It’s Sammer With A
BLAINE
Anxiety shuddered through my nerves as I watched Xandry sprinting toward our direction with the most gorgeous and glorious smile I’d ever seen. He was wearing a crumpled white shirt, sleeves rolled up his elbows, and dark grey pants. His disheveled hair was longer than the last time I saw him. He had dark circles under his eyes and days’ worth of scruff.
Ben was already jumping with excitement beside me. “Mommy, it’s Sandry! Mommy, look he’s coming!” It didn’t end there. He slipped his hand off my grip and ran toward Xandry.
“Ben!” With trembling fingers, I covered my mouth, my eyes bulged as I watched Xandry lifted up him into a hug. My son wrapped his arms around Xandry’s neck and legs around his waist.
Oh. My. God.
“Ben, you seem not too excited to see me, huh, buddy?” Xandry tickled Ben as soon as he put down to his feet.
Ben giggled, blocking Xandry’s hand with his tiny one. “Mommy said, I won’t see you, so I pout.”
Xandry smile widened, eyes gleamed, and brow cocked. “Is that so? So, Mommy is not happy to see me, huh?” Then he stood straight and lifted his gaze on me.
Our gaze locked, his magnetic blue eyes made my heart stop beating. Heat spread from my neck up to my face.
“Sweetheart, don’t I even get hi?” He swallowed, eyes suddenly turned dull. He propped his hands on his waist, releasing a disappointing sigh. He bit his lip and nodded gently, then looked down.
I was still tongue-tied to respond and trying hard to compose myself from not jumping into him. He had no idea how I missed him like crazy, but I didn’t forget the fact that he was already a dad and no more fooling around like he used to do.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Are you picking up someone?”
His eyes quickly lit up. God, If I don’t love those eyes. “I’m picking up my babies. Blaine and Ben.”
My brows squished together. “But, um, Cam is coming for us. A-aren’t you… um, busy?”
“I talked to Cam hoping that if I could be the one to pick you both up, so, she agreed. She’s on her way to Bianca’s apartment right now.” He shrugged. “And no, I’m not busy with my babies.”
“Congrats again! You’re a daddy.” It didn’t sound sincere though. My chin trembled. I inwardly groaned. My chest squeezed every time I thought of his new role.
“Thank you, Blaine! It means a lot.”
“Sandry, you have a baby?” Ben’s eyes glimmered, craning his neck to look up at Xandry.
“Yes, wanna see her picture?”
“Yes, yes! What’s ‘er name?”
“Ben,” I called.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Xandry looked at me, then back down to Ben.
“I’ll show you when we get to the apartment, does it sound okay to you?”
Ben nodded enthusiastically.
“Let’s go, sweetheart. Let me take your luggage,” he volunteered.
“That won’t be necessary, we can just hail a cab from here. I know you have a lot of things to do, so, um, thanks.” I held on tight to the cart handle like a complete fool.
“But Mommy I want to go with Sandry,” Ben pleaded, using his puppy eyes as he used to when he wanted something that I couldn’t say no.
“Ben, he is busy.”
“Mommy he is not. He comes to see us, right, Sandry?” Ben looked at Xandry to beg.
“Blaine, I’ll send you to Bianca’s apartment. Don’t fight over this and besides, I’m already here.”
We ended up going with Xandry. He popped some questions, and I answered as truthfully as I can. He and Ben continued talking like old buddies as I watched the city passed by like a blurred array of colors outside his car window.
“You seem distant, sweetheart. What’s wrong? Did Hall show up again?” Goosebumps crawled my skin upon hearing Ethan’s name. It never occurred to me that Xandry knew Ethan back in college. It didn’t surprise me if he got a scholarship program because he played football well. His family had A supermarket chain, but not as rich as Xandry’s family. He didn’t finish his senior year and just vanished. I guessed he transferred to one of the schools in New York.
“He left for good. He e-mailed me once, but I don’t wanna discuss this here,” I said dismissively without looking at him because he was just going to awe me with his sexy smile. Nobody knew Ethan begged through an e-mail asking if he could see Ben, but I ignored him and didn’t reply.
“I respect it. Then what’s bothering you?”
“Nothing, Xandry. Just drop it.”
“It feels there’s something, Blaine. I’m not as dumb as you thought I am, you know. Is it because of the call yesterday?” I could feel the desperation and frustration in his voice and the intensity of his stare at me. It warmed my skin, shook my senses, clenched every muscle fiber in my body.
“I understood you were busy, and it’s not that I owe you any explanation, is it?”
“Then at least look at me when we’re talking.”
I faced him—and I just stared in shock. I saw the vulnerable Xandry. He looked broken, in pain, and begging. For what?
“I’m happy for you, truly.”
His brow arched, but his eyes remained sad. “Are you? Because I can’t feel and see it in you.”
The horn erupted at our back, making him groan in annoyance for interrupting us.
“You okay there, buddy?” He looked at Ben through the rearview.
“Yes. I wanna see your baby,” Ben said, and my mouth gaped.
“Sure, buddy but she’s still in the hospital. I will bring you and Mommy there when Mommy has free time, right, Blaine?” He grabbed my hand, and I was almost startled in my seat. It reminded me of where it exactly explored on my skin and deep inside me.
“Relax, sweetheart. Friends can hold hands.” A chuckle of amusement rumbled in his throat. “If you think something has changed in me because I’m already a dad, you’re wrong. Just give me some time to settle things for a couple of days or a month. Sunshine just had an emergency operation yesterday—”
“Oh, God! Is she okay?” I blurted out. How am I so dense not to realize it was still early for her to be in labor. I was being bitchy, bitter, and selfish all this time while Sunshine was fighting for her life.
“Yeah, she made it. Good thing she called me up while she still can. She was already lying unconscious on the floor when the EMT arrived. They instantly performed a CS when she arrived at the hospital because my baby was already distressed. I’m sorry for keeping you on hold and not being able to call you back sooner.”
“God, how can I be so dumb?”
“Dumb?”
My face heated.
“You are far from a dumb, sweetheart, in fact, I know exactly why you acted that way. We still have a lot of things to talk about. Remember when you said when my baby is born?”
Before I could respond he opened the door and walked out leaving me frozen in my seat.
***
Bianca was huge compared to her image on FaceTime. “I know I’m a mommy elephant.” She struggled standing up from the couch. Kyland was the one who opened the door for us.
I laughed, helping her to stand. “Are you sure you have a legit doctor that said you don’t have triplets there?” I moved closer, slightly bumping to her round belly larger than a watermelon. I hugged and kissed her cheek. Ben already wrapped his tiny arms around Bianca’s leg.
“I asked the same.” Cam hugged me from behind. “And you’re welcome,” she whispered.
“For what?”
She smiled evilly, and I playfully hit her arm. “You’ll pay for that.”
I eyed Xandry and Kyland in a deep conversation. I heard nothing but murmurs, but the way he moved, talked, and the smile that reached his eyes, I knew exactly what they were talking about. God, how could I not love him even more.
“Did he tell you?”
“Why are you whispering?” I asked with curiosity, “they know, right?”
“Oh, so he told you?”
“Yeah, it’s not a secret.”
“No, he doesn’t want to keep secrets with you,” she corrected.
I shrugged. “So?”
“He told me, you two will talk after his baby arrived, so it’s starting today.” Her beautiful brows arched.
“His baby and his—” I blinked. “The mother is still in the hospital. It feels like I’m so greedy and impatient. I’m not just gonna push myself between them. I like him and I’m still his friend.”
I jumped when Xandry and Kyland barked out laughing. I turned to face them and so as Cam beside me.
“What was that all about?” Cam asked them in amusement.
“We were trying to imagine how are we going to stay awake, changing diapers, and feeding our babies every night,” Kyland guffawed.
“I can work at home, dude,” Xandry countered.
“Yeah, you and your rich ass can hire a dozen of nannies,” Kyland retorted.
“I’m not gonna hire nannies. I’m gonna take care of my child alone,” he said confidently, feeling everyone’s eyes on me as silence filled in the entire apartment.
My jaw dropped.
Kyland finally broke it with an unbelievable tone. “Are you nuts? You can’t handle it alone, dude.”
“If Blaine did that all by herself, why can’t I?”What is it about me and taking care of a child?
“It’s because she had her mom and B when Ben came,” Cam answered.
“Well, I have Mom, Dad, and Saph too.” His brow cocked stubbornly.
“How about Sunshine?” Kyland asked, and I saw Xandry’s eyes pinned at me, making me standstill.
My heart hammered in my chest for whatever he was going to say.
“I arranged everything to her liking. She has an apartment on her own and I set a fund for college to finish her nursing degree. She can go back to work as she likes when she’s in her full strength. She can come and visit our child whenever she wants. We still remain friends.” His gaze never broke mine as he continued.
“I know I’m an asshole but she can’t even feed herself, what more taking care of our child. And we can’t be together because I want someone in my life and she knows it. What happened already happened and I’m just thankful she let me be a part of our child’s life or else I’m still clueless until now. I never regretted—”
“We’re not judging you, Xandry.” I cut off. In fact, I’m proud of you and I wanna hug you so tight for being a wonderful and hot dad—
“Thank you, Blaine.” He smiled tightly. “I got to go, guys. I’ve been up for almost thirty hours.” He turned to me when everyone seemed so shocked to say something with his admission. “Blaine, can you walk me out, please?”
“Um, sure.”
“Buddy, come here, I’ll show you her pictures.”
Ben stormed in front of Xandry, his eyes glowed as he looked at the screen. “Wow, she’s so tiny! Can I play with her?”
“Sure thing, buddy, when she’s a little bit bigger.”
Cam took the phone from Xandry after showing off Ben. Bianca and Kyland saw the pictures as well while I was feeling like someone had stabbed me right to my chest.
“She’s so cute. I think she got Xan’s nose,” B cooed.
“Lips too,” Cam added.
“It’s her mom’s hair.” Xandry’s arm wrapped around my waist, making me tenser.
I walked out with him to the elevator box. My heartbeat kept fluttering when we stopped in front.
“It’s Sammer with an A,” he started.
“Huh?”
“Her name.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s mom and hers.”