Nitro
Four Years Later
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Tristen asked for the third time.
“Already told you I’ve got it covered.”
“But you know how she can get when she’s not feeling well, and you have….”
“Tristen, get to class. I have this under control.” I gave her a kiss on the lips and then headed for the refrigerator. “And don’t text me every five minutes to check on things.”
With a disgruntled sigh, she walked over to Callie and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “Be good for your daddy. You know how he can get when things don’t go his way.”
“Daddy’s a bad boy,” Callie replied.
“No, your daddy is a good boy. It’s your mother who’s bad,” I told our two-year-old daughter as I walked over to the table with her bowl of cereal. “If she doesn’t go on to school, she won’t graduate next week.”
“Go momma. You get in trouble.”
Tristen kissed her one last time and then walked over to me. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I won’t.” I gave her a quick kiss and then motioned her towards the door. “You’re going to be late.”
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Take your time. My girl and I have big plans for the morning.” I gave it my all, but I could still see the apprehension on her face as she walked towards the door.
“Don’t forget to give her the pink medicine as soon as she’s done eating.”
“Got it.”
As she opened the door, she turned to me and smiled. “And one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Love you, too. Now, move your ass.”
Once she was gone, I sat down at the table next to my beautiful daughter with her curly blonde hair and crystal blue eyes and smiled as she shoved a handful of cereal into her mouth. Life was good. I had everything I’d ever wanted and more. I’d never admit it to her, but I owed it to my mother. Until she said it out loud, I hadn’t realized how much I was letting my fear dictate my life—not just with Tristen, but in every facet of my life. I still had my moments when I wanted to fight for control, to hold those that I cared about close and protect them at all costs, but I was slowly learning there was nothing I could do to stop the world from turning. I had to grab life by the horns and live, and with Tristen by my side, it was one hell of a ride.
“I need a dink.”
I loved the sound of her sweet voice. “What do you want to drink, sweetheart?”
“Duice.”
“Juice?”
“Yes, p’ease.”
I got up and walked over to the fridge and filled her sippy cup with orange juice. I walked back over and sat it down on her tray. “There you go.”
She reached for her cup and took a drink, and her face scrunched up like she’d tasted something awful. As she shook her head, she tossed the cup across the floor. “Yuck.”
“Whoa. What was that?” I walked over and picked up the cup, then placed it back on her tray. “That wasn’t nice, Callie.”
“I need a dink.”
“I got you a drink.”
“Not good dink. Yuck.”
She picked the cup up again and tossed it on the floor. Like her mother, my daughter had a fiery side, and when she didn’t feel well, she was quite the little stinker. I walked over to her high chair and lifted her out of her seat. “That’s enough of that.”
When I kissed her on the top of her head, she was warm, and I realized that her fever was back. I took her into the kitchen and sat her down on the counter while I got her medicine out of the cabinet. “Momma said da pink bottle.”
“I know you need the pink medicine, Bossy, but you need Tylenol, too.”
She pouted as she shook her head. “It ‘dastes bad.”
“No, this is the good one. It tastes like grape.”
“You sw-ure?”
“Yep. You’ll like it.”
Once I’d given her a teaspoon from both bottles, I carried her into the living room and sat down in my recliner. I turned on some cartoons and started rocking her. She nestled herself in the crook of my arm as her focus locked on the television screen. The more I rocked, the heavier her eyelids became, and after just a few minutes, she fell asleep in my arms. There’d been a time when I thought I’d never have it again, but at that moment, I felt complete and utter happiness.
I hadn’t realized I’d dozed off, until I felt Callie tugging on the collar of my shirt. “Momma home.”
I looked up and found Tristen staring down at me with a look—one that said ‘I love you’ without saying the words. “That was quick.”
“Not really… I’ve been gone two hours.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“Um hmm.” She smiled excitedly. “I’ve got good news.”
I pulled her down into my lap next to Callie and said, “Let’s hear it.”
“When I turned in my final today, the professor asked to talk to me after class. He told me about a job opening at the counseling center downtown. He’s already put a call into the office and told them about me. He thinks I’d be perfect for the job.”
“That’s awesome.”
“I’m just not sure if it’s the right thing for me to do… under the circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
“Well, with the baby coming, I hate to start a new job, only to have to leave them in the lurch after seven or eight months.”
“Wait… what?”
She bit at her lip as she took Callie from me and cradled her close to her chest. “It looks like our little Callie is going to be a big sister soon.”
She looked over to me and smiled, knowing I was about to lose it. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes, Nathan. It looks like you’re going to be a father… again.”
“You’re pregnant?” Her smile grew wider as I finally started to comprehend what she was saying. “Like, right now… right this minute… you’re pregnant?”
“Yes.” She placed the palm of her hand on my cheek. “I’m pregnant… right now… right this minute.”
Unable to control myself, I stood up with both of them in my arms. Holding them tightly, I smiled and said, “It just keeps getting better and better.”
Tristen looked up at me and said, “I love you, Nathan James.”
“And I love you, Tristen James. Heart and soul.”
The End.
More from Max coming soon.