by Faye Byrd
His hard eyes, which have been glued to Richard, slowly move in my direction. My hands work their way to where he’s holding Richard’s shirt and holding his gaze, I work to loosen his grip.
His brows furrow, glancing at our hands and back to me. I push closer and cup his face in both my hands. “Listen to me,” I say sternly, holding his eyes with my own. “You have to stop. This isn’t Richard’s fault.”
“Bullshit,” Trystan spits, shaking his petrified frame once more.
I hold his face tighter, praying for him to feel me, feel my love and compassion. “No. It’s not. This is Brandy’s fault, maybe, but even so … don’t you see? Haven’t we already accepted that the switch was a necessity?”
His grip loosens and Richard slumps, barely able to stand on his own, but I can’t focus on that right now. My eyes are glued to Trystan. “You’d be in Chicago with Cam, and I’d be here with Blake. That’s it. We’d have never met, they’d have never met.”
Trystan’s eyes fill with wetness, and he pulls me to him for a bone-crushing hug. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you,” I whisper as I pull away and wipe his cheeks. “I still want to see her punished for her nefarious actions, but I can’t blame Richard.” I search the room until my eyes land on the sofa. “I don’t blame you, Richard, at all, but we will need to notify the investigator overseeing this case.
“Of course.” He nods vigorously. “I’m just so sorry, Easy. I never thought …”
To my surprise, Trystan clears his throat. “No, I’m sorry. I kinda lost it for a minute there.” He walks over and holds out his hand. “No hard feelings?”
Richard eyes his hand warily before slowly reaching out to take it. “Thanks, man.”
I settle on the sofa beside Richard as Trystan places a call to Joel Masters. We don’t say much as the tenseness of the conversation is a heavy load to bear. Just as everything in our life evens out, another turn is tossed our way. I guess it’s par for the course.
After a few minutes of quiet mutterings, Trystan finally comes over and perches on the arm beside me. “Investigator Masters is on his way.”
I reassure myself that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and push the rest from my mind. Afterward, I turn to Richard with a smile. “So, do you want to fill me in on Africa while we wait?”
“Um … sure,” he says, hesitantly turning my way. When he recognizes my smile, his shoulders relax. “Thank you, Easy.”
14 Stop
Trystan
January blows into February and with it comes Easton’s twelve-week mark. Since her sonogram two weeks ago, we’ve been holding in some exciting news, and it’s time to let the cat out of the bag.
With the boys’ fourth birthday falling at the end of the month, making sure our news doesn’t overshadow it is a top priority. All the stars seem to align the weekend before Valentine’s Day, though. Everyone we love will be in town, including my parents and even Brandon, who is visiting Amelia.
“Boys,” I call up the stairs. “Could you come down for a minute?”
“Coming,” Blake’s small voice echoes from their room. I chuckle and shake my head, making my way to the sofa where Easton is already settled.
With a kiss to her cheek, I take my seat beside her. “Are you ready for this?”
She giggles and shakes her head. “Ready? I think my mom already knows and is just waiting on pins and needles for us to admit it.”
“Oh yeah?” I lift a brow. “What did she say?”
“She hasn't said anything, but she keeps looking at me strangely,” Easton explains. “It's like she's studying me, trying to figure out exactly what's different.”
I reach up and brush my fingers along her cheek. “Well, there is a glow here.”
She rolls her eyes and waves her hands over the teeny bump that is easily hidden by a loose-fitting shirt. “More like a noticeable bulge here.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I think that’s the general idea. You are carrying precious cargo in there.” My hand slides down to cradle her stomach.
She smiles, but it falls just slightly. “How do you think the boys are going to react?”
“They've proven themselves to be accepting, so I don't see why this would be any dif—” I break off at the sound of footsteps stomping down the stairs.
Easton gives me a pointed look before smiling in their direction. “Hey, sweeties. Come sit.” She pats the space on the other side of her.
“Hey, Mama,” Blake says as he climbs on the couch. “What you want?”
“We was playing wif our race track,” Cam adds to let us know we've interrupted them.
“Oh, well excuse us for wanting to talk with our boys,” I say sarcastically as I reach over to muss their steadily growing curls.
“Quit, Daddy,” Blake says, moving from my reach, while Cam just giggles.
“We wouldn’t have called you from your toys unless it was important. The least you can do is pretend to act like you care.” I poke Blake in the ribs and chuckle as he squeals.
“Okay, boys,” Easton interrupts, pulling my hand away. “We need to have a serious talk.”
“Okay, talk,” Blake says, motioning for her to go ahead.
Cam, our more sensitive kid, scoots closer and raises up on his knees to cup Easton's face. “What the matter, Mama? Are we in trouble?”
I reach over and lift him, bringing him to my lap. “No, dude, you're not in trouble … unless you did something wrong you need to tell us about?”
He shakes his head rapidly. “No, we been good boys.”
“All right, then, you’re not in trouble. We wanted to talk about that secret we’ve been keeping. Remember?” I ask, lifting a brow.
Cam studies me questioningly, but Blake doesn’t miss a beat. “You mean the baby? We can tell now?”
Cam’s brows rise, and he snaps his head to Easton, or more specifically, her stomach. “I still don’t see no baby.”
Easton giggles and leans back, pulling up her shirt to expose her small tummy. “It's still small, but it's starting to grow.” Her hand lovingly caresses the small bump.
Very timidly, Cam reaches over and touches her stomach. “That the baby?”
I reach over and move his hand across the rounded section. “You feel that curve? He or she is getting bigger.”
When I let go, he pulls his hand back and shrugs. “Cool.”
“Now back to the part about telling the secret,” Easton says, talking to them very seriously. “Grandma and Grampa will be here tomorrow, and everyone’s getting together at Kari and Cooper’s house on Sunday. We thought that’d be the perfect time for you guys to let everybody know.”
“So what you gonna say, Daddy?” Blake asks.
“What do you mean, dude?”
“When we telled Mama, ‘member?” He sighs like he’s frustrated with me. “You told us what you was gonna say first.”
“Ohhh, right,” I say, nodding. “Good idea. Okay, how about this. When everyone’s at the table, I’ll stand and tell them how happy I am we can all be together. And then I’ll say you two have an announcement to make. How does that sound? You won’t have to do anything then but stand and tell everyone.”
Blake props his chin on his fingers as he thinks over the plan, but Cam seems fine with it already. With a big exaggerated nod, he says, “We can do that. Can’t we Blake?”
Blake ponders another few seconds before giving a decisive nod. “Yeah, we can tell them.”
“Okay, but there’s one more thing we need to add,” Easton says, nervous excitement brewing in her eyes.
“What is it?” Blake asks.
We arrive at Coop and Kari’s about eleven on Sunday morning, while the others aren’t expected until one. For the first time at one of these shindigs, we’ve ordered the food. I made a chocolate fudge cake, which is always a winner with this crew, and a lemon pound cake since it’s Mom’s favorite. The rest is coming from a local barbeque place Coop and Kari have
fallen in love with.
Coop greets us at the door, keys in hand. “Hey, bro. You and the boys want to come with us to pick up the food?” Blaine and Carson are standing beside him, and Kari is waiting over his shoulder, motioning for Easton to come inside.
“Sure.” I shrug, peeking around him for any sign of Violet. “Where’s my little angel?”
He steps out, closing the door. “She’s napping. She’ll be awake by the time we get back.”
“Sounds good,” I say, turning to prod the boys toward Coop’s SUV. “Let me just grab their seats.”
When I return to the SUV, Coop has the boys waiting so I can climb in ahead of them and get the seats properly buckled in. Taking Cam’s first, I slide the front seat forward and maneuver to get his settled in the third row. It’s when I come back for Blake’s that the ruckus starts.
“I wanna sit by Blake,” Blaine declares loudly, just as I lift it from the driveway.
“No.” Cam crosses his arms over his chest and huffs. “Blake my brother. He sits wif me.”
“You sit beside him all the time. It’s my turn," Blane argues, turning to Cam with a scowl.
“Whoa, dudes. No reason to argue,” I break in, pushing them apart a little. “Blake, where do you want to sit?”
Blake looks to me. “I wanna sit wif Cam, Daddy.”
“Blake,” Blaine whines. “Why do you always want to sit with that baby?”
I go to intervene, but before I can, Blake beats me to it. “Cam not a baby! We the same years old.” He points to his chest with his thumb. “He my brother, and I gonna sit wif him. You sit wif your brother.”
I glance to Coop to see what his thoughts are, and he just shrugs. “Sounds like Blake has spoken to me. Blaine, you can sit where you always sit.”
As I climb in to strap Blake’s seat down, I don’t miss the frown on Blaine’s face or the triumphant smile on Cam’s. It makes me feel bad for the cousin who’s always had most of Blake’s attention, but I can’t help but feel pride, too. These two love each other so much, and it’s all a father can ask for.
The trip is relatively quiet compared to its beginning, and in no time at all, we pick up the food and return to their house. There are already a few new cars lining the driveway. After the boys unload, I stay behind to resettle their seats into my own recent purchase ... a new minivan. Sure, Coop gave me hell for it, but little does he know.
When I finally make it inside, I head straight for Violet, who’s giggling in Amelia’s arms. “Hello, precious angel. I bet you’ve been wondering where Uncle T was.” I take her from Amelia. “Hey, where’s Brandon?”
She waves her hand. “He and Cooper are in the den playing video games with the boys. I think Harold is in there, too. He was asking about you earlier.”
“Got it.” I nod, giving Violet a tweak to her belly and smiling at her giggle. “If you see him tell him I’ll look for him soon. I’ve got a little lady to entertain for the moment.”
“Will do.”
After she’s gone, Violet and I settle on the sofa, and we stay there until Kari appears. “There you two are. Time to feed the little one,” she says, taking Violet without even asking. She tilts her head in the direction of the den. “Besides, your father-in-law has asked about you a couple times already.”
I chuckle as I stand. “I’m going. Can’t a man have a few minutes of peace.”
When I finally locate Harold, he’s tucked himself away in a far corner of the den, drinking his beer and keeping an eye on everyone as they move through the house. The boys are the only ones left at the video game, so I guess Coop and Brandon have moved elsewhere.
“So, what's up?” I ask, leaning against the wall beside Harold.
He throws his beer back and guzzles it before crushing the can. “I wanted to talk to you about the case against Brandy Brady.”
“Shouldn’t Easton be here for that?” I question, giving him a curious glance.
He heaves a heavy sigh. “To be perfectly honest, it’s not Easy’s reaction I'm concerned with. She’s content just knowing the truth and is glad the culprit will be punished. You, on the other hand, probably want more punishment than what will realistically be given.”
“What exactly does that mean? I know you're not telling me she’s getting off with a slap on the wrist!” I spit. “If not for Rich—” Loud voices coming from the boys break into my rant. “Hey, what’s going on over there?” I call to them from my position across the room.
There are a few more mutterings between them before Cam comes running over. “Blaine’s bein’ mean to me again, Daddy.”
Harold smirks as I grab Cam’s hand to lead him back where the other three are gathered in front of the large TV. “What’s the problem over here?”
Blake points to his cousin with a huff. “Blaine don’t wanna play wif my brother.”
I give Blaine a stern look. “Is this true?”
He just shrugs and ignores me, focusing back on his game.
My jaw tenses as I wonder what has gotten into these boys. But in reality, I know. Blake and Blaine have been close their whole lives, and now that Cam has come along, Blaine feels like he’s losing out. I’m not sure if intervening is the right way to go about it. Won’t they work it out better on their own?
“Blaine, why don’t you go ask your mom when we’ll be eating?” I suggest, glancing at the clock. “The food should be ready by now.” He huffs and tosses the controller down before stomping across the room, slowing to give Cam a glare on the way by.
“All right, you two play a game while he’s gone, but when he gets back, I want Blake and Blaine to play a few games.” I kneel in front of Cam and grab his hands. “I want you to know, dude, this isn’t about you. Blaine just misses Blake, and we need to figure out a way to keep him from feeling left out.”
“If he quit bein’ mean to my brother, I will play wif him more," Blake pipes up.
“I know, buddy, but he’s acting mean because he feels like Cam took his place,” I explain, looking between them to see if they understand.
“How he take his place?” Blake asks with a shrug. “He not my brother.”
Where’s someone who has a better grip on this shit than me? I swivel my head, looking for another adult, only to see that Harold is the only other one in the vicinity. He’s sipping on another beer, still smirking as he watches me flail.
Finally, I sigh. “Look, dudes. Just let Blaine have a few extra turns with Blake, okay? Maybe then he’ll chill with the way he’s been acting toward Cam.”
Cam gives me a nod, but Blake pouts. “I don’t wanna play wif him!”
I give Cam a grateful pat on the shoulder and turn, moving closer to Blake. “Buddy, how about this. You promise to spend some time with Blaine, and I promise that Uncle Coop and I will have a talk with him before we leave today.” I give him a pleading look, hoping he’ll back down.
He purses his lips, studying me, before he finally deflates. “Okay, Daddy. I play wif him, but he better not be mean to Cam again.”
Feeling satisfied with this temporary solution, I poke his belly as I stand. “Thanks, buddy. I think he just needs to see you still love him, too.”
“I do love him,” he replies easily, and I sag in relief. “But not as much as Cam.”
I drop my chin to my chest, but I can't fault the kid’s logic. I love it even, but they’re going to have to find balance. This constant bickering has to stop. It’s not good for any of them, least of all Cam. Though he’s doing well, he’s still not quite able to hang with kids his age when it comes to running and playing hard.
“We’ll talk to him. Promise. Now you two hurry up and play before he gets back down here,” I say, leading him over beside his brother.
Harold’s chuckling as I make my way across the room. “How did that work out for you?”
I scrub my hand through my hair and shake my head. “It’s a work in progress.”
He slaps his meaty hand on my shoulder. “It’ll work out. Th
ey’re kids. This is a sign that they’re all getting comfortable with each other.”
I bob my head a few times. “I know. I just wish it would happen when someone better equipped to handle it was around … like their moms.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He throws his head back and laughs.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” I chuckle along with him before getting serious. “Okay, back to the bitch nurse. What’s going on?”
He takes a deep breath and blows it out. “As you know, Brandy Brady was arrested and is out on bond. Her nursing license has been temporarily suspended, pending the outcome of the case.” My jaw clenches, but I know it’s the process. “Now, what I’d like to discuss is the deal the prosecution has offered her.”
I pick up my lukewarm beer from the side table and kill it off, preparing myself to hear this bullshit punishment. “Go ahead, Harold,” I scoff, unable to hold back my disdain. “I mean, how bad can it be, right?”
He rolls his eyes. “I actually think it’s a fitting punishment, but I doubt you’ll see anything less than tar and feathering as fitting.”
“Look what that bitch did!” I exclaim, getting riled up. “If Cam hadn’t gotten sick, we may have never known!”
Harold holds his hands up in a placating manner. “I know, Trystan, I know. What you need to focus on is the fact that you did find out. Now, are you ready to hear me out or should I just forget it?”
I crush the empty beer can in my hands to work through some of my frustrations. With a couple more breaths through my nose, I nod.
“They offered ten years with three to serve, most likely in a minimum-security prison. Her nursing license will be permanently revoked.” I start to open my mouth, but he shakes his head and gives me a stern look. “And she’ll pay restitution of fifty thousand dollars, but I don't know if you’ll ever see much of that.”
“I don’t want her fucking money, Harold," I grit, cutting him off quickly. “I just want to see her suffer for her callous actions. Just because the outcome was better than not, doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be punished.”
