Chapter Thirteen
Syd POV
I stopped when I noticed Hunter’s penetrating gaze was now moved to Vaughn. Vaughn noticed to and turned his same gaze to Hunter and it almost looked like they were having a staring contest. Bored Hunter looked back at me confused. I smiled he recognized Vaughn on some level. I had pictures of throughout the house and Hunter noticed them and picked one of them up if he wanted to hear a story. Of course I made them boyish stories because he was little boy and wasn’t into the prince and his princess.
“Mommy?” he asked looking back and forth from Vaughn and I. I kissed the top of his head and looked at Vaughn. He was terrified. I smiled at him silently promising him it could only get better now that he was back.
“Hunter.” I started catching his attention. He looked at me with the same big green eyes Vaughn. I’m pretty sure Vaughn is far more interested in my explanation then Hunter. “Do you remember the man from all the pictures we have around the house?”
“Yeah.” Hunter said shyly as he took his glove off and itched behind his ear. I smiled at how shy he was towards Vaughn. He wouldn’t even look at him any more.
“Do you remember his name?” I asked as I held the glove in his hand and took the other one off. I looked at him I knew he knew the answer. He just didn’t want to say it. He had always been uncomfortable saying it. Even at two he didn’t understand why all his friends had daddies and he didn’t.
“Daddy.” He whispered looking up at me still confused and now scared like he was in some sort of trouble. I smiled at him and looked at Vaughn he looked like he was about ready to fall over with a stroke. I couldn’t just come right out and say it. Hunter was still looking at me now shivering a bit from the cold weather.
“Does he look like your daddy?” I asked him almost afraid I said the wrong thing I looked towards Vaughn for help but he had a clueless look displayed across his face. I turned my attention back to Hunter for his answer. He was thinking his answer over carefully afraid to get his hopes up and be shot down. “Hunter?”
“I unno.” He said barely above a whisper. His green eyes looking curiously at me.
“Yes, you do.” I told him and watched his gaze turn to my hand intertwined with Vaughn’s. I didn’t even know when it happened it was just a natural feeling. I watched still amazed by the similarities between father and son. I never looked at them both, alive. I smiled to myself and watched as Hunter’s eyes traveled back to meet mine. He didn’t say anything just stared at me and slowly nodded his head. I smiled back at him, it was a smile I haven’t smiled in forever. The smile only Vaughn could put on my face.
Hunter moved away from standing in front of me to standing in front of Vaughn. They both had no idea what to say. It was so surreal to Vaughn it wouldn’t know what to say. So they both just looked at each other, again. I smiled as Hunter moved closer to Vaughn and wrapped his little arms around Vaughn’s neck.
I had to cry. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Through my crying I had to blink to assure myself that what I was seeing, even though it was blurred with tears, was real. My fiancée was holding our son. My son was in his father’s arms.
Of course like everything else in our life, there was an interruption. “Mike, this is sweet and all but the kid is going to freeze.” His brother said and left the door open for Vaughn. Standing up I walked next to Vaughn the short distance to the door. Hunter of course still in his arms, head lying on Vaughn’s shoulder and his little fist resting above Vaughn’s heart. I smiled back at him as he let me go in in front of him. Walking in everyone in the house had formed a wall of people waiting for something.
“That’s just too cute.” Vaughn’s mother said as she took a camera out and snapped a picture. “I can put it next to the other one.” Vaughn shot his mom a look and smiled as everyone went their separate ways around the house.
“What other one?” I asked as I poured myself a cup of hot chocolate, motioning to Vaughn if he wanted one too, which he accepted.
“Later.” He said and took the mug from my hand with his free one.
“Who wants to make cookies?” his mother asked as she set her mug down. Of course all the kids ran into the kitchen say “I do, I do”. Vaughn laughed and set Hunter down whose head moved to watch. Hunter stood there and stared at him. A word still not spoken between the two. “Hunter, are you coming?” Hunter looked back at his grandmother then back to Vaughn.
“Go ahead.” Vaughn said with a smile as he sipped some of his hot chocolate. I watched as Vaughn turned my way. “He’s quiet.”
“Always has been.” I said with a smile adding whip cream to my hot chocolate then handing it to Vaughn knowing he would want more. He smiled and added the same amount to his. “Now what other picture?”
“The last time I was here, I held him they same way I was holding him today and last time my mother took a picture.” He said. I didn’t get it, what other way could you hold him. I hope not upside down. “With the head on my shoulder and fist above my heart.” He said clearing my confusion.
“Now why can’t you be like that?” his sister asked her husband slapping him on his arm. He was doing a crossword puzzle and looked up and happened to look at me. A confused look across his face.
“What?” he asked his voice almost cracking out of confusion.
“You never read my mind the way Mike just read Sydney’s.” she said sipping her drink. Her husband laughed at her.
“And what? You’re just realizing this now?” he laughed and went back to his puzzle.
~Later that night~
Too cute. That was all I could come up with to describe what was in front of me. Vaughn was lying on his side his back pressed up against the back of the couch, his arm bent at the elbow and his head resting in his hand. Hunter was laying on his back a thumb in his mouth. His head was turned towards Vaughn and his other arm near his head almost falling off the couch.
Vaughn wasn’t even paying attention to the T.V. He ran his finger along Hunter jaw softly, so he didn’t wake him from his sleep. His gaze soft and loving as he went over every one of Hunter’s features.
Amazingly I made it down the stairs without making a startling noise and laid down. The couch was and “L” and Vaughn’s head was at the corner of it so I laid with my head close to his.
“Amazing isn’t it?” I whispered to him, his eyes still not moving from Hunter’s sleeping form.
“Hm…” he mumbled in return and looked at me. “I don’t know if I can be a father.”
I wanted to shoot him. Before I went on a rant because that would be selfish I waited for him to explain because if he didn’t. Well we would have some problems.
“Not what I meant. I mean I don’t deserve to be a father to him. He’s perfect from what I’ve seen he’s content, quiet, loving, sweet. I abandoned him, and you.” He said and turned his attention back to Hunter not allowing me to see tears clouding his eyes.
“Vaughn. You didn’t abandon us. You left because that what you thought was best for us. You’re selfless, loving, protective. That’s what a father is. You deserve more than anyone.” Corny I know but I didn’t know how else to get my point through. He didn’t respond just looked and me silently thanking me. Looking at the clock on the VCR I got off the couch. “Come on lets go to bed.”
“Okay.” He said and somehow to my surprise got up off the couch without waking Hunter. I watched as he picked him up and rubbed his back trying to soothe him back to sleep.
“Daddy.” Hunter mumbled into Vaughn’s chest almost scolding him for waking him up. Vaughn stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me. Smiling at him I turned to go up the stairs.
The End
A/N: I might start some new stories…if you want to be notified when I post them let me know…and also thanks for reading.
