single dad: v.h

chapter forty

Vinnie walked home that night, a bright smile playing on his face. He went inside the house to find his mom and dad sitting on the couch with worried expressions covering there faces. As soon as they saw him, Maria jumped up but was quickly seated by her husband.

"I didn't mean to be this late." Vinnie said as he sat in a chair across from them.

"Where did you go?" Nate asked.

"The park, the o-one Aaliyah and I used to take the kids too all the time. I actually saw her there, w-we talked." Vinnie said, trying to cover up that he was ecstatic inside.

"What'd you talk about?" Maria asked.

"We c-caught up really. I told her about E-Emily and what happened. O-Our relationship." Vinnie explained, smiling down at his hands.

"What did she say?" Nate asked this time.

"That if she h-had to live w-without me then there wasn't a life w-worth living." Vinnie glanced up at his parents before looking back down.

"And you said?" Nate pried on further.

"That I should p-probably make her life worth living.." Vinnie smiled as his parents cheered and got up from there seats to hug him.

"Calm down, w-we didn't talk any more than that s-so I don't kn-know where our relationship stands y-yet." Vinnie chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry. We're still so excited for you though." Maria squealed, kissing his cheeks.

——

Vinnie had finally decided to go to bed. He walked into his room to find Reggie laying in his bed with Bear. Bear was reading him a book. Vinnie just decided to walk out and sleep in the floor in Kaiser's room, though he was steaming on the inside.

Vinnie rolled his eyes once he had shut the door quietly enough that neither of them heard him enter or leave. He walked down the hall to Kaiser's room and walked in to find that his mom and dad had bought him a new bed. Vinnie smiled at the fact that it was a Lightning McQueen bed, just like he had when he was little. He layed a couple pillows on the floor next to the bed and layed next to his son.

"Dada sweep wif me?" Kaiser asked as he sat up.

"Yeah b-baby, is it okay if d-dada sleeps in here with you?" Vinnie asked.

"Have sweepover wif dada." Kaiser nodded, talking in a baby voice that no one but Vinnie could understand.

The small boy leaned over and layed a gentle kiss on Vinnie's cheek before getting comfortable in his bed again.

"Night night baby." Vinnie answered.

"Night night dada." Kaiser said.

He layed on his side, facing Kaiser's bed. He thought about Bear and how close they used to be. It made him sad that she seemingly wanted nothing to do with him now. Slowly, he drifted to sleep, happy with the fact that Kaiser still loved him just as much as he did before everything happened.

Sadly enough, the mistake that may have cost him his daughter.