Page 9 of Possessing Her

“No, you’re not. I am, and now I’m asking you to please sign the papers, so I don’t lose him. I’m the only person he’s got, Johnny.” She left me for her sister, found someone else, and is asking for a divorce for her son. How the hell can I fault her for that?

“There’s no other way around this?” My head is spinning. I’m trying to do the math in my head. Her boy is a toddler, but given I’ve not seen him except from a distance, it’s hard to judge his age.

“No, I’ve tried. Believe me, I hate asking you to do this. In a perfect world, I’d be back here to try and fix us, but I’m running out of time, and I’ve got the wolves knocking on my door.” Redness tinges her usually crystal-blue eyes.

“Fuck me.” She looks over my shoulder. I sit down, ass to the wood chips, arms resting on my knees, and wait her out. It’s been years. A few more minutes won’t kill me.

“Oh no.” Winnie stands up abruptly and runs toward the little boy, whose name I don’t know. I move to do the same, but she is faster than me, running as fast as she can, hoofing it to herson. “Sebastian, I’m coming, baby.” I take off right behind her, on her heels, and that’s when I notice he’s lying flat on his back.

“Son of a bitch.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, unlock it, and pull up Luke’s number.

“It hurst. Big owie,” Sebastian says when Winnie drops to the ground beside him

“Stay still, don’t move. Where does it hurt?” she asks, soothing him, running her hand along his forehead. I’m cussing myself up and down, black and blue. I should have called her, set up a time to talk, and then maybe Sebastian wouldn’t be lying flat on the ground, the wind knocked out of him and complaining about being hurt.

“My back,” he says.

“I’m calling Luke. Keep him still for a minute, sí?” I press Luke’s contact, put my phone up to my ear, and wait for him to answer.

“Is that Johnny, Auntie Winnie?” I hear the phone ringing on the other end of the line, but my attention is everywhere but on the call.

“What’s up, Johnny? You okay?” I open and close my mouth. I’m a fish out of water. Everything I thought I knew has once again been turned on its axis.

“Johnny.” Matthew calls my name.

“Johnny, fuck, man you there?” he says again. My phone slips out of my hand, and I drop to my knees, looking at the little boy who knows my name, yet I’m clueless as to who he is. Obviously, Sebastian is Melanie’s, and I’m left with even more questions than before.

“Hey, Luke, it’s Winnie. Johnny’s here. He called because my nephew took a bad fall from the jungle gym and is complaining of back pain.” She’s soothing her nephew while helping me with Luke. I really need to pull my shit together.

“Do you need me to head that way?” I hear Luke ask. She puts my phone to her shoulder and starts using her hands to go over every inch of Sebastian’s body, asking if this or that hurts.

“I think we’re good. I’m going to sit him up and go from there,” she responds.

“Alright, I’ll have my phone on me. Tell Johnny to drop a line. Him going silent is saying a lot.”

“You look like Abuelo,” Sebastian states, better than he was when he first feel.

“I’m going to let you go now.” Winnie drops the phone, hits the end button, and hands it back to me.

“Is he okay?” I ask. I’m going to get my answers when there aren’t little ears to hear everything. I’ve been around Briar enough to know when and how to keep my mouth shut, especially when it comes to certain words. Kennedy will not have a child who has a nasty mouth even though she’s been known to use said word before. If anyone says it around Briar when she’s around, we’re all getting the mom look.

“I think so. Nothing is broken, and he’s able to move his arms and legs just fine,” I’m told as Winnie looks at Sebastian. “What do you say, bud, are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I tink so. Can I have snack now?” I let out a laugh as the uneasiness slowly dissipates from my stomach. No longer is there a rock lodged in my throat, either.

“Yes, you may have a snack.” I hold my hand out to Sebastian, offering to help him up.

“I big boy.” He shakes his head, sits up, and then uses his hands to lift the rest of his body up.

“Yeah, you are. How old are you?” I ask. My hand settles at Winnie’s lower back once we’re all on our feet. Her gaze goes from Sebastian to me, and a nervous look takes over her face.

“I almost four.” He shows me with his fingers, holding each one up at a time.

“Wow, you are a big boy.” I do the math in my head. Clearly, this is Melanie’s boy, and I know genes work in mysterious ways. Winnie’s sister had more strawberry-blonde hair, skin that wasn’t near the same tone as her sister’s, different color eyes, and Melanie never smiled.

“Auntie Winnie says I her baby.” He puffs up his bottom lip in a pout and crosses his arms over his little boy chest, stopping us in our short walk back to the bench.

“Well, you are, even when you’re bigger than me,” she tells him, tousling his hair, “Which won’t take long at the rate you’re growing.”

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