Motion (Sequel to "Collide")

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Knots were forming in my stomach at each step I was taking towards the front door of our home. I knew that my son was behind it, and I was not ready to face him. The mere thought of him hating me for the rest of his life was too much for me to take. I wanted him to understand that everything I did, I did for him. I knew Faraji was clever enough to understand and I needed him to.

Michael took my hand in his as if he sensed my apprehension. We spent the day talking about how we would introduce Faraji to his lifestyle, trying to find the perfect way to do so. Deep down, he was as nervous as I was. No matter how he felt, Michael kept a reassuring smile on his face and stayed strong for our family's sake. I couldn't have wished for a better person to be the father of my child.

"We'll be fine," he told me in a calm and reassuring tone. "We're going to walk through that door and everything is going to be okay."

"Promise?" I asked, my voice shaking at that point. I was utterly scared.

"I promise," Michael answered as he kissed my temple gently. "Come on," he said, tightening his hold on my hand as he opened the front door with his free one.

It was seven in the evening when we came home, meaning it was almost dinner time. The house was quiet when we came in, which only increased my nervous state. We directly went to the kitchen on the other end of the house, scared to make any harsh move that would wake the entire house.

"Come on, that's cheating!" we heard LaToya's voice in the distance. "You're not supposed to hold the spoon nor the egg, that's the whole point of this game," she laughed, and that simple sound made me smile internally.

"Well, you show me, Ms. Big Shot," Haze answered, laughing as well. "But I have to warn you. If you lose, I'll smash this egg on top of your head."

"No, wait," I whispered to Michael, grabbing his arm as he was about to come into the room. I dragged him in the little recess adjacent to the kitchen. I didn't want to interrupt what sounded like an Egg-and-Spoon race.

"Are you seriously eavesdropping on our siblings?" Michael asked me with a giggle, as I listened carefully to their conversation with my ear glued to the wall. I was too focused on what I was hearing to even answer to my husband. "I guess the answer is yes."

"They made up," I whispered with a smile on my face. "Toya heard him out," I said with relief.

"Did you think she wouldn't?" Michael asked, turning completely in my direction as he leaned against the wall.

"It's not that. I knew she needed time, that's why I told Haze to stay here with her. They needed to talk this out," I told him in a low voice, and he nodded his head in understanding. "And they obviously did," I smiled genuinely as I heard them laugh as they were engaged in what sounded like an egg battle.

"Ew, you're all sticky," Toya said in a disgusted tone.

"And whose fault is that? Come here, give me a hug," my brother told her, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Is this some family trick? You did the exact same thing to me on our honeymoon," Michael commented in a confused whisper, which made me chuckle under my breath.

"I don't know, but your sister is reacting just the same way as you did," I told him, which made him giggle.

"Come on, we should show ourselves, I wouldn't like my sister to eavesdrop on us," Michael said, as he unglued his ear from the wall.

"We're not doing anything wrong, we just didn't want to interrupt them in the middle of a heartfelt moment," I innocently said while my eyes widened as I heard what was going on the other side of the wall. "Did they just—"