Chocolate Eyes

EJ was laying in his room on Thanksgiving when his bedroom door creaked open and James Kent stuck his head through and frowned, looking at the boy who was still awake with his iPod in his hands. James stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"It's almost three, you know," he said as he stood in the center of the floor, "Your grandma isn't going to be happy when I tell her that you haven't slept at all."

EJ looked away from his game for the first time and into his grandfather's eyes. "I don't take naps," he said before returning his attention to the little screen, "I'm not tired."

James walked over and grabbed the machine from the boy's fingers before he could realize what was happening. EJ sat straight up in bed and shouted for his grandpa to give it back. "It's mine," he demanded, reaching out for it.

"Another toy that your dad bought you," James stated, sounding less than impressed, "Your mother would've never allowed this, Evander." The older man wasn't soft-spoken or empathetic. He didn't think about how his words would make people feel, he simply spoke what he wanted, which was usually the only way people could see beyond his stoicism.

"Give it back," EJ said, although this time much softer and less demanding, "Please, Grandpa." He pulled his feet back onto the bed and crossed his legs, looking at his mother's father with dark eyes and a soft expression. "Daddy gave it to me when he picked me up from the child place."

James glanced down to the boy and then sighed, giving him back his piece of machinery. "Turn it off," he ordered as EJ grabbed it from him, "Let me see."

EJ put it to sleep rather than turning it off and flashed the screen to James, who nodded when he checked that the little boy had done as he was told. "You've got a half an hour before you can get up. When you do, you need to get ready for dinner."

EJ tucked the iPod under his pillow and laid down like he was actually going to take a nap for the first time since arriving in Oklahoma. He pulled his blankets back over him since he'd kicked them off when his grandpa took his iPod, and looked innocently towards the door as James slipped out of it, sparing another hard look back at his daughter's son.

EJ rolled onto his back and stared at the wall. He wanted to call his father, but he'd already spoken to him this morning and he knew his grandma would be upset if he called again before bedtime. He wished he still had his phone with him so he could talk to his dad before he was allowed out of bed, but the phone was on a shelf in the kitchen were Holly was cooking their Thanksgiving meal.

He closed his eyes to get away from the images of a younger him with a living version of his mom when they'd lived in California before and after Jake came into their lives. Evander was sad that his memories were beginning to slip away, only to be replaced by swimming with his uncles and Chinese food with his dad and Michelle, who was trying so hard to be a good step-mom without forcing him to love her.

EJ could hardly see that Michelle was having a hard with him, but as he became more intuitive to the kind of relationship his dad had with her, he could tell, even at four, that he was pulling them apart. Being around Michelle was difficult for EJ. She was blonde, kind, and motherly, in similar but different ways than his own mom had been. Every time he looked at her, he longed to go back home to the woman who raised him for the majority of his life so far.

But laying in a room that reminded him completely of his mom, he wanted nothing more than to go home to Michelle and Brian, because they listened to him and EJ didn't feel so rigid at home on the beach.

It was almost exactly a half an hour before Holly Kent came walking into Evander's room. After so many minutes with no distractions, the little boy was just beginning to doze, but Holly roused him from bed and had him stand as she pulled his new clothes from hangers in the small closet.

"Everyone is just going to love you," she said as she directed him to change out of the shorts and t'shirt he'd worn for his nap, "They're all so excited to finally meet you, EJ."

"How come?" EJ asked as he pushed his arms through the sleeves of his sweater.

Holly held his pants as he took off his shorts. "Because they loved your mother," she explained holding his pants out so he could step into them. "Many of them heard so much about you and were very happy when they learned you'd be coming home after your mom went to Heaven, although I'm sure they would've liked for you both to return safely."

EJ stayed silent as she kneeled in front of him to button and clasp his pants.

She stood up and looked at him, frowning at his unruly hair. "To the bathroom, Mister," she said, turning him by his shoulders, "We've got to get that hair under control."

EJ was sitting on the couch in the living room playing on his iPod at four PM when a car pulled into the driveway. He looked up and tried to see through the front window as to who was coming to the door. James and Holly had explained that eight people were coming over today, including their friends' granddaughter who was just a couple years older than him.

When James answered the door, EJ sat on his knees and tried to see around him, frowning as he waited for a kid to follow the dark haired woman into the house. When the door closed behind her, EJ dropped down into a siting position.

"Evander," James said to get his attention.

EJ looked up to the two adults that stood just on the other side of the coffee table. The sounds from his game continued even as he set it in his lap.

"Evander, this is Eva Miller," he introduced them to each other, "Eva, this is our grandson, Evander."

The woman smiled and walked over to shake the little boy's hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Evander," she said politely, "I knew your mom her entire life so it's wonderful to see that she was able to contribute something so beautiful to the world before it was her time to go."

Evander wasn't sure if he was supposed to say thank you or okay, so he just nodded and nervously fiddled with his iPod. James cleared his throat so EJ put a smile on his face, which encouraged Eva to pat his head and run her fingers through his hair.

"I'm going to say hello to your grandma, but I'll be back and you can tell me all about you, Evander." She smiled at the boy and followed James into the kitchen to greet her oldest friend.

Evander settled back into the couch and began his game again, hoping that Eva Miller would get lost on the way back from the kitchen. It was barely twenty minutes before Holly was greeting a larger group at the door. Two couples walked in, one older than the other. EJ watched a young girl as her father carried her into the house. He pushed off the couch when Holly called him over.

"Evander, this is Sue and Mark," she introduced the older, "Their son, Vince, his wife Cara and their daughter, Justine." She looked to the group who stood in the doorway and introduced her grandson. "This is Evander."

Cara practically cooed at him. "Holly, he's so handsome," she said, causing her mother-in-law to do to the same. "Claudia did a good job with this one."

"He's a gorgeous boy," Sue complimented, "You're so lucky to have such good looks in your family. And those eyes," she gushed.

"They're my daddy's," Evander explained, opening his eyes extra wide so that they could all get a good look at them. "Everything else looks like my mommy."

Holly and Sue walked away, beginning their own conversation as Sue's husband, Mark, headed off to find James. Cara and Vince stayed behind to introduce their daughter to Evander. Cara gently ran her fingers through his hair and denied his statement. "You must've got your daddy's cheek bones," she said, noticing that his face wasn't quite as round as his mother's, "and your hair is so thick."

EJ glanced at the child who looked down at him from her dad's arms. Then he asked Cara, "Did you know my mom?"

Cara nodded and led her husband and and EJ over to the couch. "I knew your mom her entire life," she explained as everyone sat down, "We grew up together because our parents were friends. Your mom and I always planned on raising our kids together."

EJ pointed to the dark haired girl who sat on Vince's lap. "She's your kid?"

Both the adults chuckled and nodded. "Evander, this is Justine. James and Holly's grandson," Vince introduced. He set his daughter down where he'd been sitting and he and his wife stood up to head into the kitchen with the rest of the adults.

Justine settled into her seat and smoothed down the skirt of her dress over her legs. Evander pushed back into his spot and grabbed his iPod from the table next to the couch and started his game again, ignoring the girl next to him.

"What are you playing?" she asked, peeking at the screen of his iPod.

"Pokemon," he said softly, not looking away from his character as the screen changed.

She frowned. "I didn't know you could play that on one of those."

"My Uncle Zacky put it in there for me," he replied, "He said it's not supposed to but he's smart so he made it." He tilted the screen so that she could see better and began explaining the transparent buttons that simulated a Game Boy Color.

"So you have an uncle?" Justine asked a little while later, as she watched Evander take his turn playing with the Game Boy emulator.

Ej nodded distractedly. "Six."

"I just have an aunt," the seven year old replied.

"I have those too," he stated, finally looking up from the iTouch as it flashed the low battery warning, "but Kenna is only my daddy's sister."

Justine asked, "Are they coming today?"

EJ shook his head. "No, they live in California," he said, having practiced pronouncing the word with his father when Brian taught him their address, "They can't come here. I'm going home soon."

"What's California like?" Justine questioned, "Are there beaches?"

He nodded. "I live on a beach." He pushed himself to the edge of the couch and set his iPod on the coffee table. "Do you want to see?"

Justine nodded and Evander led her into the kitchen where the adults were congregated around the table. EJ's eyes moved to his phone which sat on a shelf above the stove. Most of the adults quieted down and turned towards the kids.

"Evander, what do you need, honey?" Holly questioned from her spot in front of the stove.

"I wanted to show her my pictures but my iPod died," he replied, his eyes darting to the little phone he came with.

"Evander stop fiddling with your clothes," Holly stated, smoothing his shirt down and his hands away. She handed him the phone but kept her hand over his as he held it. "Bring it back to me when you're done."

Justine and Evander went back into the living room to browse the photos that Brian had put on Evander's phone and the adults' conversation moved to one centered around the dead. Cara spoke first, "He looks a lot like his father," she said, surprising everyone around the table. When she saw their looks, she explained herself, "Of course he looks like Claudia, but when you really look at him, he doesn't."

Sue, Cara's mother-in-law added, "Yeah, you can definitely get a sense of what his father looks like. There's enough of him in Evander that you can see more than Claudia in him."

Cara nodded. "Like those eyes, and his cheekbones."

Sue's husband turned in his chair to face James and rested his elbows on the table. "What was it like when you met him?" he questioned, looking at both of the Kents, "Does he seem like a good father?"

James answered, "He's spoiling the boy. He lives such a lavish lifestyle that he has no idea how to raise a child. He gives him anything he wants and acts like his bestfriend rather than his father."

Trying to soften his words, Holly added, "He and Evander are good together, but Brian is not parent material. EJ will never learn boundaries or rules while living there."

"When are you hoping to bring him home?" Eva questioned, glancing through the entryway to make sure that the child wasn't standing there.

"As soon as possible," Holly replied, "He has a lot of money so it'll won't be easy, but we're prepared to bring Evander home so he can live the way his mother wanted him to."

"And so that musician won't ruin him," James stated.

The group didn't know anything about Evander's father, so the bit of knowledge that the Kents shared with them made them even more curious. Cara continued the conversation, even though their opinion about him was obvious.

"He must be pretty successful if he's wealthy," she questioned, ignoring the look from her mother across the table, "I mean, musicians don't make much money, so he's probably pretty talented."

"His band is fairly popular, yes," Holly replied, "It's a rock group."

"Who would've thought that Claudia would've known someone from that circle," Eva said, smiling at the thought of it, "I guess California affects people in different ways."

Cara called EJ and Justine into the room and asked to see some of his pictures. He cautiously glanced at his grandparents before abandoning all caution and allowing Cara to pull him onto her lap while Justine sat next to him on her father's.

EJ brought up a picture from one of their barbecues. It was one of the rare times that everyone had been able to make it. With such a large family, it was almost impossible to get everyone together at one time, but they had this day.

EJ started pointing and naming everyone. "My Papa and Grandma, my uncles Matt, Johnny, Zacky, and Brent. Aunt Kenna, Aunt Val, Gina, and Lacey, and Michelle and Daddy and me."

Cara pointed at Brian. "That's your dad?"

EJ nodded and looked up to her face. She was slightly surprised by Brian's appearance, but mostly by his dark hair and defined features. Despite all that, he looked genuinely happy to have EJ in his arms and his family around him.

"This looks very nice," she said to the little boy, taking in the beach behind them as well as the pool, "You're a very lucky little boy to have such nice things."

EJ nodded. "My dad let me pick out my own stuff for my room!" he explained, "and in the basement there's an Xbox and a TV that plays right on the wall."

Most of them had no idea what he was talking about, but nodded along, understanding that there must be a wall to wall TV in their basement.

"And Daddy put a playground in the front for me. There's no snow so I don't have to wear snowpants to play outside. I don't even have to wear shoes." He giggled and covered his mouth with his little hands.

Eva leaned in to see the picture on the little screen. "So you like living with your dad?" she questioned, trying to be sensitive to his mom's passing, "You're happy there?"

"Yeah," EJ replied, just barely being old enough to understand the concept of 'happy' and 'sad' when it came to loss. He'd learned more about those emotions than most four year olds, but his would change and over-shadow each other within days. When his mother died he learned what it felt like to be alone, and then his dad swooped in and saved the day, covering sadness and loneliness with ease, love, and admiration.

"I miss Crispen and Jake though," he said, the unfamiliar names surprising the group.

"His step-father and his son," James clarified.

"You don't get to see them?" Cara questioned, setting the phone on the table and wrapping her arms around his waist to keep him upright, "Don't they live in California too?"

He nodded. "Far away though."

Cara bounced him on her knee, feeling pity towards the little boy whose life had changed so much in such a short time. "I'm sure your dad would take you to see him if you asked," she said, breathing hope into him, "I mean, he let you come visit your grandma and grandpa."

"Alright, that's enough," Holly said softly, "Dinner's almost ready and Evander needs to wash up." She nodded her head in the general direction of the bathroom. "Go on, wash you hands. We don't want sticky fingers at the dinner table."

The blonde slid off of Cara's lap and headed towards the bathroom. Justine's parents sent her after him and the adults reverted back to a conversation that wasn't suitable for EJ's ears. James pressed his palm into the table top.

"No more talking about his father," he stated, "He's already unhealthily attached to the man. We don't need him obsessed with talking about him every time someone is around."

The older women in the room bit back their replies, but Cara spoke up as her husband nodded along. "I just don't understand how you could want to tear him from the only parent he has left," she spoke brazenly, looking between the married couple, "He obviously loves his father a lot and he seems to be doing well with Evander, so I don't know why you're not giving him a chance to raise his own child."

"Brian is ruining him," Holly replied vehemently, "Any good you see in that child was put there by his mother. Evander is learning how to be spoilt and pampered in that house and it's not right. Brian has no idea how to raise a child."

"Do any of us really?" Justine's father questioned, "When we first had Justine, I had no idea what I was doing. But I learned and he will too. I can't imagine someone trying to take my child from me, even if I had missed part of her life. That bond is instantaneous."

"Vince, be quiet," his mother demanded gently, "It's none of our business. It's their family, they're allowed to do what they want."

"We want our grandson home," James stated, "We don't want to risk him being ruined and us losing him forever. He's coming home and that's final."

EJ stepped into the room from just around the corner and looked at the adults who sat around the kitchen table. Tears were welling in his eyes at the words that he'd heard and he shook his head quickly and relentlessly. He ignored his grandmother's coos as he cried, "I want my dad. I want to go home."