Confidant & Playlist

23. Adjustment Period

Its late December, two days before Christmas and Bruno has made the decision to introduce his children to his family. The three have arrived in Hawaii and have just reached the Hernandez home.

I scoop up Brooklynn and take Angel's hand. I close my eye and take a deep breath. I knock on the door and listen. The commotion behind it calms, footsteps follow and the door opens. 

"Bruno," Jaime exclaims with wide eyes. She glances from Brooklynn to Angel and then back at me.

"Bruno's here," she calls out into the house then turns back to my kids and I. "These must be..."

"This is Brooklynn," I say looking at my daughter who smiles at her bright eyed. "And this is Angel." I look down at my seven-year-old son who waves at her shyly. 

"They're..."

"Yeah," I look deeply into her dark brown eyes. "They're mine J."

She steps aside and we step inside. Jaime picks up the kids bags by the door and walk inside behind us. 

"Hey family," I call into the house looking to my left where the living room lies. My nephews run into the foyer following my voice but they stop short at the sight. The remainder of my family members enter afterward and everyone looks at the three of us. Jaime walks over to her boys.

"I apologize for not telling you all sooner but," I pause and look from Brooklynn to Angel. "After Lacey passed, Delancy told me that she had had children by me."

I pause and look over the room and for the first time a long time feeling several pairs of eyes on me at once is less than comfortable. I attempt to swallow the growing knot in my throat.

"She hid them from me. She planned on telling me but when she was told that she had cancer, she decided it was best to wait until she had passed. This is Brooklynn and this Angel...they're all I have left of her."

 ________

Christmas Day, early evening around 8pm. The Hernandez family is enjoying the large amount of food, desserts, drinks, gifts and enjoying each other's company. The living room is filled with light chatter, the scent of pine cones and peppermint-chocolate chip cookies. Bruno is seated in a recliner with his son sitting on his right leg. 

"Angel."

My seven-year-old son shifts in my lap and turns to look at me. His dark brown eyes meet mine and I see Lacey's vocal dark brown eyes. He takes a bite from his cookie, chews slowly and tightens his grip on his Collossus action figure in his opposite hand.

"You ok lil' man?" I ask in the most cheerfull voice I can muster. I brush the cookie crumbs from his cheeks.

He nods quickly, I grasp his head and bring it to my lips. 

"Good."

He settles against me lying on my chest. My eyes linger over the living room. I bring my half glass of spiked egg nog to my lips and take a sip. Bia is busy playing with Nyjah, Zyah and the dogs on the floor. Powing around with them like she's known them all her life. She looks much like her--like Lacey--she has such an adult face for a six year old. Just then Tahiti walks over to me with Haze on her hip she offers me a red and green striped Christmas gift bag. I look up to her.

"Its for you," she says.

"I though I opened all of mine."

"We must have missed this one."

I take the bag from her and reach inside. After a handful of tissue paper I pull out a CD followed by a card, and a small box. I set them on my lap beside Angel and open the card. My eyes widen. Its in Lacey's hand writing, her thing sharp letters on card-stock in a delicate hand. There is only one sentence written inside.