Page 14 of His Everything
“My baby has a baby…” she gushes, lifting her hands up to cup Liam’s face. “You are the cutest little man ever and your mama…she’s so beautiful.”
“She most definitely is,” Jayden agrees, brushing a kiss to temple again and I rest my head against his, taking a deep breath to get my emotions under control.
“Elliot said you were married,” Claire adds as she takes my hand, guiding us into the room. “I was so worried, knowing how young you were, but he promised me that your husband was a good man. He didn’t say anything about a baby though.”
“I didn’t know if you’d want to meet us if you knew about him,” I admit, laughing to myself over it now as Claire holds out her arms to Liam and he easily goes to her.
“I’d have made him bring me to you immediately to make sure you and my grandbaby were safe, in good hands,” Claire states, hugging Liam who has no qualms about soaking up all of the attention. “I can see you are, he looks at you like you’re his world.”
“She is, my first crush, first love, first heartbreak,” Jayden teases me, giving me a soft kiss as I flush at that. “The only goal I had was to find her back, show her that I wasn’t just a stupid kid thinking he was in love, but that she’s everything to me. Finding Liam…no way could I be upset about his existence because he showed my girl she was meant to be loved, so she wasn’t quite as hard to win back as I’d feared.”
“Sounds a lot like her mama,” Claire’s husband Kenneth says, dropping a kiss to her lips that has Liam giggling happily. “You’ll be lucky to get him back tonight now.”
“All kids deserve to know they’re loved, I’d never keep that from Liam.”
“Does that mean we can tell my parents about him now? He’s been denied bail, deemed a flight risk, so he’s not getting out before a trial could take place. He can never hurt you again. Can’t be a threat to Liam,” Jayden adds, and I nod, snuggling into his arms wanting our little boy to have all the love he possibly can. Anything less would be a punishment he definitely doesn’t deserve.
Chapter 10
Jayden
Ihave to say, there are definitely perks to having a private plane. Least of all how easy it was to get through the airport to get on board. Which is a good thing since Christmas is less than a week away and the airport was a madhouse. We couldn’t leave any earlier because I had one stupid final scheduled for this morning, but now, the plane’s on its final descent and then we’ll have about an hour drive to get to the house. My parents aren’t expecting me until tomorrow, so showing up tonight with Lucy, Liam, and her new family is definitely going to be a shock.
We decided to wait to tell them in person about Liam, so we could explain everything instead of having them rush to New York to see what’s going on. Plus it gave Lucy time to get to know her mom, stepdad, and his kids. I’m sure my parents will be jealous that we’re now having Sunday brunch with her family, but the city’s the place for us.
I wasn’t sure I’d like it back when I was determined to get there to find Lucy, but even as crowded as it is, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Lucy already has an offer from herprofessor for a job in their biochemistry lab once she graduates and she wants to take it. I’m not about to tell her not to when she’s worked hard to be the top candidate for the position, especially beating out some of the master’s program students for it.
I am glad that she accepted Claire and Kenneth’s offer to pay for her part of the apartment until she officially graduates. It’s let her quit her job and she has more time with Liam, even if she pretty much has to share it with Claire. They’ve come a long way in just a few weeks.
Kenneth’s kids are a bit of a surprise I still don’t know what to make of entirely.
The youngest, Patrick, is a freshman in high school—at one of the top private schools in the city at that, but he hates school and keeps saying he doesn’t want to go to college. I don’t know if he’ll change his mind or not, but I’d lean towards not since he, along with his brother and sister, have massive trust funds from his mother’s side of the family they receive at eighteen. Mine’s a nice little emergency fund compared to theirs and honestly, I’m glad. If I knew I had millions just out there waiting for me to use, I might be a bit of an ass like they are.
Bryant is the middle child, eighteen and about to graduate from the same school Patrick’s in, and his plans after graduation include going to Europe and living on a beach somewhere. No matter how much Kenneth’s urged him to reconsider, he’s adamant about it.
Tiffany is his oldest, she didn’t go to college and her ‘work’ consists of shopping pretty much every day. She has her own place but comes to Sunday brunch. Beyond that, she likes to do her own thing.
If any of them were rude to Lucy or Liam, I’d never want to be around them. They’re polite to us, maybe a little standoffish, but nothing like some of the rich snobs I’ve met on campus are.
The three of them are spending Christmas with their mother’s family. Something that seems to be normal, except usually they spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning there, then went home to spend the rest of the day with Kenneth and Claire. This year, they’re staying through Christmas Day, and then Tiffany is supposed to keep an eye on Patrick until Kenneth and Claire head back.
Lucy and I haven’t decided yet how long we’re staying. It depends on my parents’ reaction to everything and how they take to Liam. It’s also why I have a room booked for us at the only hotel in town just in case.
The car Kenneth rents is nicer than anything I’ve ever driven—even when compared to my parents’ cars, and it’s noticeable when we pull into the drive. My parents are in the front room when I open the front door, the surprise on their faces make me chuckle, and I give Lucy’s hand a squeeze as she follows me in with Liam on her hip.
“Hey, thought I’d surprise you a day early,” I state, stepping up to the doorway. They can’t see Lucy yet, so I put my bag down next to the stairs and move further into the room. “Hope you don’t mind I brought some guests with me.”
“Guests?” Mom says, looking from me to Dad who looks just as confused as she is.
“Well, family more so than guests,” I add bringing a ‘huh’ from Jessa who’s already home.
“What are you talking about, Jayden?” Dad questions as I move back to Lucy, taking Liam before nudging her in ahead of me.
“Lucy?!” Mom shouts, jumping up from her seat hurrying towards us but her feet stop short when I move in with Liam. “Jayden Michael Craig! What on earth?!”
“Oh my god!” Jessa snorts, looking from Lucy to me and I slip up behind her, wrapping my arm around her waist.
“I know there’s no way your brother would have touched her, so I’d say we have some things to discuss, Jayden,” Dad states, his eyes promising it’s not going to be pleasant for me, but they soften as they look back to Liam. “Want to tell us how long you’ve been keeping this a secret?”