Mackenzie walked up the front steps of her apartment building, her hand tight around Caden's. The 5 year old was chatting away about his adventures of kindergarten and learning to read. "And then, Miss Emily told me that I maked the best picture in the whole class!" Caden grinned proudly.
"Did you really?" She beamed down at him. "Wow, what did you draw?"
"It was a picture of me and you and Daddy." Caden smiled up at her. "Can we go see Daddy soon Mumma?" Mackenzie sighed softly and picked Caden up as she walked toward the elevator. She didn't know how to tell Caden that his father was dead, she didn't want to tell him that his father was dead. When he first asked, she'd simply say that his father had moved to Australia to be with his mummy and daddy, it was easier to explain that way. She didn't want him to find out the truth until he was much older.
"No, bug, we can't go see Daddy." She sighed, watching the frown replace his smile. "He's too busy." She lied, pressing their floor number. Caden sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.
"I wish Daddy loved me.." Caden mumbled and Mackenzie's heart broke into a million pieces.
"Daddy loves you so much, bugaboo." Mackenzie set Caden down when they reached their door, she unlocked it slowly before pushing it open.
"If Daddy loved me, he would be here with us!" Caden yelled, running into their apartment. He ran to the living room and leaned against the couch, burying his face in the cushion. He looked over at the other cushion when he felt something unfamiliar on the fabric. "Mumma, what's this?" He asked, holding up the small envelope. "It says Mackenzie on it, and that's your name."
"That is my name, baby." She nodded and took the envelope from Caden. She opened it and pulled out the pieces of paper inside. She gasped as she looked at the two plane tickets to Australia.
"What is it, Mumma?" Caden asked, trying to look at the papers. He took the tickets from Mackenzie's hands and squinted his eyes.
"What is Aus.. Austalia?" Caden asked, trying to sound out the large word.
"Australia is where Daddy is from, remember?" Mackenzie smiled softly as he cheered and jumped into her lap. She unfolded the paper and read the familiar handwriting.
I'm so sorry I had to do that. I hope you and Caden can forgive me. -L.
Mackenzie's breath hitched in her throat, rereading the letter. "Mumma, what's wrong?" Caden asked, looking at her a little concerned.
"We're going to Australia." She smiled widely, turning to Caden. "We're going to see Daddy!" A big smile erupted on Caden's face as Mackenzie spoke.
"Yay! We're going to see Daddy!" Caden grinned and jumped around the living room. Mackenzie giggled and wrapped her arms around Caden, pulling him close to her.
"I need you to be a big boy and go put your favorite clothes in your backpack, okay? We have to leave as soon as possible." Mackenzie smiled. "Can you do that?" Caden nodded frantically, squirming out of Mackenzie's arms. He ran down the hall to his room and began throwing clothes into his bag. Mackenzie looked at the tickets again. They would depart in the morning at 4:30am. She stood up and walked to her bedroom, pulling out her suitcase. She folded up all of the clothes she could fit and shoved in her toiletries. She put Caden's in a separate bag and put them in her suitcase. She grabbed everything that was significant to her in the small crappy apartment and shoved it in her suitcase.
Caden ran down the hall to her room and stood in the doorway.
"I'm ready!" Caden grinned and Mackenzie giggled softly.
"We're not leaving yet, bug. We're leaving really early in the morning." She smiled and knelt down in front of him. "Are you going to be a big boy for Mumma on the airplane tomorrow?" Caden nodded frantically once more.
"Yes, Mumma. Always gonna be a big boy!" Caden grinned, hugging her tightly. Mackenzie smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Do you want to sleep in Mumma's bed tonight before our big trip?" She smiled, rubbing his back. He grinned and nodded. "Alright, go put your PJ's on and we can lay in bed and watch movies before we sleep." Mackenzie kissed his forehead and patted his bottom, sending him back to his room. She played his favorite movie as they lied in bed. Caden fell asleep within the first half an hour of the movie. She smiled as soft snores came from him. she slipped out of the bed and grabbed the other large suitcase that was in her closet, bringing it into Caden's tiny room, as she began packing his room up.
After Luke, she had delivered Caden alone in the hospital. Luckily, her mom and Jackson arrived the next day as a way to surprise her and apologize for leaving her. She had sold her and Sarah's apartment and moved into a tiny little crappy apartment. With the amount of stuff they had, they could easily pack everything up within a couple of hours.
At 3:24am, Mackenzie and Caden arrived at the airport. They checked their bags in and went through security. With only about 10 minutes to spare, the two made it to their terminal as they called the boarding. Mackenzie made sure that Caden was always holding her hand or on her hip. She wasn't about to lose her son in a busy airport. "How long does it take to get there, Mumma?" Caden asked, yawning softly.
"A very long time. You can sleep on the plane, okay?" She smiled, hugging him close. He nodded and followed Mackenzie down the small hallway to their plane. She helped Caden into his seat and got him buckled. She sat next to him and buckled herself in, ready to see the love of her life again.
They landed at 4:58am the next morning. Mackenzie held Caden's hand as they walked through the long hallway and back to the main building of the Sydney airport. "Mumma, I'm tired." Caden whined, tugging on her hand.
"I know, bug. We're almost there. We just have to pick up our bags and see what's going on, okay, baby?" Mackenzie rubbed his hand gently and led him over to baggage claim.
They found their suitcases and walked out through security to the large open space of the airport. There were probably 100 people there, waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Mackenzie looked out at the crowd, eyes scanning the faces. Her eyes stopped on a familiar head of tousled blonde hair, his muscular body leaning against the white wall of the airport. The black skinny jeans and leather black jacket were a dead giveaway that it was him. Now she finally felt it.
She was home.
YOU ARE READING
Second Chances
Teen Fiction"Well, I don't love you! So why don't you just leave me alone!" Luke screamed back. The air seemed to leave the room completely. Both of them were at a loss of breath. The tears that formed in her eyes were now freely streaming down her reddened che...
