Page 35 of After Him, There Was You
“No, I just wanted to see you. I needed to see my peace and light before I ended my night,” he coolly noted before placing a gentle, loving kiss on my lips, which left me wanting more from him, yet with the events of the night, I took the kiss in gratitude.
More than anything, I was grateful the antics of my ex-husband weren’t enough to deter him from me. In my heart I knew it would have been a travesty for us to end before we truly got off the ground.
Following him as he made his exit out of my house, I stood in the doorway until he made it to his car, got in, waved goodbye, and drove off.
With so much running across my mind, I went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rose NV which Zane had purchased for me after our first date at King of Hearts.
Ignoring the typical aspect of having a glass of wine, I opted to open the bottle and go straight to my room. Decorum was out of the window, and I had every intention of drinking straight from the bottle until there wasn’t a drop left.
***
The Next Morning
Waking up, I decided to catch an earlier session on the shore with my yoga instructor, Breonna. There was something so serene about doing the yoga as the sun came up which put everything in perspective for me.
During the session, it was just Breonna, me, and a few other people who were dedicated enough to wake up that early and meet on the shore. In my opinion, the sleep sacrifice was well worth it.
When I made it back to the house, I woke Jaedan and Raegan and told them to get ready for the day while I retreated to my corner of the house to shower and do the same. Once we were all dressed and clean, we hopped in my SUV, and I drove Raegan to my parents’ house because she had a standing nail appointment with her grandma she couldn’t miss.
The few years my parents were separated from each other plagued my mind every time I visited my childhood home, and although I forgave my dad, my mind couldn’t seem to forget how he walked away from us at a time where his presence was needed the most.
Even as an adult, I found myself still healing a small piece of my inner child.
After Raegan was dropped off, I headed in the direction of Grits to continue the second part of my Saturday ritual
“Aunt Eva and my godbrothers aren’t meeting us here?” Jaedan asked when I told the hostess I needed a table for two.
“No, she had something going on, so it's just the two of us. Is that okay with you? I asked, taking joy in the smile that spread across his face.
“Yes, ma’am,” he happily noted, nodding his head.
We made small talk before placing our orders for breakfast, and once the waitress was on her way to the kitchen, Jaedan looked at me with a knowing look. Staring at him always left me speechless because he was the spitting image of his father physically, and thankfully, when it came down to his personality, he was the opposite.
To know my teenage son didn’t mind having a breakfast date with his mom was a victory on its own, but I knew he hadsomething he wanted to get off his chest, so I was hesitant to bask in my victory like I wanted to.
“What’s on your mind, Jaedan?”
“I’m glad you asked,” he asked, animatedly shaking his head, making me laugh.
While I was doing my best to raise Jaedan and Raegan to know they could come to me about anything at any time, I also made it very clear there were levels of respect between us. I respected them as my children, and I expected them to respect me as their mother.
With them respecting me as their mother, I felt like they didn’t need to question me about my actions. I needed them to trust me enough as their mother to know I would never do anything to compromise their best interest.
“What’s going on with you and Coach Simmons, and what happened outside with you and Dad?
“Wait, you saw what happened outside with your dad? Why didn’t you say anything last night?”
“I didn’t say anything because I figured if Coach knocked Dad on his as— I mean butt… I figured if Coach knocked Dad on his butt like that, he must have deserved it.”
Panicked, I looked over at his calm demeanor, and I felt as if the roles should have been reversed; I should have been calm because I’d was in the middle of the storm involving my future and my past, and Jaedan should have been panicked seeing his father get whacked to the ground.
“Jaedan, tell me what all you witnessed last night,” I requested, listening to how he peeked out of the front window because he heard commotion when he was enroute to the kitchen, only to see Zane’s arms swinging midair and knocking Jason to the ground.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, son.”
“Did Dad deserve it? I’m sure he did,” he reasoned, shaking his head, pausing so the waitress could place his stuffed French toast in front of him. “Coach Simmons is always level-headed in practice, so I can’t see him blowing up for no reason. Plus, in case you haven’t noticed it, Dad has a tendency to be a jerk.”
“You can’t say those types of things about your dad, Jae.”
