The Other Side Of Us - (gxg)

Chapter Twenty Three

Kaden's POV

"Thanks for picking me up." I said to Candace once we departed from the airport's parking lot.

"It's no problem sweetheart, I missed you anyway." She grabbed my hand across the board and gave it a light squeeze.

"Yeah I'm sorry, I've kinda been on the loose with you lately. But tell me, how did the trip with my dad go?" I had forgotten to ask them about that.

She cleared her throat. "It went good... perfectly well if I'm being honest," her cheeks flushed.

"I don't need the details that could traumatize me... I just hope my dad made his move." I chuckled at the evident shyness on her face.

"He did, but we haven't— I haven't got back to his calls or texts."

I frowned, "You are avoiding him? Why? Don't you have feelings for him too?"

"No, no it's not that." She rushed to clarify whatever thought she imagined going through my head. We stopped at a red light and she turned to look at me. "I just don't want to hurt him... I've hurt him enough for a lifetime... you as well. I can't ruin us again."

It was obvious she was referring to her abandoning the both of us when I was born. I couldn't help but feel bad for her, I rightly so blamed her for many years... but I've come to see during all these years that she's been back in my life how much she also punishes herself for it.

"I've forgiven you, you know? So has he... at some point you are going to have to forgive yourself as well." I told her what I should've said years ago — what I should have said the moment I knew I had forgiven her. I told her to park the car when I noticed the tears slipping from her eyes.

"We can't change the past, we can't forget it either... but it doesn't meant we can't forgive it and heal. I had. You've made up for your decisions and paid for them as well, I don't think you deserve to keep blaming yourself. Twenty seven years of guilt it's too much. It's done—it happened and now I'm here with you, I don't hate you." It was my turn to grab her hands. "I love you so much despite your faults once upon a time. You came back and haven't given up on proving me how much you love me as well... you never left me again."

"Nothing would ever be able to keep me from you again." She put her hands on my cheeks with a teary smile—her blue eyes similar to mine stared back at me with the warmth and motherly love I always longed for growing up. "You are my baby Kaden, I'm never ever going to leave you again."

I felt an old wound in me finish healing. The inner child inside me finally at peace... it finally had the mom they dreamed of during so many nights growing up. During all those mother's day at school watching the rest of the kids with their own mom.

My own eyes began to sting, "I'm glad you didn't hear my teenage self telling you to leave." I chuckled and sniffed.

"I wouldn't have left either way, no matter what you told me. I would've taken every hurtful words from you because I deserved them." Candace hugged me—I closed my eyes and let my tears finally free. "But I was not going to leave you again, no matter how much you hated me back then. I wasn't or I'm physically and emotionally able to leave you again sweetheart."

"I want you to be happy... mom." It has been overdue for me to start calling her that. I've only called her that a handful on times, maybe as little at twice even.

"I am happy." She reassured me—the happiness on her face due to the title was undeniable and impossible to hide.

"Then I want you to be happy and in love, mom." I gave her an encouraging smile.