Unseen

Chapter Nine: Family Matters

Family Matters

Brayden giggled, slamming his hands in his high chair as Kayla prepared his dinner. She couldn't help but shake her head at him with a laugh herself. The little boy had an appetite similar to his father's and would stop at nothing to have a full stomach. Kayla was on her third cup of ravioli, and he could've taken twelve more. It was their first time being alone, due to his father having a meeting with his team and coaches, and Kayla was enjoying herself.

But she felt herself longing for Preston. He left as soon as they finished serving breakfast at the shelter, and she hadn't heard from him since. The team was reviewing rather or not he deserved to compete in the Olympics. He'd done everything he was supposed to concerning the woman who was hurt in the accident, he'd passed all of his drug and alcohol testing, and he now had custody of his son. He'd been sober for almost a month and Kayla was making everything easier for him.

When she thought about him, her heart couldn't help but flutter. In the three weeks they'd spent together, their feelings for each other magnified ten times over. They enjoyed each other's company, and each of them found themselves yearning for each other. It was like they had fallen in love all over again, but in reality, they hadn't fallen out of love to begin with.

Preston sighed heavily as he came through the door to Kayla's condo, shrugging off the press as they shouted at him. They all wanted to know what had happened in the meeting, but he didn't want to say a word without checking with Kayla. When the door opened, he saw his little boy and his first love chasing each other. Though not perfected, Brayden's walking had bettered, and he wasn't doing so bad. Suddenly, Preston's mood completely changed. He was happy to be back around his little family, and he couldn't wait to kiss the both of them.

"Oh! Look who's back!" Kayla called as Brayden's eyes turned toward the door. He freaked out and attempted to sprint to his dad, ending in a fall. The two laughed loudly as Preston bent down to pick him up.

"Hi, baby boy. How's daddy's baby?" Preston grinned, kissing his son's lips softly.

"Daddy!" Brayden yelled back as Kayla approached him carefully. When he left, she assured him everything would be okay, but he was visibly upset. Now, he seemed relieved, so she was hoping for good news.

"Hi, Pres," Kayla grinned as he pulled her into his other arm. He simply hugged the both of them for a few moments before letting go with a huff. Kayla leaned her head up and kissed his cheek as if to calm him down, and he nodded, remembering to take everything in stride.

"Hey. So, I have news," he sighed, walking to his room to change. They'd decided they would take Brayden to the park again, but they were waiting until the sun was starting to set so it wouldn't irritate the baby's sensitive skin. Kayla took Brayden so his dad could change, and the one year old almost immediately began tugging at her hair.

"What'd they say?"

"They said I'm back on, that I'm good for the next cycle. But... they also want me to give Brayden to either you or my mom and stop dating you," Preston sighed as Kayla cocked her head.

"They can't tell you stuff like that. That's violating your personal life, and technically, they're employing you. That's insane," she rebutted as Preston changed shirts.

"I know, that's what Brenda said, and they were cool with taking it back. But it was weird. I went to see the guys, and they were all telling me the same thing. I think the staff put them up to it and it's scaring me. I don't like the peer pressure stuff," Preston rolled his eyes, putting on a pair of shorts.

"So..." trailed Kayla awkwardly as he turned to her with a hiked eyebrow.

"What?"

"Are you... going to?"