Reunited

Chapter 8

The next two weeks were spent packing. She boxed up all of her clothes and things she had brought from her house. She packed a bigger bag than was necessary in case the moving truck didn't arrive on time. She wanted to drive her car across the country to Vancouver but I kept telling her it wouldn't make it that far.
"It's a great car." She insisted.
"It's great for what you've been doing, driving to and from work and around here. You told me you bought it for two thousand dollars when you moved here, it's never been on a drive this long. You can keep it here, I have two cars in Vancouver. You can drive one until we figure out a way to get your car there." I told her.
"I know you're my mom, but I don't want you to keep helping me like this. You've already taken Cadence and I in for weeks now, and for who knows how long in Vancouver."
"Addy," I said, using her nickname. I never used it. "I'm you're mother, you're right about that. I want to help you in any way I can. And I'm in the position to help a lot. I'm not trying to make up for all the lost years, but I'm going to do what I can, like it or not."
She smiled and shook her head.
"What?" I asked.
She took my hand. "No one, and I mean no one, has ever cared about me this much."
I hugged her. "Get used to it. I may not know much about being a parent, but I know this much. A parent should always take care of their child, no matter how old they are."
That night, out of curiosity, I looked up how much her car could sell for in it's condition. I was quite surprised when I saw the results of my search. She bought it for two-thousand. Whoever sold it must have really been trying to get rid of it. People were willing to pay double that. It's a great car, amazing on gas mileage, and easily maintained. I printed the page out and went to find Adaline.
I found her in the living room with Colin. I hung back and listened. He was showing her how similar guitar was to piano.
"Alright Adaline," Colin said, "this is a song I sing for your mother sometimes. Watch how I play, you can see how close it is to playing piano."
Colin went on to play a familiar tune, and I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. He played it for me to brighten my mood on my worst days.
"When I look into your eyes, it's like watching the night sky. Or a beautiful sunrise. Well, there's so much they hold." He sang.
"I love this song!" Adaline told him.
Then she joined him.
"And just like them old stars, I see that you've come so far. To be right where you are. How old is your soul?"
I smiled, I was so happy she'd found a way to bond with him. I hoped he'd be around for a while. I still didn't step into the room,I hung back and listened to her voice. It was beautiful. She hasn't sung for me, she kept insisting that she only would for Cadence. She'd played piano for me though. Ginny had one at her house and Adaline had played a song she'd learned just for Cadence. The toddler truly enjoyed her mother's rendition of Do You Want To Build a Snowman. Apparently Frozen was her favorite movie.
The singing of the man I was learning to love and the daughter I'd regained was something I could listen to forever. Then I was caught. Apparently I'd started swaying side to side.
"Jen?" I heard Colin say.
I stepped guiltily around the corner.
"If you want to hear me play you can just ask. You know I always will." Colin said.
I was silent for a moment. "I haven't heard Addy sing yet."
Adaline turned bright red.
"She has a lovely voice. She gets it from you." Colin told me.
I never knew someone could turn so red, especially with darker skin.
"What?" Colin inquisitively asked. He clearly was in the dark about Adaline's shyness.
"She only likes to sing for Cadence." I explained.
He turned to face Adaline. "Why? You sing so beautifully, you shouldn't be shy."
Adaline wanted to disappear, I could tell. I decided to give her an out.
"Oh! I found this online. What if you could sell your car for double what you paid?"
Adaline's head snapped up. "What?!"
"Yep! People are willing to pay well for a little car like yours. It gets great gas mileage and it's minimal maintenance." I continued to explain. "You can sell it and not worry about it when you move to Vancouver. Once you're settled into your work, you can take it and put a good down payment on a much better car."
"That's amazing! I mean, I love my car but I have always wished I could have something newer and bigger." Adaline exclaimed.
"That's great!" Colin added his input.
We all went to bed peacefully that night. More and more, this seemed to be working out. I smiled to myself as I curled into Colin and fell asleep.
The day finally arrived, we were all headed to the airport. Me, Adaline, Cadence, Colin, Ginny, Josh, and little Oliver. In the security line, I noticed Adaline growing more and more anxious. Maybe it was the crowd, I wasn't sure. She'd flown to California from Texas, so she was familiar with everything.
She did seem to relax more when we were out of the crowd and in the gate. I gave her her boarding pass.
"First class?!" She asked, her jaw dropped.
"You work for a very large television network. They take care of their employees. And it doesn't hurt that your mother is the leading role in one of their most popular shows." I said with a wink.
We waited another half hour to board. First class was, of course, boarded first. The five of us took a majority of the seats. Ginny and Josh sat in the very first row, with me and Adaline behind them. Colin sat directly across the aisle, allowing me to sit with my daughter. I smiled over at him in gratitude. I looked to my left. Cadence was falling asleep on her mother. I took the blanket from underneath my seat and covered the baby girl up. Adaline gave me a nervous smile.
Upon takeoff, I figured out why she seemed so on edge. She had a vice grip on my hand. Once we were in the air and everything was smooth, she let go.
"Sorry." She said shyly.
"It's okay." I assured her, taking her hand in mine. "A lot of people are scared to fly."
The flight went smoothly for a couple of hours. Then the pilot warned us of some turbulence ahead, and asked us to put on our seat belts. I immediately turned to Adaline.
"It's okay. I can't tell you how many times I've been through this." I said in an attempt to comfort her. "Is your seatbelt on?"
"Yes." She said in a scared tone. "Cadence fell asleep on me so I never got the chance to take it off."
"Good." I said, taking her hand again. "It's going to be okay. Just close your eyes."
She did as I told her to and not a moment too soon. The plane began to shake. She got a tight grip on my hand. When she plane shook even more she said something I never thought I'd hear.
"Mom!" She whimpered. I looked at her open-mouthed.
"It's okay." I told her, wrapping my arms around her. She leaned over into me. "I'm here. It'll be over soon."
I felt someone staring. I looked up and saw Ginny smiling at us, I smiled back as I petted my daughter's hair in an attempt to calm her.
Thirty minutes later, Adaline was also asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief, she was finally relaxed. But then Cadence had to wake up. She poked her little head out of the blankets, curly hair sticking out all over the place. I shushed her and took her in my arms, the seat next to Colin was empty so I gestured for him to move over. I took Cadence and sat with her in the now empty seat so her mother could sleep.
"You really are learning how to be a mother." Colin told me, tickling Cadence's neck.
I smiled at him and hoped he was right. I'd mostly been doing what felt natural, following my instincts. Apparently it was working. I found some toys and snacks for Cadence in her little backpack to keep her occupied so her mother could sleep. It worked for the remainder of the flight. I woke Adaline up just before we landed. She ensured that she wasn't leaving anything on the plane before getting off.
Getting through the airport was easy enough. I'd done it a thousand times.
We picked up a taxi to take us to the house and bid Ginny and Josh goodbye. Colin climbed in the front seat while Cadence, Adaline, and I rode in the back. The driver stopped in front of the house and helped us with our bags. I thanked and tipped him before I punched in the gate code and ushered everyone into the yard. The house was every bit as big as the one in California, just in a different style. This one didn't give off a paradise type of vibe since we were no longer in a place where it would be sunny and warm.
The inside was decorated similarly though. I loved the homey feel, so both of my homes were decorated as such.
I showed Adaline to her room and told her that if she was okay with it Cadence could sleep directly next door.
"That sounds great. I love sleeping in the same room as her, but she's not always the quietest sleeper." She told me.
I showed her where everything was before I went to go put my own room together. I was putting my clothes away when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind.
"Hmmmm." He hummed into my neck.
I giggled. "Don't you have your own house to put together?"
"It can wait." He assured me. "Know what has me so happy?"
"What's that?"
"You'll have no excuse to avoid me."
"I don't avoid you."
"Jen, since we got started you've kept your distance. I think it's about time you told me why."
"I'm just....stubborn. That's all. Just give me time."
"We're way past you needing time. Please talk to me. Addy and I talked about it. She thinks you have some issues when it comes to relationships."
"Adaline has no room to talk. Since her ex left her and Cadence she hasn't gotten involved with anyone, not even friends. Although I think that stems from being in foster homes as a kid."
"Oh but she does have room to talk. I know she hasn't been around you very long but even she can see you pull away from me. You've only had two other relationships besides me, and both ended rather badly. Face it, Jen, you can't let anyone in."
"That's not true. If it were, you wouldn't stay the night."
"There's a difference between intimacy and feelings. And you need to talk to me about yours."
I closed my eyes tightly. Great, he was digging in. After twenty years you'd think I'd be ready to talk.
"Jen," he said, pulling me to sit on the bed with him, "listen to me. Whoever Addy's father is, I'm not him. I'm not going to leave you alone. If you let me, I promise I'll be here for you as long as you want me. Let me show you that I'm not going to hurt you."
I pondered for a moment. I guess I never really had addressed my abandonment issues. As a result, I was now thirty-six and had never been married. I'd only had two relationships besides Colin. I'd always let them go before it got too serious. I almost got married, but I'd called it off. I was too afraid.
I felt myself start to cry. Colin pulled me into his arms and I gave in, letting him comfort me.
"I'm not going to push you. You can do it all on your own time." He said.
"Why do you stick around? If I push you away why do you keep at it?" I asked him.
"Because I'm a patient man. And somebody's got to get past these walls of yours." He told me.
Those three little words were on my mind. I wanted so badly to say them because I knew they were true. But what if he didn't feel the same way?