Protective Secrets (The Protective Series, Book 3)

Chapter Seven

It was finally Friday, which marked the end of another loathsome week. It also meant that it was my turn to spend quality time with my son for the weekend, which was something I'd been contemplating more than anything else in the world.

Jett Eddard Pearce had been born on April 16 2016 at 3:34 in the morning. Ricki-Lee had been in labour for more than twenty hours, and during that time I had stuck by her side like super glue, only leaving for food and toilet breaks, or if she occasionally asked me to get her something.

At the time of his birth, I had been confused and uncertain about how I would do as a parent. I had only been young myself at the time, never conceiving the idea of having a child at all in the future. Mostly, I had been turned off the idea when Janne died. We had just began to reform some sort of serious relationship at the time, only to have it cruelly taken away. I never got the chance to tell him that we should adopt a child together; a girl of our own who we could have showered with love and support.

From the very moment my eyes had met the crystal blue of Jett's that day, I'd found myself again, even if only in part. Fragments of me were still scattered all over the place, like many pieces to a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, but I tried my best not to let it affect me as a parent to my son. He was far too young to understand.

Inhaling a shaky breath, I ascended the sandstone path leading up to Ricki-Lee's front door. The designer of the house had installed two vertical rows of LED lights that ran parallel to the brick edging, inactive during this time of day when the sun was shining luminously up in the clear blue sky. The modern double storey house featured black painted brick walls on the exterior and a small balcony that overlooked the street, the thin white railing only partly visible due to an Australian flag towel hanging over it to dry.

Two cars sat parked in the curved driveway beside the house, glaring thin lines of bright light into my eyes. I pulled my sunglasses down from the top of my head, pausing just as I was about to reach the front steps to marvel at the luxurious vehicles that her husband had bought for them both.

When she wasn't being escorted around to concerts and charity events by chauffeurs, Ricki-Lee drove a red Mercedes-Benz sedan. Her husband, on the other hand, went with a more muscle approach and owned a black Dodge Challenger. I trailed my hand over the smooth paintwork in admiration as I took the steps one at a time, knocking on the wooden door.

As I waited for one of them to answer, a thought occurred to me. If things had've been different - if Janne was still alive - Jett wouldn't be here. It pained me, but it was a harsh reality that I had to come to terms with. Choosing between them both was like asking me to choose between only having eyesight or only having hearing; I needed both to live my life to the fullest, and since I only had one now, I felt incomplete. No one or nothing could ever fully satisfy that part of me.

The front door creaked open, harshly jerking me away from the deep thoughts I was gradually becoming lost in. Filling the doorway was Richard, her husband, standing at six foot five. He made me feel like a dwarf standing in front of an elf.

"Ah," he smiled at me, towel drying his damp cropped soft black hair. "James, is it?"

"Jed, actually," I corrected him, awkwardly clearing my throat. "Is she home? I'm here to pick up Jett for the weekend."

Richard shook his hair from the top of his forehead, glancing down the hallway over his shoulder. For a moment I thought he would call Ricki-Lee, until I saw Jett running towards me on wobbly legs.

"Daddy!" He yelled excitedly, coming to a halt in front of me and throwing his stubby arms up into the air. "Up!"

I felt a smile split the middle of my face and knelt down, scooping him up into my arms in a tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around my neck, clinging onto me like I was the exact person he had been waiting for.