Tattoo//LRH

19. Cutie

"Hey cutie." Madison slurs in her morning voice. "Morning." I groggily reply to feel her hand on my chest. "Not you." She smiles. The baby boy in my arms giggles along with her. She starts to go on with her realistic manner while taking the boy out of my hands, placing a big kiss on his chubby cheek. "So, it's been 3 days and you haven't told your mom. What do you thinks gonna happen when spring break is over next week and we have to go back to school?" I run my heads through my hair. "I don't know, Madison." I state through a yawn. "Can I just drop out?" She smiled and shook her head. "Follow your heart, Hemmings." She jokes.

"I'm smelling breakfast." I crinkle my nose in the process. "Yeah, I'm hungry." We walk down the stairs and nearly reach the last step before Madison turns around. "Go go go go go!" She whisper-yelled at me to turn around and go back upstairs, which I did ever so carefully with a baby in my arms. We reached the hall way when I asked her what the rush was. "What happened?" "Your mother is talking to my father over a cup of coffee as we speak." The blue orbs on my face grew wide. "What."

"Guys! Wake up. Someone wants to see you." Madison's dad calls us from downstairs. "What do we do?!?" I prepare to toss my child as if we are playing hot potato. "You're going to go down there and tell her the truth. About everything." "Madi." I whine. She takes Carter and follows behind me.

"Good morning stranger." My mother annoyingly announces once she sees me. "Morning mu-" "You think it's ok to stay away from home for 3 days?" I shrugged slightly. "I texted you." She looked like she wanted to kill me. She scoffs and crosses her arms, not afraid to get mad at me in front of others. "That doesn't make it ok! I was-"

"Mum, you wouldn't even notice that I wasn't home if I didn't text you, telling you I'm staying here." 

"That's bullshit, Luke. Stop acting like no one cares-"

"I was kinda busy raising a kid."

"For the love of God, let me finish a sentence-"

"My kid. I was busy raising my kid. With the help of them, obviously." My voice began to fall silent. She doesn't understand what I mean yet. "This is Carter." I point to Madison as her cue to stand beside me with the boy in her arms. She smiles. My mum loves babies. I can see by the look on her face how thrilled she is to see a healthy and happy baby in front of her. But she still doesn't seem to grasp that it's mine.

"He's your grandson, Mum." "No." She shook her head, tears spilling slowly. "Maia, bless her soul. She lost her life and left him behind, leaving him for Madison. And bless your soul too sweetheart, and the best of luck. But it's not your battle, Luke. You need to focus on yourself and work on yourself. Not envelop yourself with more issues."

Madison takes a shot in the dark and speaks up. "Mrs Hemmings. I don't think you understand. "

"I understand that I'm sure he'll turn out to be an amazing kid. But an amazing kid that isn't apart of my kids life."

"Can you hold him for a second?" Madison's dad gets up from the bar stool. "No. We will be leaving now, Luke." Madi's dad doesn't hesitate for a second. He isn't afraid of crossing boundaries because he knows I can't do it for myself. "You're afraid to see your baby in his own."

My mom shook her head again, not wanting to believe anything going on around her. "You are 17 years old, what in hells name makes you think that you can have a baby? What made you so stupid to date a girl for 2 months and get her pregnant, what makes you-"

"What makes you think you can come into my fathers house and tell your son he can't raise his own kid?" The room falls silent. I want to tell her to watch her mouth because shes talking to my mom, but I also wanna cheer her on and keep this going. Her father is contemplating the same dilemma in his head. "You don't even know the issues he has. It's a lot bigger than sneaking a couple beers a night and sliding out of his bedroom window. And the fact that I know all about it and still manage to have faith in him and support him. That says a lot."