It made my heart swell three times its size.
“Your father is going to be so happy to see you. He loves you so much.” I felt myself get emotional just looking at him, but I did my best to remain professional in front of Valerie. “We’ve got a lot of fun things planned for you guys this weekend.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Fishing. You like fishing, right?”
He nodded.
Valerie patted him on the back. “You okay, baby?”
He nodded.
She hugged him tight and kissed his forehead. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
She rose to her feet and finally let me have him.
I looked at his suitcase. “I like your luggage, Derek.”
“Thanks,” he said quietly. “Dad got it for me…”
“That was really thoughtful of him.” I grabbed the handle of the bag then extended my other hand to him.
He didn’t hesitate before he took it.
My heart doubled in size again.
Valerie followed us out. “I want an update the second you get to New York, alright?”
“Of course. You got it.” I took Derek to the car, where the driver got out and put his luggage away.
Valerie crossed her arms over her chest and watched me take her son away, emotion in her eyes, like she really loved her son…even if she never truly loved his father.
Derek must have been on a plane before because he wasn’t scared in the least. He was well-behaved, sitting in his chair with his seat belt on, watching the flight attendants move up and down the aisles. He didn’t need a device to keep him occupied. He was fine just sitting there.
I opened my bag and pulled out a coloring book with crayons. “You want to color with me?”
He looked at the book, and without saying a word, he reached out his hand.
I smiled because he was just like Deacon. I handed it to him.
“Thank you.”
Okay, maybe he wasn’t just like Deacon.
I also pulled out a bag of cereal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a banana. “Hungry?”
He pointed at the cereal. “Yes.”
I handed him the bag.
He opened it and dug hand little hand inside. “Thank you.”
Man, this was the sweetest kid on the planet. “You’re welcome, Derek.” I set up our coloring books and put the crayons between us. “What are you going to color?”
He flipped through the book, choosing a page that had a rocket. “This one.”
“You like rockets?”
He nodded. “Did you know the first Apollo landing to the moon was over fifty years ago?”
No, I didn’t. “Wow. Do you want to be an astronaut when you grow up?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Dad says you don’t have to just be one thing, but you can be everything you want to be.”
He hadn’t seen his father or spoken to him in months, but he seemed to remember him like he’d just talked to him. “Your father is right.”
He grabbed a crayon and started to color. “I miss him…”
“He missed you too, Derek.” I opened the page and picked a garden of flowers.
He looked at my picture. “Nice.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t have a lot of experience with kids, so I wasn’t sure how this flight was going to go. I didn’t know if he would be loud and rambunctious. Since he was only five, I wasn’t sure how to connect with him. But since he was just like Deacon…it was pretty easy.
We landed in New York at almost nine.
And Derek was definitely tired.
We stopped to use the bathroom in the airport, and I got him a sandwich to eat in the car. We were in a private car again because I didn’t want to put him in a cab. I didn’t mind public transportation, but since he wasn’t my kid, I treated him the way my clients would want their children to be treated.
And Deacon wouldn’t want him in a cab.
He finished half his sandwich. “Will I see my dad soon?”
“Yes, in thirty minutes.”
He looked out the window, his feet dangling above the floor.
I texted Deacon. Are you alone right now?
He texted back with lightning speed. Yes. Are you alright?
I’m fine. I’m delivering something to your apartment in thirty minutes. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. I didn’t want to bring Derek if he had a lady friend over. That would be a terrible reunion.
You? As in, you’re in New York?
I didn’t text him back. I’d already said too much.
He texted again. Cleo?
Just be ready. I’ll talk to you soon. I put my phone back into my bag then looked at Derek.
He was asleep.
I watched him for a while, admiring how cute he was. I already loved this boy, and I’d only spent a few hours with him. It was just a fraction of how Deacon felt about him, and I couldn’t wait to see his face when he finally held him in his arms.
We pulled up to the building minutes later, and I took Derek’s luggage and his hand as we headed to the elevator.