Till The End

Twenty-Three

"My mom told me she'd be totally fine with taking care of Bella if I were to go on this trip with you." I tell Juan as we talk on the phone a few nights later.

Juan and I haven't seen each other again in a little over a week because his family is still in town visiting. Neither one of us was ready for me to meet them, so we've kept our distance while they're visiting. He still calls me every night after I'm out of work, and we talk for almost over an hour most nights.

"So that means you're coming..." Juan says, and I can hear the grin on his face.

I shrug, still unsure of my answer. "I can't get the guilt of leaving her off of my shoulders." I frown.

"You could always just bring her along if that's what's gonna make you feel more comfortable." he offers and I almost melt at his sweet offer.

I shake my head. "No, no. You are not prepared to have to spend full days with this little girl." I laugh gently.

"Well then I promise she'll be with us on the next vacation." he says, and I believe him.

After mentally convincing myself that I should go on this trip, I nod. "Yeah, okay. Let's do this trip." A vacation with Juan sounds amazing, and like something I would absolutely love, and it's not like I leave Bella all the time to go on vacations. This will be my first time ever spending entire days without her. I should allow myself more 'me' time.

"Seriously?!" he asks, and I laugh at the excitement in his voice.

I nod again. "Yeah, let's do it. I just have to let my work know that I won't be able to come in for a few days. Just tell me the days and I'll ask for them." I smile, feeling myself begin to get excited at the thought of a few days with no responsibility. The excitement is immediately taken over by guilt, but I shake it off, trying not to focus on it too much.

"Great. Great, okay, yeah. Let me just look at some of the resorts, figure some stuff out, and I'll let you know." he sounds happy, which makes me happy.

I look over at Bellas crib when I hear a slight shuffle in it. "As long as we're back by the time Bella wakes up on her birthday, I'm fine with whatever days. And—just try not to make it too long, okay?" those are my only two requests.

"Of course."

"Okay, then we're all good." I say, feeling good about having my two nonnegotiable rules down.

Juan clears his throat. "My family leaves early tomorrow, can I come by your place after I drop them off at the airport?"

"Yeah, sure." I nod, sitting up to get a better view of Bella. She's squirming in her crib, and I already know she's having a nightmare. She'll wake up any second now, crying. "Hey, Juan, I've gotta go. But yeah, drop by. I'll make us breakfast or something, okay? Just text me before you come."

"Yeah, okay. Sounds good. Good night."

I sit on the edge of my bed. "Night." I hang up right as Bella lets out a cry. "It's okay, baby." I coo as I reach her crib. I take her in my arms and rock her as she continues to cry. "Wanna sleep with mommy tonight?" I ask, and she nods her little head yes.

We lay in bed for a little bit before she finally falls asleep again.

- - - -

"One of my friends is coming over today, Bella." I smile at her as she eats her breakfast at the table.

When I agreed to Juan coming over last night, I hadn't really thought about the fact that he and Bella would be meeting for the first time. The thought of it made me so nervous I almost called him to cancel, but decided against it. They had to meet eventually, and today seemed like the perfect day for it.