Runaway - Chapter 54
1 Year Later - Friday
“I can’t believe our little boy is four. How did that happen?”
“I can’t believe it either.” Miller wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder.
We stared down at the lake where Jacob was fighting an imaginary foe with a sword. Well, actually a stick. But he swore it was a sword.
“Daddy, Daddy!” Jacob ran up to us. “Cowboys and Indians!”
“You got it, champ.” Miller took out two imaginary guns from his waistband. “Best get on yer way, son.”
Jacob loved watching old movies with Miller. And I think he felt some kind of comradery with how Native Americans were depicted. Mostly because they didn’t wear shirts. Jacob was convinced he was an Indian.
Jacob put his hand to his mouth and tapped it repeatedly, chanting, “Oh, oh, oh, oh.” It sounded like an Indian war cry. Which meant he was about to attack.
Miller took a step back like it was terrifying. “I said get!” He held out one of his fake guns.
Jacob pulled back one of his arms and shot fake arrows at Miller.
“I’m hit!” Miller said, grabbing his chest. “No! Save yourself, woman!” He looked over at me.
I laughed as Miller collapsed on the ground with a flourish.
Jacob started chanting again. Dancing around with his fake bow and arrow.
Miller opened one eye and then closed it again.
“Daddy!” Jacob said and jumped on top of Miller.
“Oomph.”
“You’re a knight now. Get up.”
Miller opened his eyes. He reached out beside him and grabbed at the air. “I dropped my sword.”
I heard the timer beeping inside. Jacob’s cupcakes were ready.
***
Miller was giving Jacob a bath. The cute little dude had gotten cuppycakes pretty much everywhere. I smiled to myself. If I could have made a wish on his birthday candles, I would have wished that he’d call cupcakes cuppycakes for a little while longer. He was growing up too fast. Really…how was he already four?
There was another wish I’d make though. I sat down on the bathroom floor and closed my eyes instead of glancing at the pregnancy test too early.
Months and months of negative tests were starting to weigh on me. What if there really was something wrong with me?
I’d take back the cupcake wish if it meant I could get pregnant again. I wanted to give Jacob a sister. Or a brother. Desperately. And if I had another kid, I wouldn’t feel so bad about not letting Jacob go to school next year. He’d get to socialize with his sibling. Hopefully siblings plural. But that was jumping the gun a bit. I couldn’t seem to get pregnant with one more kid, let alone two or three.
I closed my eyes tighter.Please.I wasn’t even sure who I was begging. But I kept sayingpleasein my head over and over again.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. I opened my eyes as Miller popped his head in.
“I can’t look,” I said, avoiding glancing down at the test.
Miller grabbed the stick from my hand and then sat down next to me on the bathroom floor.
He looked down. He was good at hiding his emotions about this. I think he wanted to make sure I didn’t feel bad that I couldn’t give him another child. Even though it was breaking me in two regardless. We’d wanted a big family.
