Page 35 of Out of Bounds
“I didn’t hear you knock,” my mother-in-law said, stepping into the living room with my baby boy.
“I didn’t get the chance to. Buttercup must’ve seen me pulling up ’cause she met me at the door.”
“I done told that girl!” she fussed, making me laugh.
“She’s good, Ma Dukes.”
“Girls… y’all grab your bookbags. I’m sure your dad is ready to go,” she said to them without removing her eyes from me.
“Yeah.” I glanced down at my watch. “I got a chef coming over to make lunch.”
“Ummhmm. I figured. I’ll walk you guys out.”
The kids gathered their stuff while I waited, and once they were done, we headed out to the truck. With every step I took, my heart pounded rapidly in my chest. I knew the minute they saw Kreed Jr., the questions would flow. As much as I thought I’d prepped myself for this moment, my ass was the furthest thing from ready. In fact, I was shitting bricks.
Sophie was the first one to notice when she pulled the door open and paused. “Daddy… Who baby is that?”
“That’s your uh… He’s… shit.” I looked at my mother-in-law for help, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.
“He’s our brother?” Maddie Claire questioned.
It seemed like time stopped, and questioning eyes were staring back at me, awaiting a real answer. After what felt like hours, I finally sighed. “This is Kreed Jr… your baby brother.”
“But his name is Kree.” Aurora pointed at her brother.
“I know, Buttercup. The baby’s name is Kree-d,” I enunciated. “Just like Daddy’s name is Kreed. So is his.”
“Ummm,” she hummed. “Okay, Daddy. Can I sit in the back with Kreed?”
“Sure can, Buttercup.”
Sophie had a confused look plastered on her face, but the oldest two stared at me with the same fury in their eyes that their mother had in hers the day she found out.
“Nana, can I stay here with you?” Maddie Claire was the first one to speak.
“Yeah, me, too!” Charleigh Anne blurted out.
“No, you can’t. You girls have to go spend time with your father.”
“I don’t wanna…” Maddie Claire pouted.
“Come on, Bug. Just come home with me, and I’ll explain everything,” I pleaded. I knew for a fact that if she didn’t go, the rest of them would want to stay behind as well. Considering the fact that I’d held off telling them this long, I needed to do this for myself and for them. Lying to my kids wasn’t something that I did. I’d held this secret in long enough. It was time for everyone to know what happened and how we would proceed as a family.
Instead of her responding, she opened the door, got in the truck, and slammed the door. Sophie eventually made her way into the back seat with the rest of them. Once they were safely buckled in, I shut the door and leaned with my back against the truck.
“This gone be harder than I thought…”
“It will be,” my mother-in-law confirmed. “You’ve gotta talk to them. Give them the space to share their feelings. You have to do what you can to repair their hearts. You’re their knight in shining armor, Kreed. They’re allowed to be hurt—allowed to express their frustrations, but it’s up to you to calm their fears.
“They’ve known for months that something was up. You’ve been spending time with them at your house. They can sense the shift; may not knowwhythere is one, but they know it’s there. It’s time for you to lay it all out so you guys can heal.”
“I know.”I sighed. “I never wanted to break their hearts.”
“We never set out to do half the shit that we do. But it’s life, and unfortunately, you can’t take it back. Proof of your infidelity is sitting back there. They’re kids. Eventually, they will get over it and embrace him.”
“That’s all I want.”
“I know, baby.”
