Father Figure
Forty-Seven
Sidney's Point of View
-----
I left the boys sleeping in their new rooms at my house in Nova Scotia. I had taken them to see some of my cousins today. They'd run around for hours and not stopped once. After dinner and their baths, they went right to bed without a fuss.
In the week and a half we had been here, they'd taken well to everything. There were moments where they had melt downs because they missed Nat and were way too tired, but for the most part they were adapting well. They seemed to like it here, which made me happy. I was hoping in the future to bring them here more often.
I settled onto my couch and pulled out my phone, already dialing Nathalie's number. I waited three rings before she answered. "Hello?"
The sound of her voice made me smile. "Hey. How's it going all alone down in Pittsburgh?" I asked. I laid back on the couch, stretching my legs out.
"Good. Vero and I've been getting things ready for the baby. Did you hear it's a boy?" she asked, a smile in her voice.
"I did. Marc must be thrilled to be getting a son."
Nathalie began laughing. "He's already bought several jerseys for the baby. That child will have no say in whether he is a hockey fan or not," she stated.
I smirked to myself. "He'll be Canadian. What do you expect?"
She giggled. "How have the boys been? Are they liking it up there?"
I told her all about our trips to meet my family and some close friends. I admitted that Gab seemed to have a hard time without his mom around or talking to her much. I told her about their rooms here and Beau and Kris's fight over who got the room on the left side of the hall.
"Their grandma is constantly around. I never thought she'd be so in love with them, especially considering the circumstances of everything. It's awesome to see, though. She spoils them like a typical grandma. Taylor has taken to them a lot, too. Which I know you've seen already, but it's more obvious now. She comes over just to see them a lot."
"That's great. I'm glad they're adjusting to it all so well," she commented softly. The tone of her voice said exactly how she felt about it all: she was happy they were here, but missed them more than anything.
"Two and a half weeks left," I pointed out.
"Yeah! Two and a half weeks until my boys are back home..." I could picture the smile on her face as she thought about it.
I paused a moment, building up my courage to ask her about something I'd been talking to my mom about a lot lately. Now would be the perfect timing seeing as if she said no, I wouldn't have to face rejection. "So... I have a question for you," I began slowly.
"Are we back in high school again, Sid?" she teased.
I rolled my eyes. "What do you think about moving in together?" I blurted out.
She stayed silent. My stomach dropped. Fuck. She didn't want to be that serious. My mind jumped to every possibility in the few seconds of silence between us.
"Really? You want to?"
I ran my hand through my hair. "We don't have to. I mean, I understand if you want to have your own-"
"No, no. I want to. I just wasn't sure if you really wanted that this whole time," she admitted softly.
I smiled a little to myself. "I do want it. I want more, too, one day."
"Yeah? Like what?" she asked curiously.
I inhaled deeply. Better to be honest, I guess. "I guess.. I could just see us going all the way. You know, marriage and all that one day..."
There was a shuffling on her end of the phone. "I'm glad you said that first because I didn't have the guts to," she said before laughing.
I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad we're on the same page."
"Me, too."
We sat together on the phone for several more hours. She told me about the nursery Vero had been putting together. Every now and then she drifted into a story about the boys when they were babies. It was relaxed and easy. It was nice to just listen to her, too. We hadn't really gotten the chance to simply sit and talk so it was like a break from everything. I'd missed it.
Eventually it got too late, though. She was yawning every other sentence and forgetting half the things she tried to say.
"I think it's time to turn in for the night," I commented.
She yawned once more. "Yeah, I think you're right."
I smiled. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I listened to her mumbled her agreement. "Feel free to move some of your stuff to my place if you want, by the way. You've got the spare key."
"Mmm... A big, comfy bed... I think I will definitely take you up on that," she agreed.
-----
I left the boys sleeping in their new rooms at my house in Nova Scotia. I had taken them to see some of my cousins today. They'd run around for hours and not stopped once. After dinner and their baths, they went right to bed without a fuss.
In the week and a half we had been here, they'd taken well to everything. There were moments where they had melt downs because they missed Nat and were way too tired, but for the most part they were adapting well. They seemed to like it here, which made me happy. I was hoping in the future to bring them here more often.
I settled onto my couch and pulled out my phone, already dialing Nathalie's number. I waited three rings before she answered. "Hello?"
The sound of her voice made me smile. "Hey. How's it going all alone down in Pittsburgh?" I asked. I laid back on the couch, stretching my legs out.
"Good. Vero and I've been getting things ready for the baby. Did you hear it's a boy?" she asked, a smile in her voice.
"I did. Marc must be thrilled to be getting a son."
Nathalie began laughing. "He's already bought several jerseys for the baby. That child will have no say in whether he is a hockey fan or not," she stated.
I smirked to myself. "He'll be Canadian. What do you expect?"
She giggled. "How have the boys been? Are they liking it up there?"
I told her all about our trips to meet my family and some close friends. I admitted that Gab seemed to have a hard time without his mom around or talking to her much. I told her about their rooms here and Beau and Kris's fight over who got the room on the left side of the hall.
"Their grandma is constantly around. I never thought she'd be so in love with them, especially considering the circumstances of everything. It's awesome to see, though. She spoils them like a typical grandma. Taylor has taken to them a lot, too. Which I know you've seen already, but it's more obvious now. She comes over just to see them a lot."
"That's great. I'm glad they're adjusting to it all so well," she commented softly. The tone of her voice said exactly how she felt about it all: she was happy they were here, but missed them more than anything.
"Two and a half weeks left," I pointed out.
"Yeah! Two and a half weeks until my boys are back home..." I could picture the smile on her face as she thought about it.
I paused a moment, building up my courage to ask her about something I'd been talking to my mom about a lot lately. Now would be the perfect timing seeing as if she said no, I wouldn't have to face rejection. "So... I have a question for you," I began slowly.
"Are we back in high school again, Sid?" she teased.
I rolled my eyes. "What do you think about moving in together?" I blurted out.
She stayed silent. My stomach dropped. Fuck. She didn't want to be that serious. My mind jumped to every possibility in the few seconds of silence between us.
"Really? You want to?"
I ran my hand through my hair. "We don't have to. I mean, I understand if you want to have your own-"
"No, no. I want to. I just wasn't sure if you really wanted that this whole time," she admitted softly.
I smiled a little to myself. "I do want it. I want more, too, one day."
"Yeah? Like what?" she asked curiously.
I inhaled deeply. Better to be honest, I guess. "I guess.. I could just see us going all the way. You know, marriage and all that one day..."
There was a shuffling on her end of the phone. "I'm glad you said that first because I didn't have the guts to," she said before laughing.
I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad we're on the same page."
"Me, too."
We sat together on the phone for several more hours. She told me about the nursery Vero had been putting together. Every now and then she drifted into a story about the boys when they were babies. It was relaxed and easy. It was nice to just listen to her, too. We hadn't really gotten the chance to simply sit and talk so it was like a break from everything. I'd missed it.
Eventually it got too late, though. She was yawning every other sentence and forgetting half the things she tried to say.
"I think it's time to turn in for the night," I commented.
She yawned once more. "Yeah, I think you're right."
I smiled. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I listened to her mumbled her agreement. "Feel free to move some of your stuff to my place if you want, by the way. You've got the spare key."
"Mmm... A big, comfy bed... I think I will definitely take you up on that," she agreed.