Braxton thought his life was as close to perfect as it could be. He was finally accepted in a family who he loved and who loved him in return. But when an important figure returns from the past all of that is threatened.
So what does Braxton do?
Def...
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"Do you have the cake?" I turn at the sound of Aspen's groggy morning voice. Her hair is ratty from tossing and turning in bed last night. Her eyes are beat red and squinted, not quite ready to give up on the idea of sleep. She rubs her eyes and lets out a small, yet oddly adorable, yawn. She's a mess but she's my mess.
"Of course I did, haven't you seen it? It's been sitting over there on the counter for a day now. It's the one Ana picked out, pink princess galore." Aspen blinks a few times, processing the information as quickly as she can on only a few hours of sleep. I sip my coffee, watching her slowly process the information.
I don't bother mentioning how the bakers spelled Ana's name wrong and I had to take the cake back and request that they refrost it with the correct spelling. Twice. The first attempt - Annie - wasn't even close. The second time was better. Anna was a pretty strong try. When I told the woman it was only one 'N' I thought she was going to tear her hair out.
Only after I insisted that she let me wait for the cake and watch her frost it to make absolutely sure she got it right did she finally write 'Ana' on the cake.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Aspen exclaims. She runs a hand down her face and stretches out her back slowly. "Sorry Brax, I forgot." I smile and reached back behind me to retrieve the cup of coffee with two sugar packets and a cup of milk that I'd already prepared for her this morning. Just the way she likes it.
"You look like you could use this." I say, putting on my best Prince Charming face that Ana had helped me perfect last week when we were playing Cinderella. She smiles taking the mug from my hand before taking a sip, shifting the cup between her own hands. I almost wonder if she worries her hands aren't awake enough to hold it properly with one hand.
"Did you sleep okay?" She nods, still looking down at her coffee and making the hot liquid spin in circles with a spoon she'd retrieved from the drawer only a moment ago. Aspen worries, and when Aspen starts to worry she can't stop and ends up staying up all night because the gears in her head just keep turning.
"The best sleep a mother can get before her baby turns another year older." Aspen replied, her mouth dry with sarcasm. I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush against my side and kissing her temple. "When did I get so damn old?" She groans, using the stove top as a reflective surface to tug at her face and check up on the wrinkles she claims to have.
"You can't be old Aspen!" I exclaim, putting a hand to my chest overdramatically. "I'm three whole years older than you. If you're old that would make me... ancient!" I pretend to die, leaning on Aspen and wheezing like all the mendo in movies after they realize they've been shot. Aspen giggles and throws her fist at my chest playfully.
"I'm serious Braxton! I really worry about these things you know!" I rub my hand up and down her arm, leaning my head on top of hers. "Sometimes I don't think I'm enough for Ana, ya know? What if I die suddenly one day and she's got no one?"
