Chapter 6ixty

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     Aubrey watched Destiny playing with her cousins. This entire evening had been quite the experience. Both of her parents were as loving and endearing as could be. He couldn't say the same for Tasha, Destiny's aunt. He didn't know exactly what her deal was. The vibes he got from her was that one of her ex-boyfriends or possibly an ex-husband left her for a younger woman. That was the only way he could make sense of why she'd ambush him at the dinner table with her bizarre line of questioning. She backed off after his response.

    After dinner, he had an interesting and enlightening conversation with Mr. Richards. Destiny had been right; Mr. Richards definitely had a quirky sense of humor, but Aubrey liked it. The man was very likeable, and he had great ideas about potential non-profit ideas. Once Destiny left his side, he had a hard time concentrating on her father's words. Her bright smile and musical laughter was distracting. He enjoyed the sight of her playing with her cousins...laughing, playing, and tickling them. He could clearly see the love that her cousins had for her.

    "Oh my goodness, Destiny, do you remember this?" Mrs. Richards said, standing near a tall, wide bookcase that took up the majority of the far wall of the living room. She held up a large, heavy book in her hands.

    Destiny finished tickling Sadie and glanced up. Her eyes widened. "Mom...Mom, no."

    Her mother laughed. "What? Don't you think Aubrey would want to see these?"

    Destiny stood up and raised her hands, palms facing outward. "Mom, if you value your life..."

    Mr. Richards laughed heartily.

    Kevin and his wife wore mirroring expressions of confusion. "What is that, Angela?"

    "A ton of baby pictures and kid pictures of Destiny," Mrs. Richards responded, wiping a hand over the top of the photo album.

    Aubrey lifted an eyebrow. "I'd like to see it."

    Destiny turned her head. "You...don't need to see this."

    Ignoring her, Mrs. Richards walked over to Aubrey and handed him the photo album. She gave her daughter a pat on the back. "The pictures are adorable, everyone thinks so."

    Aubrey laughed at Destiny's discomfort as he flipped the photo album open. The first picture was a small photo of baby Destiny, taken at the hospital the day she was born. A hospital wrist band was visible on her tiny wrist. There were several newborn photos, and then a series of photos that had been taken in a photography studio. Baby Destiny, with her hair pulled up into a curly ponytail much similar to Sadie's, seated on a platform. She wore an adorable sailor suit. She had adorable cheeks, sparkly eyes, and a nearly toothless smile that would melt anyone's heart. He lifted his eyes and looked at Destiny.

    She covered her face with her hands and turned her back to him.

    He flipped the page. Baby Destiny in her crib, sleeping. Baby Destiny trying in vain to open a Christmas present with impossibly tiny hands. He ran a hand across his upper lip and flipped to the next page. Baby Destiny wearing a gorgeous lilac-colored dress, possibly for Easter.

    Destiny went back to playing with her younger cousins.

    He continued flipping through the pages without speaking, drowning out the sounds of Kevin's and Tasha's chatter. Drowning out the sound of Mr. and Mrs. Richards's flirtation as Mrs. Richards sat on her husband's lap and hugged him. As Aubrey flipped the pages, the child in the pictures gradually started aging. Toddler pictures in the park, her first day of pre-school, the falling out of her first tooth. Her childhood, perfectly captured in photograph form. There was even a picture of one of the first articles she'd written. The article was about her uncle Kevin cheating on his girlfriend Tasha, which made Aubrey chuckle before he continued flipping throughout the rest of the album. He lifted his eyes over the top of the album and looked at Destiny.

    As if she could feel his eyes on her, she raised her eyes and met his gaze. She held Sadie in her arms. While still looking at Aubrey, she pressed a kiss to one of Sadie's chubby cheeks.

    There was something in that moment, a feeling that he couldn't name. He didn't know if it was the photo album, or the sight of Destiny holding the adorable little girl in her arms, but it felt like his heart was swelling in his chest.

~~~~~~

    Later that evening, Aubrey lie in bed with Destiny's head resting on his chest. He expected that they would have to sleep in separate rooms, but since Kevin, his wife, and his kids were also spending the night, bedrooms were lacking. Mrs. Richards had advised that Aubrey and Destiny could share Destiny's old room.

    Mr. Richards, who'd been funny and chill the entire evening, had turned serious all of a sudden. "But I expect for you not to disrespect me in my own house."

    More than understood, Mr. Richards, Aubrey thought now, brushing Destiny's hair back from her forehead.

    "I thought you were sleeping," she murmured sleepily.

    "No, just thinking."

    "About?"

    "How adorable you looked playing with your cousins. How cute your baby pictures were." He continued stroking her hair.

    "Can we pretend like you never saw those pictures, actually?" she asked him. "That was very embarrassing."

    He grinned in the dark. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were a beautiful child."

    "Speaking of kids..." She hesitated, looking for the right words. "What is your viewpoint on them?"

    "Children are amazing little people," he said, knowing that his response didn't fully answer the question she was trying to ask.

    She hesitated again. "Yeah, I know, but...I mean, are you planning on having any? Ever?"

    He brought an arm up and rested it beneath his head. "Children don't really fit into my lifestyle," he told her.

    "Oh."

    "You?"

    "I want to have them one day," she said softly.

    He stared up at the ceiling. Watching her tonight with her younger cousins, he could imagine her as a parent. "You'd make a great mother," he told her.

    "Thank you."

    He decided to change the subject. "Your family is..."

    "Crazy?" she finished for him.

    He laughed quietly. "I was going to say amazing."

    She lifted her head off of his chest and peered at him in the dark. "Even after Tasha's questions?"

    He shrugged one shoulder. "Her questions were out of line, but that part of the evening didn't damper my opinions on your family. Your parents are very kind, warm. Loving. Hilarious."

    She laughed. "My dad."

    "Both of them."

    "They're amazing people. I'm very fortunate to have them."

    "You are," he agreed. And he didn't speak the words aloud, but meeting her parents and spending the evening with them, he now understood how it was possible for Destiny to grow up in this day and age still believing in love. Her parents were still together. They were extremely affectionate towards each other, had been all night. Seeing her parents together, the way they interacted, was enough to make anyone believe in love...

    Destiny fell asleep on his chest, but he continued to stare up at the ceiling. Plagued by his own thoughts and fears.

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