Finally

Part 37: Maybe Baby- We Should Start

"And then I had no choice but to pull that entire palm out of the middle of the grove while Cassian tried to keep them away with smoke." He states and Lauren laughs slightly- still thinking about the insect being attached to Cassian's neck.

"Haha, he really had a hard go at it. Karma though." She laughs a bit and I just sit here quietly with an ever so small smile on my lips as I bottle feed Vincent.

"So how did you guys come up with the raft idea?" I ask quietly.

"We just...ya know. We wanted to make it. We knew the sun was going to be the worst of the whole situation- so building a bit of shelter was going to be better than nothing." He says.

You can tell it feels good to open up and talk about what all happened. When he told us about him searching the sinking boat for Cassian after he had been an asshole and how Max continued to help him through out the journey- we both seemed to be a bit more understanding about Max's compression of his feelings. It's hard to be open when you spent a good half of a few weeks trying to keep a man alive who hated you- only to fail at the last few moments.

"I'm sure he looks down on you with appreciation." I say quietly.

I'm not surprised Cassian was quite the arsehole to Max.

He surely never liked the guy.

Has loathed him from the beginning because Max is too 'involved'.

He always thought that Max was the kind of person who was great at manipulating others with sweet talk.

I think Cassian was just upset that the saying you catch more flies with honey  than you do shit.

"Probably not." He quietly says and sips his coffee.

"Well...whether he would appreciate your efforts or not- the most important thing is that he isn't suffering any more and his son will be his legacy." I glance at Lauren as she says this.

This.

Coming out of Lauren's mouth.

It's not rude or brutal.

It's actually a bit compassionate and sweet.

About Cassian Shin of all people. A person, she abhorred to say the least.

We sit and sip our tea and coffee as we let that little bit of truth deep into our souls. As I look down at Vincent, I can't help but feel...a bit somber.

Sure, I wasn't entirely thrilled he was Cassian's because it put a wrench in how I wanted my future with Max to be.

I was nervous thinking that Cassian would be able to root around in my life with Max and mess it all up.

But I certainly never would have wanted this. I wanted Vincent to know his father. To get to learn about what a father and son can do that a mother and son cannot. I enjoyed the thought of him learning about his Korean heritage- like his father before him had to do when he was adopted.

I know I will have to teach him those things that Cassian taught me. I will have to take him to see his paternal grandparents- and pray they don't do anything drastic or dramatic.

It's all on me now.

A hand comes to rest on my knee and it gently rubs back and forth. Looking up, I find Max smiling a bit.

No.

It's not all on me.

I have Max.

I hope I always have Max.

**

Lauren left around noon.

Behind her, she left a quiet, sleepy household of children.