Where The Fireflies Sing.

Chapter Twenty Five: Joseph And Addison

JOSEPH

When Addy is sound asleep in the guest room bed, I reach down and tuck a stray hair behind her ear and watch the soft breaths of her chest rising and falling. My heart squeezes as I think about the fact that the woman I love is carrying my baby in her belly and she hasn't complained about it once even though I can imagine it has been at least a little rough for her. Her heart is so big and I can't help but forgive her for not telling me right away because in my gut I know she was only trying to protect her heart from the foreseen heartbreak she thought was coming. But I know that I can't leave her nor would I ever leave my kids, Cooper means so much to me and I would give up just about everything to make sure he has a good calm world and never has to experience the hurt I had to growing up. 

Growing up I often spent evening alone while my parents were out working on the farm or both of them would go out and party and I know they were just kids themselves and they wanted to know that they could still have fun even when having a kid. I remember sitting there on my bed in the middle of the night with tears in my eyes as I prayed for their safety and little did I know that my prayers wouldn't be enough to save my dad. My dad was always a person I could look up to no matter how much they went and partied because I knew that he would come back the next morning or in the middle of the night and take me for a slurpee from seven eleven or we would go hunting or toss a ball around. Those memories are what drove me to be the best parent I could be for Cooper even if it mean sacrificing the things that meant the most to me and looking at this beautiful woman all I can think about is how I would give everything for her to look at this as a good thing. 

I swallow the emotions down before slowly getting up off the bed and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, I then walk back towards my bedroom where I take a warm shower. The tears drip down my eyes as I think about all the things I have had to give up and all the opportunities for love I have given up because they weren't what was right for my son. Delilah truly scarred us both and I don't know how to keep us both from falling right back into the trap she laid when she came by a couple weeks ago. I still haven't told anyone that she asked me for split custody and that she said she will sue me from house and home to make sure my life is a living hell just because she said I made our marriage one. 

I run my hand through my wet hair as I step out of the shower, drying off and then walking into my bedroom where I get dressed and lay into bed. My eyes grow heavy as the exhaustion from the day catches up to me and I fall asleep quickly no dreams coming to me that night except for one of my son and Delilah sitting in a court room with me while I debate to a judge on why she wouldn't be a fit mom for him and why she should just stay out of his life. 

ADDISON

I wake up the next morning with my back aching from sleeping on my side, When I open my eyes I find the sun shining through the windows and next to me is a set of my clothes, I groan softly and stretch before wiping the eye goop away from my eyes and sitting up. I look around the room to see my framed picture of me and my dad standing together when I was fifteen years old and I had a fishing pole in my hand and he was holding the big catfish I caught. I feel a sense of deja vu rush towards me as I look towards the closet where my little shoe holder that sits on the back of the door is, it has two pairs of my shoes in it and my cowgirl boots on the floor next to the closet. I raise my eyebrow as I stand up, peeling my cardigan and white tank top off and throwing on the white t-shirt that says 'Blame It All On My Roots' I then slip on the pair of denim shorts that end on the middle of my thigh, when I walk into the bathroom I splash some water on my face only to see my toothbrush in a holder on the sink. My mind wanders as I wonder why all my stuff is here because the last thing I remember is falling asleep on Josephs guest room bed. I grab the toothbrush and the toothpaste, squeezing a generous amount onto it before I begin brushing my teeth, once I get to my tongue I nearly throw up and I feel really queasy as I wash off the toothbrush. Once my teeth are clean and the nausea spell has passed I open the door to the guest bedroom and walk down the stairs to hear laughter in the kitchen, I head towards the sound and pop my head around the corner. 

When I look around the corner I see Joseph leaning back against the kitchen sink with a cup of hot coffee in his hands. He looks handsome with a red and black flannel, a plain white t-shirt and another pair of jeans that drive me crazy as it shows just how muscled he is, Cooper is sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal in front of him and he is wearing an almost identical fit to his dad except his flannel is light blue and white. Cooper is laughing at something Joseph said and Joseph has a small smile on his lips as he tries to hide it behind his coffee cup, his eyes look haunted as he looks up and catches me peeking in on them. His eyes go wide as he begins to choke on his coffee as if he swallowed wrong, I walk forward and give him a sheepish smile before patting him hard on the back until his coughing fit has subsided. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you" I say as I walk over to his kitchen cabinet where I grab a mug. "It's okay, did you see the guest room?" He says and I nod, putting the mug under the keurig and place a decaffeinated tea pod in it before closing the lid and pressing the start button. I lean back against the kitchen counter as I bring my steaming hot tea mug up to my face when it is done brewing before I answer him. "I did, what's all that stuff for?" I ask forgetting to point out that most of it is from my house which I do still live at. "I thought that you should have a room here until we ya know figure things out? and don't worry its not from your house.. well those clothes were because I didn't know your size but everything else I ordered off amazon." He says with an embarrassed smile and I hide mine behind my mug as I take a sip from the tea I have been craving. "How did you sleep?" I say as I turn my attention to Cooper who has gone quiet as if he can sense some tenseness between his father and I. "I slept good, I dreamed of a penguin and a puppy fishing!" he says excitedly and I walk over to the kitchen table where I take a seat next to him. 

"That's great buddy, are you excited for your second day of school?" I say as I look back at Joseph a smile hinting at his lips as he take a sip of his coffee. "I am! I can't wait to make some new friends." he says with a smile and Joseph pushes off against the kitchen sink putting his mug in the seat and walking over to the hooks by the front entryway where he pushes his cowboy hat onto his head. His hands grab his keys and he walks over and pours some dog food into Apollo's dish which makes the white fluff ball to come running from the back of the house. Apollo begins to eat his food and Joseph grabs his car keys before shoving them into his pocket and turning back towards me. He has a twinkle in his eyes as he winks at me and then he slips on his cowboy boots where are dusty and have a layer of dirt built up on it. "Okay Coop, We gotta get you to school so Daddy can mend some fences okay?" he calls out and Cooper stands up and puts his bowl into the sink his little body barely able to reach that high. "Okay dad!" he says and runs towards his father who is looking mighty sexy in those tight jeans of his. Joseph helps Cooper to put on his backpack and then they are out the door leaving me confused as to what I am supposed to do with myself in his house. 

JOSEPH

I help Cooper up into my truck like I usually do and once he is buckled in I hop into the drivers seat and turn on the radio. Need you now by Lady Antebellum comes on as I reverse out of my driveway and start driving towards his school, my mind is on the tight denim shorts that Addison was wearing and the way they hugged her ass. Her breasts have begun to get bigger and you can tell because no matter what shirt she is wearing they press against it and beg to be released from their prison. We haven't had sex since she has been pregnant and I can feel it in my body, My dick has been standing at attention since I saw her around that corner and I have a feeling unless I do something about it I will be caught with a very hard boner at some point. 

I sigh and rub a hand over my eye as I fight the exhaustion that has settled itself into my bones, I found it hard to sleep last night with Addison two rooms over. My mind told me to be kind and respectful to her but my body was begging me to go in there and kiss her until she opens up those sexy thighs for me to bury myself deep inside of her. So instead I just tossed and turned until I eventually fell asleep in the early morning. As I am brought back to attention when I pull into the schools parking lot Cooper is rambling about how the play kitchen they have makes him want to be a cook when he grows up and a smile pushes its way onto my lips. I park at the front of the building his teacher greeting me with a wave and smile as I walk around and open Coopers door for him. I say my hellos to his teacher and my goodbyes to my son before I watch them walk into the school building. Once I know he is safely inside I hop back into my car and sigh, taking a moment to myself as I no longer have to fake a smile in here, the possibility of Delilah having partial custody haunts me as I remember the way she acted when he was sick and he needed her help. 

I put the truck in drive as I pull out of the school parking lot and onto the main road where I speed towards the one person who can put all the doubt out of my mind.