Back to you

thank you

"Do you want me to go and get Leilani while you get the table ready or do you want me to do the table and you go and get her?"

"No um I think I am going to let her sleep she hasn't gotten much slept much lately" I help her move everything to the table before we start eating

"So what's with the accent?" Australian I think

"Oh well after I had her I just couldn't keep her I could not do that to her it would have been so hard for all of us and so wrong of me so I had to give her up I ended up giving her to Sofia and James because I figured she'd be in a whole different country so no one would suspect a thing and she would be far from all of this, all of us, everything that we went and were and would have gone through. She wouldn't have had her dad." I saw a tear fall down her cheek she wiped it away before it hit her jaw. "I hope you don't mind"

"Of course, I don't mind this was your choice to make and I 100% respect it. How did you um find out that you were pregnant? If you don't mind me asking"

"No not at all, well it's not anything special I was at the doctor's for a check-up they took some tests and asked me to come back a week later, I went, and they said that the test results came back positive for pregnancy. I was terrified because well I was alone. I didn't have anyone with me every step of the way, someone to comfort me when I was sad, tired, sick, emotional." The look in her eyes was killing me I couldn't just sit there and do nothing anymore.

"Hey hey" I moved from the chair across from her to next to her and put my hand on her knee moving my thumb up and down. "like I said I will always be here anytime you need me"

"Thank you for coming and being here with me"

—
Jen's pov

We chat as we eat, nothing special just about life and how we have both been since we parted ways almost 14 years ago. It's weird though. Everything is so.. Easy. It's like those 14 years never passed I feel like I'm sitting here eating dinner with the Brad I was married to all those years ago. Just one night after work both of us telling the other about our day, conversations filled with laughter, a few tears here and there, and well starring into the eyes of the one we love with everything we possibly could. Weird, right?

"Listen, Brad, I know that this is a lot of information to put on you all in one day so I completely understand if you need some time to digest it all, some time on your own to decide if you want to be involved in Leilani's life. I completely understand if this is too difficult for you and you would rather not but I just want the best possible life for her. It's only going to get harder on her and us as well from here on out so if you want me to keep you out of this whole situa-"

"Woah Woah, Do you really think I'm going to make you deal with this on your own? Raising her in the world we live in by yourself?" He cuts me off with somewhat of a harsh confused tone in his voice.

"Well I'm not sure like I said I know it's a lot to spring on you in one day" I stop and take a second to choose my next words carefully "You have a whole other life Brad, I mean the kids, the divorce, all your projects. It's not like you can drop them all just to help me you know! It would be greatly appreciated if we could get some of your time but again I understand if it's too hard for you"

"Jen listen, I would never ever ever let you do this on your own okay?" He said while reaching for my hands to hold "I get that I can't just drop everything to be here and help you every second but I would like to be involved as much as possible. She's my daughter too, I am just as responsible as you are okay?" I was now openly crying. Releasing all of my bottled-up emotions from over the past few weeks when I not only found out I was meeting Leilani, my only child who I have not seen in 13 years but the stress of having to do this all by myself. "Come here" he finally says standing up and pulling up to my feet while wrapping his arms around me. I rest my head on his chest letting the fabric of his shirt soak up my tears, as he whispers reassuring words to me.

"We will get through this Jen I know we will. We always get through it. Okay?" I nod into his chest while pulling him closer into me so there is barely any space left between us. He kisses my head then lifts my chin up to lock my eyes with his "I don't want you to think you're doing this on your own. I'll be here for you every step of the way. We're going to have it tough but it's nothing we can't handle together" He wipes the tears off of my face away with his thumb making me giggle. "There's that smile".

"Thank you for everything, Thank you again for being here. You have no idea how terrified I was of the thought of having to go through this alone." I loosen my grip around him and take a little step back so I can look at him comfortably, our arms still around each other. "I figured you would want nothing to do with us after I told you"

"Oh come on, could I really be that shitty?" He said in a playful tone making me tilt my head and press my lips together "Well-" I said jokingly but before I could speak another word he jumped in "Okay, yes. I understand what I did back then was so very shitty of me" I giggle as I nod at what he said, he smiled before he continues. "I was very clearly out of my mind but I would just like to say that I am so sorry for everything. Sorry for all the pain I caused you, sorry for the way I acted, sorry for the things I did. But I apologise the most for not being there when it mattered. I don't expect you to forgive me straight away okay? I would just like you to know that I have changed so much since then, I've grown, I've matured and I'm ready to be here for you whenever you need."

I can't help the tears falling again. All the tears I have bottled-up from all those years of pain, hurt feeling, resentment I've been holding on to, waiting for this day to come. He pulls me in closer again as his tears have started aswell. We stay like this just holding each other letting go off all the pain we have suffered together.