Page 69 of Peer & Coco

Chapter 28

"Hop. Hop. Hop." Cocolaughed, holding on to Tyr's hand.

His little feet never left the ground, and he performed the perfect head bob. He'd conquered walking, running, and jumping off the couch with only one head bump but his hops needed work.

"Ah, sweet face, you entertain me." She moved behind him and picked up his other hand. "Hop."

She lifted him a few inches off the ground and set him back down. "Hop."

Again, she showed him what to do. Tyr tried, but all he managed to do was bend his knees and straighten his body.

"Alright, let's go get a snack." She moved to his side and started the slow walk to the front door. "I'm thinking goldfish crackers, cheese, and a sippy cup of milk sounds yummy."

"Che che," said Tyr.

"Very good. We'll have cheese."

"Che che."

"Say Coco. Co—co."

"Che che."

They argued back and forth to the door. Someday, he'd say her name. He'd talk in complete sentences. The days of making sounds and trying out sounds would be a distant memory.

"Coco?"

The back of her neck prickled. Recognizing the voice, she scooped up Tyr before she glanced over her shoulder. Kelli was hurrying up the driveway. Damnit.

"Wait." Kelli jogged toward her. "I just want to talk for a second and then I'll leave."

Trying to keep Tyr shielded and out of sight of Kelli proved harder than she liked. He was tired and hungry. It was time for his nap, and he wanted down.

"You know you're not allowed here," she said.

"I know, but it's important to me that Peer knows I'm not involved with Mitch Simmons." Kelli worked her hands in worry. "Mitch owns the house but doesn't live with me. I-I rent from him."

Not knowing what Kelli was talking about, she shrugged. "I'll tell him."

Kelli met her gaze. "If you could tell him how much it would mean to me if I could see Tyr. Let him know I'd really—"

"This is getting really old. I'm done. You need to leave." She held on tighter to Tyr.

"I know I don't deserve to be in Tyr's life. What I did was unforgivable. I didn't know it at the time, but I suffered from Postpartum Depression. It's been hell, Coco, but I don't regret giving my baby to Peer. I knew he would be taken care of and loved. It was the best decision I made at that time. I have a lot to do to prove to my son, to Peer, and myself, that I'm sorry. I just want to spend some time with him." Kelli looked away when Coco remained silent. "I don't expect anyone to understand."

Coco studied Kelli. The tears filling her eyes were genuine. She was Tyr's mother, and no matter how Peer wanted to protect his son, Coco believed Kelli was honest, and the emotions were sincere. She'd heard about Postpartum Depression before, of course. It was not something Kelli had any control over.

She reached out and squeezed Kelli's arm, then opened the door and went inside. Putting Tyr in the high chair, she returned to the living room and looked out the window. Kelli walked away, her arms hugging her body. Empathy for the woman clouded her vision.

It was too late to change the course of Kelli's life. Peer was taking Tyr and her to Norway. They had an appointment tomorrow to get expedited passports. The plan was to fly out of the country in four weeks.

The airline tickets were bought. The belongings she planned to take were already boxed and in Roar's garage. All they had to do was pack Peer and Tyr's items, and then they'd have Slag send them forward for them. But with a baby in the house, that would have to wait until the last moment.

Tyr babbled, banging on the tray of the highchair. She walked back to the kitchen and gave her attention to feeding Tyr. Her mind wrapped up in Kelli's visit, she couldn't forget the sadness in the other woman's eyes.

Was she telling the truth?

What was her purpose on telling Peer about her non-relationship with another man?