A few years later...
Travis
"Come on, Cora," I coax, as she steps on my feet. I smile.
"Okay, now follow me, one step, the next, you're doing so good, Cora!"
Every Friday afternoon, we dance. Me and Cora. I put her little feet on mine, and we dance. Because, on that night, the night me and Jasmine danced...
It was the moment that I realized being with them was worth every and anything.
So we dance.
"Good, good! Oh wow, Cora you're getting good," She giggles.
"Good daddy!" She squeals, jumping. I chuckle.
"Now, Cora, 'ya don't wanna hurt me do you? You're getting big now."
"Travis? Are you dancing?" Jasmine calls.
"Yeah!" I pick Cora up, heading into the living room. "Everything okay?"
She purses his lips. "Dreams are back. I don't feel so good."
I check her forehead, kissing it. "I'm sorry, Miss."
I take a lighter, starting the lavender candles we have around the house.
We found out when she was late into term with Cora that Lavender calls her down. So...so we have lavender candles in the house, and when she has her bad days, we light them.
"Mommy?"
Cora knows when the lavender is lit, when it fills the house, that Mommy is having hard time.
So she does her best and sends mommy kisses.
"Kisses, Mommy."
"Kisses baby,"
She holds her head. "Hey, I fixed some lunch, but I have work in an hour—"
"No, no. Take off work I'll work on extra, if I have to. But we should be fine," I assure her.
Her father paid for the house upfront so we don't have a mortgage. It's just the cars, and of course the kids and the bills.
But we're doing fine.
She lays down in bed, and I set Cora down. "I'm gonna check on mommy, play with your toys okay."
I head in with a small smile. "Hey. Hey, Miss."
"Travis. I didn't sleep. I'm sorry I tried," her voice wobbled.
I take her hand. "Relax. Sleep now. Cora and me we're fine. We did our Friday dance, and she's playing with toys. Roman will be home from school now."
She closes her eyes. "Travis? I want you and Cora and Roman when he comes home. Please, just turn on a movie and stay with me."
I smile, kissing her head. "Yeah. We'll put on frozen. Cora loves that. And she'll laugh I know how much you love it when she laughs."
Jasmine smiles. "I'll feel better in no time."
And so she does, Cora laughs at frozen and Jasmine dozed off and perks back up good as new.
I hold her and we quote Frozen together, and I give her small kisses, because Jasmine doesn't like too much touching, when she's not feeling good but she doesn't wanna be alone either.
And the middle ground are little pecks.
I love her. Even now. We lay here watching Frozen for the...billionth time.
Cora screaming that asshole Hans! Even though we told her she's not allowed to say asshole.
But she only calls Hans an asshole so we've let it go.
She's allowed to call Hans an asshole because he is. She's allowed to do lots of things. I thought Jasmine might be strict, I am. I was raised like a pack of wolves as long as you come home at night in piece it was all Wes could do.
So I worry. Because I got into some shit. I was roped into some shit. I experienced some things that no kid should and I wouldn't have if someone could've watched me.
So I'm anxious. But Jas was watched like hawk, couldn't breathe or think, on her own. So she wants Cora to be free.
To dance and scream and express herself. She wrote on the walls yesterday in permanent ink. And Jas just shrugged and took a picture.
I almost blew a fucking vessel. But Jas says she can only be a child for so long. That one day, she'll wake up and she'll realize she's not allowed write on the walls.
That writing on the walls is wrong. So while she's free while things like what she should and shouldn't do don't crowd her brain...she should.
She should do the things her heart wants because one day those possibilities will disappear.
"I made her from scratch, you know," Jasmine says with a smile while she sings let it go.
I chuckle. "Yeah. You built her. She's perfect."
"Well her leg is a little wonky, but the doctor says she's fine she'll grow out of that," Jasmine says hesitantly.
I chuckle. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. Look at her go."
Cora spins around grinning at us. "Mommy, mommy! Let it go! Let it go!"
"The cold never bothered me anyway," Jasmine finished.
