable in his distressed jeans and superman shirt. I park my car in James’ driveway and sit still for a few moments, buying time to compose myself. A slight knock on the window makes me jump, and I instantly turn my head to the right, coming face to face with James. His lips are pursed together, like he’s fighting a smile. The action draws my gaze to his lip ring that I’m so fond of.

I still remember the night he got it pierced. We were coming out of a rock concert, laughing, full of adrenaline. I mentioned before how hot I thought piercings were, and when we walked past a tattoo parlour that also did piercings, James pulled me in and got it done.

James opens my car door, bringing me back to the present. He opens Jye’s door and pulls our sleeping son out and into his arms. I can tell he's excited to show his son off to his family, like a proud father.

“You look beautiful,” he says in greeting. I glance down at my floor length blue maxi dress, and offer him a small grin. I had no idea what to wear, so I went with an all-purpose dress. My hair is down and flowing down my back, and I opted for a natural makeup look. James grabs Jye’s baby bag, and walks towards me, leaning forward to kiss my cheek sweetly. He smells so good, I can’t help inhaling deeply.

“You smell good, too. Like peaches,” he adds with a chuckle. I blush with embarrassment that he caught me. Jye wakes up with all the commotion, smiling when he sees James holding him.

“Hey, little man,” he says warmly.

“Okay, let’s do this,” I say to myself. James’ head snaps in my direction, his eyebrows rising.

“No one will be rude to you, they just want to see Jye. Relax, okay,” he assures me. I nod, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. We walk to the door, and James opens it, motioning for me to enter. I hear the sound of laughter and the smell of barbecue as soon as I walk in.

“Smells good,” I whisper, suddenly feeling hungry.

“You always did love your food,” James says.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I huff.

As we walk into the kitchen I see Lucy, James’ mum, sitting at the table with Kade, Nikki and their daughter, Grace. James’ dad is away on business, and Chase and Layla are still on their trip which they decided to extend. All eyes are suddenly on me, making me feel uncomfortable. I look over at Jye trying to avoid their stares.

“Everyone, this is my son, Jye,” James introduces proudly, lifting Jye in the air. The way he does it reminds me of the cub on The Lion King when he is held up by the monkey. The three adults walk over to Jye instantly, Nikki stopping to give me a hug.

“Look at you, MILF,” she says with a cheeky grin. Married life is obviously agreeing with her, because she looks happier than ever. She is dressed in a pair of black jeans with a green singlet, looking casual, yet pretty.

Kade’s eyes are narrowed, and I can tell he’s not happy about this situation. At all. And who could blame him, really? I kept his nephew away from him. When I see tears in Lucy’s eyes, as she hugs Jye, I feel my own eyes water.

“Can we talk for a sec, Sasha?” she asks me in her soft voice.

I nod, dreading it, but knowing I need to face up for my actions.

***

James

When I hear my mum saying she wants to talk to Sasha, I cringe. I knew this was coming, but I don’t want anything to chase Sasha off or make her feel uncomfortable.

“Mum,” I say softly in warning.

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