Once I get back inside the house, Trent is pretending as if he didn't just threaten me to get back together with his son.
Dexter and Kayla are busy tearing through the present. Crumpled paper lines the wooden floor all around them while Weston watches them with a soft gaze.
"Mom, look a Dino Plushie!" She squeals and hugs the soft toy to her chest while Dexter starts bouncing in place and claps his hands.
I sit on the floor beside them, the cold biting my butt through my peach dress.
I watch both of my children as I try to calm down. Kayla goes through more gifts before she freezes after opening one particular gift.
"Mom," she starts carefully, "tell me I'm not dreaming." She shoves the gift into my arms.
An entire collector's edition of Dav Pilkey's Dog Man, with an autographed front is nicely packed with a cream bow.
"Oh, wow. This is real sweetie." I touch the cover of it and feel the hardcover with my fingers.
"Oh my god, Oh my god!" She snatches them out of my hands.
She loves Dog Man. Ever since she saw the animated version on TV all she's wanted to do was read the comics.
I occasionally bought her a comic or two, but this specific set was very expensive. Not to mention it was autographed by Dav Pilkey himself.
I am about to ask Weston if he bought it when a note stuck to the gift paper catches my eye.
I carefully pluck it out and read it.
Happy 5th birthday, sweet girl. You are every bit as beautiful as your mother and your laughter echoes the same joy she brought into my life. I remember you talking about these the morning after I met you. I hope you like the present.
~J
Oh, wow... I'm genuinely lost for words. This gift, it's not just something tangible—it's a cascade of emotions. Reading that note, it felt like unwrapping layers of memories and sentiments carefully woven together. I never expected something so thoughtful, so personal. It's not just the object; it's the thoughtfulness behind it that's overwhelming.
He remembered a tiny but significant detail about a little girl who hates him. His action goes beyond kindness for a little girl who's not even his own.
Even Weston didn't know what to get her. I had received a text from him two weeks prior asking me if I would accompany him to buy her a gift since he didn't have the slightest clue of what his daughter's current interests were.
He's the one bought the Dino plushie after I suggested it. Over a text.
"Who's it from?" Weston crouches down beside me and peers into my lap, trying to read the note.
Not wanting anymore drama, I lie to him.
"Kayla's best friend." I crumple the note in my fist.
"That's quite an expensive gift."
"Uh-huh." I am still shaken from having read the note.
...your laughter echoes the same joy she brought into my life.
Maybe he copied it from a book, or the internet. But I know Jackson. Everything he says comes from within him.
My heart aches painfully and there's an emptiness that echoes in my entire being at the thought of him.
"Can I?" Weston asks cautiously. Gesturing at the note.
"No," I pocket it, I don't want his dirty hands anywhere near that note.
YOU ARE READING
Here And Now
RomanceWhat do you do when your husband cheats on you? Don't ask April, because she'll tell you to sleep with his boss. Well then, maybe you should ask her afterall. ******** I did something bad. I slept with my husband's boss. And no, this is not a bad p...
