You Are Loved, Baby.

Juliann's jaw dropped and he took another step towards the classroom. He peered around the corner, holding Blaik in his arms still. I yanked him back by his shirt. "Go to the car, Juliann."

He nodded and turned around without any rebuttal.

I sighed as I watched him walk away. It was then that I continued walking to the classroom. Zacky stood there with the same two little kids from the day before but now Brian stood there as well with Bronx in his arms.

"Mommy!" Bronx shouted, squirming out of Brian's grasp. Not even when Bronx jumped into my arms, did my gaze leave Brian. He was wearing a simple black v-neck with a black hoodie on. He was wearing dark wash jeans and dark shoes as well. I wondered how it was possible for him to look exactly the same when everything else had changed so much.

I swallowed hard as Brian's gaze met mine and I lifted Bronx into my arms. "Let's go, baby," I murmured, wrapping my arms around Bronx's waist tightly and turning my gaze away from the two men and children with them.

"But Mommy-" Bronx whined as I began to walk away.

"Don't Bronx." I warned, walking off.

"Nissa!" Brian called, hurrying after me. I stopped and turned around, powerless to him, even now.

"What, Brian?" I asked, trying not to let him see how nervous I am.

"Where is he?"

I shook my head, knowing it wasn't smart to play dumb, but doing it anyway. "Where's who?" I glanced over his shoulder at Zacky. Wondering if Brian had ever told him what happened between us. And when Zacky was looking back at me with an eager curiosity, I assumed not.

Brian followed my gaze and stiffened when he noticed Zacky watching us. That only added to my assumptions that he hadn't told anyone about our time together. "It's good to see you again," Brian said, covering up for the both of us.

I nodded, although not at all convincing. "Yeah. You too."

Bronx shifted in my arms as I stared at Brian as he stared back at me. In my head I was counting the similarities between him and Blaik. Their eyes were exactly the same color and their hair the same thickness My son was his father and that obviousness was amplified when Brian was standing right in front of me. There was no denying that he was the father of my baby, it was like seeing my child in 30 years.

I coughed awkwardly and shifted Bronx up higher in my arms. "I've got to go, Brian."

He nodded but stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. His lips were at my ear, opposite of Bronx. "I want to see him," Brian whispered, "I deserve to see him."

I nodded, the tears already coming to my eyes, betraying me. He was angry and he knew, and that was impossibly difficult. I looked past Zacky, he held both of the kids in his arms. "I'll see you around, Zack."

I looked at Brian one more time, nodded my head towards the door and turned to go. But something stopped me, I stopped walking. I put Bronx down on the floor and kneeled in front of him, "Go to the car, baby. I'll be there in a minute. Jules is waiting for you."

Bronx started to protest but I shook my head. He sighed and wandered away from us after waving at the guys.

"Brian?" I called after I stood up, "Will you walk me out?"

Brian seemed to freeze for a moment, and then he nodded. "I'll meet you in the car, Zack," he said and then walked over to me as Zacky gathered the kids' things. We were silent for a few minutes, neither of us knowing how to start, but we knew something had to be said, so Brian did. "You lied to me," he said, and it wasn't a question. He knew.

"I didn't mean to," I answered, completely thrown off balance, "I didn't mean to, Bri."

Even though he'd known, he still seemed shocked to hear the truth and I watched his shoulders go rigid as we walked. "You had my baby?" Brian asked quietly, unable to move to me.

I wiped the tears from my cheek but nodded once again. "Yeah. I'm so sorry, Bri. I'm sorry."

Brian didn't tell me not to be sorry, he didn't tell me that everything was okay because we both knew it wasn't. We had both caused this, but I had put us in this situation. It had been a year since I'd really seen him last and in that span of time he'd continued on with his life the way he was supposed to. He hadn't stopped to make room for his son, because he didn't know, but how could he make it work now? It seemed nearly impossible.

I led him over to my car, ignoring the shocked look I got from my brother, and opened the back door. Brian hovered near the back lights, seemingly nervous, and his eyes watched me. "Stay in the car," I told both my brother and my son, and then I leaned down and lifted our son from his carseat.

Brian looked scared and surprised and disbelieving, and when I pulled him away from my car, he didn't say anything, but simply shifted, his feet moving without any direct thought from his consciousness. We were on the sidewalk together, our son between us, and I knew this was wrong. "Brian," I said, "This is your son."

Then everything exploded. "What the hell, Nissa!" Brian shouted, turning away, hands in his hair, "What the fuck. How could you do this, Niss? It's going to change my entire life, it's going to make everything different."

I rolled my eyes, remembering that own thought process in my brain. "It would've changed everything before, Brian," I told him, "Just because I didn't tell you right away doesn't mean that the outcome of having a child will be any different. You're life is going to be different either way!"

"God dammit, why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, and he was angry and upset and didn't know how to cope
I shrugged, " I don't want to talk about it, Brian. I was my selfish decision but I made it." I growled, shifting the baby in my arms.
After he cooled down, Brian peered down at the little baby with wide eyes and then looked up to me. "You know," he murmured, a lot quieter than he was before, "I feel like an asshole for not even knowing my son's name."
I couldn't help but chuckle, "His name is Blaik. Spelt with an 'i'. Blaik Brian Chambers."
I smiled as Brian looked up to me with wide eyes, "His middle name is Brian?" He questioned.
I nodded and looked over towards the school doors where Zacky was emerging, his niece and nephew in tow. Brian looked over too and then sighed, "This is so surreal."
"Not for me,"
"I just can't believe that this is how I find out that I have a child."
"I'm sorry."
Brian nodded, "I know."

I sighed, wondering how the hell all this had happened. "Give me your phone," I told him, watching as he pulled it out of his pocket.
I programmed my number into his cell phone and then handed it back to him.
"Before you go do you want to hold him?" I asked, letting a small smile come on my face. I let the worries disappear for that moment as I handed Blaik to Brian.
"He looks like me," Brian said, a grin taking over his face.
"Yeah. He looks just like you, Brian." I reached out and stroked Blaik hair as he put a frown on his face, unaware of who Brian is to him.
"If you want to be in his life, Brian, you should come over sometime tomorrow so that we can work everything out," I told him, taking Blaik back from him as Juliann started yelling for me from the car.
"Yeah," Brian muttered, "Yeah, I will."
"So I'll see you?"
Brian nodded and said, "Yes." More firmly, surely than before.

Brian turned to walk away, glancing back at me and the baby in my arms. "Hey Brian?" I called.
He turned back to face me and I asked, "What are you going to tell everyone?"
He shrugged, "Nothing yet, I guess. We can talk about that tomorrow. I'll call you."
I offered him a small smile, "Okay. See you tomorrow."

The two of us walked away from each other, the awkwardness following each of us like a blanket, coating us and reminding us of what we used to have and how it all disappeared the second I decided to lie.
"Get in the car," I demanded my brother when I got back to the vehicle, "It's time to go home."