DAWG

Twelve

Twelve

It was just nearing noon and Promise was sauntering out of the kitchen with a small pack of graham crackers and a juice box. She giggled lightly as she witnessed her son sprawled in the floor in front of the television. He was in the midst of watching an old rerun of Blues Clues. "Come get your snack Zay." She ordered gently. He sat up but his gaze remained fixed on the show. She smiled and sat the snack down in front of him.

She grasped him in her hands and moved his body a little further away from the TV, "You're sitting too close baby boy." Zayvion glanced up at her with a smile and she returned the small gesture. She placed a numerous amount of kisses on his sun-kissed cheek. "Mommy noooo."He whined with a faux pout. He swatted her away with a playful grin on his face. She rolled her eyes jovially,"Alright, I'm gonna leave you to your show little one since you just don't seemed to want to be bothered with your mommy."

She trudged across the carpeted floor and headed towards the couch. She sighed loudly as she plopped down into the soft confinement of pillows. She knew her little dramatic act would catch her son's attention. It amazed her how observant he was of her at such a young age. He always had to make sure she was okay. He averted his stare from the show and peered over at his mother. "I luh' you mommy,"He said with wide hazel-green eyes. She pretended to be too focused on her manicured nails to pay him any attention.

She watched as he stood up from his seat and ran over to her on wobbly legs,"Mommy!" He stood in the middle of her legs and rested his small hands on hers. "I luh' you."He reiterated. Promise grinned and reached out towards him with open arms. He crawled into them and wrapped his arms around her midsection and attempted to squeeze her as tight as she normally did him. "I love you too."She said. He swiftly pulled away, obviously satisfied with her answer.

A knock sounded at the door just as Zayvion crawled out of his mother's embrace. She allowed him to go back over to his spot on the floor before she decided to move. She then hopped up and slowly made her way to the door. She was pretty confident that she knew who was on the other side of it – Zayne. He'd chosen to meet his son the following day, because he claimed he just couldn't wait to meet him. This filled her with excitement as she couldn't wait to see how the two would interact with one another. It warmed her up inside to know that Zayne seemed to be just as ecstatic.

Promise pulled the door open, her blue green irises slowly gliding up Zayne's tall frame. He stood lean clad in a simple black tee shirt, black Nike basketball shorts, and a pair of Bred 11's on his feet. "You gonna let me in?"He chuckled, evidently catching on to her wondering stare. She stepped aside to allow him entrance into her apartment. She caught a whiff of the warm summer air just before closing the door.

When she turned around she nearly collided with his chest. She hadn't realized he was still standing behind her. She thought he would have already gone into the living room. She took a step back to look up into his eyes. "He's in the living room just finishing up his show and snack."She told him as she caught the end of the Blues Clues theme song. He rubbed his hands together with a small grin on his face. She could sense the nervousness in him with the way he was sticking so close to her.

She grabbed his hand and began to lead him. "Don't be nervous. You'll be fine, I'm sure."She laughed. He glanced down at her with a nod of his head, "I'm trying not to be..." She let go of his hand and sauntered back over towards the couch. Taking her seat, she waved him over and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit,"She found herself laughing a little more.

He observed the room, his emerald green eyes instantly stopping on the toddler that still remained sitting in the middle of the floor. He kept his gaze on him as he walked over to the couch and took a seat. "Zay! Come here, babe." Zayvion hopped up and ran over towards his mother. She picked him up from the floor and sat him on her lap. "Baby, I want you to meet someone, okay?"She grinned while glancing at Zayne, who was still watching the two,"This is your dad, Zayne."