A Missed Opportunity

35

❃𝙺𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚊❃

"Good morning, everyone! Today's the day! The sun is shinning, the tank is clean, and we are getting out of—The tank is clean. The tank is clean!"

Cameron laughs. Leans in a little closer with a smile while he watches those fish frantically swim about as they discover their plan has failed. His cousin beside him isn't really all that shocked or surprised. Jenny says Katie watches this movie at least four times a week, so I'm sure she can even recite the entire movie off memory alone. This isn't all that shocking for her like it is to Cam.

I'll admit, it's kind of awkward to be in the house of a woman I don't totally know. But my son knows her daughter, and his dad knows her mom. I'm sort of the odd one out. I'm fine with it though, weirdly enough. I mean, I figured sometimes I'd be the odd one out just like Noah would be. It comes with the whole secret child thing. Sometimes, one of us doesn't fit the way we're supposed to. The way we should be able to if we had that time we needed. We were supposed to have that time before Cameron got here to get acquainted with each other and our families. My family isn't that big, but his definitely is.

"Coffee, Kiara?"

I quickly look up at Jenny who offers a Snoopy coffee mug to me. Smile and politely accept the mug. "Thank you." I shift in my seat on the couch and glance at Noah lounging beside me. The couch I chose to sit on only had two cushions, so I figured I'd be sitting alone while Noah and his aunt talked for a minute.

When they came into the room to join us all, he plopped down right beside me and threw his arm over the back of the couch so that every time I move or breathe, I feel his arm brush against my shoulders. And I can smell him. Smell him! He smells nice, so it's not like I hate smelling him because he stinks. I just hate the fact that I can fucking smell my son's dad right now.

I mostly just hate that I'm noticing I can smell him and that fucking cologne I got him for Christmas. When I got it, I figured it was a simple peace offering gift and that he wouldn't think of it as anything more. A show of good faith, it was. I knew he didn't like Wyatt, so I thought that if I gave him a nice gift, he'd see it as a peace offering and would never actually even wear it.

But now he wears it everywhere. At least everywhere he goes with us. I hate that I can recognize it's the cologne I got him, but I can.

"Where's mine?"

Jenny waves him off dismissively as she drops down onto the other couch with her own coffee. "Get your own."

Noah scoffs. "The hell? You were already up, Auntie. And I'm a guest."

"I like her more than you." She huffs stubbornly.

"I'm your nephew!"

"Shhh!" Cameron turns as much as he can from his spot on the floor to harshly hush his dad.

"You shhh, I'm trying to get some coffee." Noah dismisses. Cameron shakes his head in frustration as he looks ahead at the big tv again.

"You're my nephew, but she gave me a great-nephew." She smiles and gestures to Cameron. "Plus, she's prettier than you are."

I chuckle as I start offering him my mug. He watches me silently for a moment before accepting it. "I think you're very pretty too." I smile back at her while my mug is taken away.

"Mm," She sighs deeply and longingly as she lifts her own mug to her lips. "Yes, as much as an old, old lady can be." She grumbles bitterly as she takes a long sip.

A laugh sounds from behind us. I think I'm the only one startled by it. I thought we were the only ones here. Jenny and Katie were the only ones at the door.