It'll Be Your Name on My Last Breath

“Oh my god, it’s a dog!” was the first thing out of Wil’s mouth.

“… Eli,” was my reply.

“That’s shocking,” he chuckled while petting the puppy, “So…” he changed subjects, seeming to be a bit nervous now.

“Are you… ready?” I couldn’t help but smile. It was… cute.

“I hope so,” he countered.

“You can eat dinner with us if you want,” I told him and started for the dining room.

“That sounds good,” he answered, following me.

Before we could get there though, I stopped. I kind of… wanted this to be… our little moment. Yet, I didn’t want to freak Liam out by it either. ‘Hey, this is your dad!’ That might be too much for him. I still called for him though. He got a bit of an attitude with me. It made Wil chuckle.

“Your attitude, huh?” he snickered.

“Shush!” I giggled and pushed him playfully.

I looked over and I saw Liam peaking his head around the corner. He wasn’t looking at me though. His eyes were right on Wil’s. They stayed there for a few long seconds. Is this… that little father/son connection?

“Oh my god,” Wil spoke under his breath.

“That’s Liam,” I smiled over at him.

“Come here, bud,” he regained himself.

It was obvious that Liam was a little unsure, but he still slowly walked closer. When he was just in Wil’s reach, Wil held his arms open, asking for a hug. Without any hesitation, Liam nearly fell into his arms. I… could have cried. Wil hugged him so tightly. As I went over to them, I could feel my eyes starting to sting. Ah! No!

“Honey,” I started, trying to be so strong once he lifted his head from Wil’s chest and I bent down to their level, “do you remember me telling you… about your daddy?”

“Yeah…” he looked at me, showing that the gears were turning in his head.

Obviously, like any single parented child, he would ask why he didn’t have a dad… and it would break my heart. I would always tell him that his daddy was really into dirt bikes too and was out racing all over the country… which wasn’t a complete lie. That’s what Wil does. But now they’re together and… it’s hard for me to comprehend this.

“Baby, this is him,” I felt a tear roll past my lid and down my cheek.

Liam quickly looked at Wil, seeming to study all of his features. Wil’s eyes looked as glossy as mine. It was so hard to keep it together. I was so afraid to just have them meet and be like… this is him! It just came out though… and Liam clung so tightly to Wil! I have never seen Wil’s smile grow so big either. It was such a beautiful moment. Why did I wait so long for this?

“Daddy loves you, buddy,” Wil said gently before he kissed his son’s forehead. Oh my gosh, really, Wil?! It’s not like you’re already being cute enough!

“Wuv you too,” was Liam’s soft reply.

“Do you want daddy to have dinner with us?” I stepped in.

“Yeah,” Liam smiled and stepped out of his arms.

He didn’t wait for us. He just went back into the dining room. Before I could move, WIl reached over and pulled me in for a tight hug. We stood in the living room, sharing a long embrace. Something about it was just so… warm and… comforting.

“He’s so precious, Ky,” he told me; his voice muffled from his face being pressed into my shoulder.

“And he’s yours,” I smiled, sniffling back more tears.

“I just… wow,” he chuckled and pulled away from me slowly.

As he took a small step back, he held my gaze for a bit. During this time, his smile started to come back over him. Seeing that with the little twinkle in his eye… took me back to… when we were together. Things were good; maybe even… close to perfect. I was just… afraid to tell him that I was pregnant and couldn’t move to California with him at the time. But now… he’s here… and he now knows his son. It makes me wonder what could have been…

I shook that thought away and told him that we needed to sit down with our son. When Wil sat down, Liam hurried over and asked to sit on his lap. With a big smile, Wil agreed and that’s how the two sat for their meal. It was the cutest thing. I knew Liam looked like him, but… seeing them so close to each other really put it into perspective. He looks so much like his father. Gonna be a heartbreaker…

After dinner, Jake asked me to clean the kitchen up with him while everyone moved to the living room. This struck me as… odd. Why does he… want to clean up the kitchen? He doesn’t even live here! When’s the last time he offered to do this? It gave me an uneasy feeling.

“I feel like… I should give you guys time to… bond,” he told me as we were rinsing dishes to put in the dishwasher.

“You don’t have to,” I countered.

“No, I… think that’s the right thing to do,” he replied.

“But…”

“Ky,” he stopped me with a smile, “Liam needs mommy and daddy right now. He doesn’t need me.”

“But mommy needs you,” I whined and put my head against his chest.

“Aw,” he cooed through a cute chuckle, “I’ll always be here for her,” he added, kissing my cheek as his arms came around me.

I tried to get him to stay, but… he kept insisting. So I didn’t have any other choice. But I guess it’s good that I give all of my attention to Wil and Liam tonight. I’m so happy that this is going so well for now anyway. I just hope it continues this way.