Coming Home

Chapter 21

Cayden’s POV

She was going on a date. A date. Without me. She was going on a date without me. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I know I royally messed things up between us three years ago, but we had been making so much progress. She had lived with me for a month at that point and things couldn’t be better. Things were like they were before I cheated except for the fact that we weren’t dating. We flirted all the time and I was constantly taking her and the boys out when I wasn’t in school or at practice. I thought we were really making progress and getting somewhere. I guess I was wrong.

“Okay, the boys are sleeping and Tyson will be here any minute. Are you sure you don’t mind watching them while I go?” she asked as she walked into the room.

“Of course,” I answered shortly, trying to hide the fact that I really wasn’t okay with it, but I think I failed.

She stood in the doorway acting all jittery. I watched her as she paced slightly in the doorway. The dress she had on made my heartbeat speed up. It was midnight blue and it ended right above her knees. The straps were thin and rested on her small shoulders. It was tight at the top but flowed out right below her bust. She looked beautiful and I couldn’t help but feel pained that it wasn’t for me.

The doorbell rang and she hurried to it, practically jumping in excitement. I sighed as I looked up and saw the guy she was going on her date with. She was all smiles and she said bye before she left the house with him. I let my head fall into my hands as I heard the sounds of his car driving away. I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering how I ever let things get this bad.

Standing up, I made my way to my sons’ room. Opening the door quietly, I slipped into the room. A broad smile formed on my face as I watched the two of them sleep. I sat down on the floor between their beds, looking from one to the other. I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in a few short months. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much that I would gladly give my life for them until my sons. They had me wrapped around their little fingers since the very first time I saw them and I was perfectly okay with that. I loved those two little boys more than anything in the world and I would kill anyone who tried to hurt them.

After a while, I stood up and placed a kiss on their foreheads before leaving their room. I walked down the hall to Kenzi’s room and opened her door. I knew she’d hate it if she knew I was in her room without permission, but I wasn’t there to snoop. I walked over to her closet and pulled out the box I knew was in there. Sitting next to the box was a framed picture that I hadn’t seen in years. Setting the box down gently on the floor, I hoisted the framed picture into the air in front of me.

The picture was taken five years ago, on my fifteenth birthday. It was a Saturday and we were at the beach. My family was there along with Kenzi and her family, Tegan and her family, and Liam and his family. Birthdays had always been a big deal for us and this one was no exception. Kenzi and I had started dating about two weeks before and everything was going great. The picture was taken towards the end of the day, when the sun was starting to set. We were standing on the shoreline and I was standing in front of her with my arms wrapped around her slender waist. She was leaning back into me with her head rested on my chest. Her head was tilted to the side, looking up at me, a dazzling smile on her face. My smile mirrored hers as I looked down at her. It was that day that I realized I was in love with Makenzi Marie Fox and I always would be.

I gently put the picture back before taking the box and walking into the living room with it. I sank down to the floor and opened the top of the box, smiling as all the pictures came into my sight. The ones on the top were of Cain and Asher. I smiled as I filtered through them, loving the fact that they were mine. The pictures were mostly of just the boys but some had other people in them, too. I recognized James, Jen, and Parker in some of them. Others had Kenzi’s family and a couple had Tegan in them. All of the pictures were from when Kenzi was in Arizona. She had taken hundreds of pictures over the last few months, but she hadn’t has the time to get them printed off.