Happily Ever After // Jaden Hossler

my story

"Babe I'm home!" Bryce yelled from the front door.
"In the kitchen!" I yelled back.
"Hey." He smiled, wrapping his arms around my torso and kissing my neck. "How's Jake?"
"Good I guess. Sit down. I have news." I backed away, motioning for him to sit at the kitchen island.
"This can't be good." He hesitantly sat down and impatiently waited on me to speak.
"Jaden is going to be here in thirty minutes." I gulped.
"What?" He shot up, raising his voice. "No. No way."
"Bryce he wants to be in Jake's life, I can't get in the way of that. And you, you need to be on your best behavior."
"Y/N, I can't sit here and watch him waltz back in here and act like the last seven years didn't happen. I refuse to."
"Then don't. He's coming either way. You know this isn't what I want either, but it's for Jake. He's been asking about Jaden nonstop and we just can't keep Jake from him forever. Just please, keep it civil. If you can't be civil just don't say anything, okay? I love you."
"I love you too. I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises."
"Mom, is dad here yet?" Jake came in the kitchen running.
"About thirty more minutes and he should be"
"I can't wait mom. Bryce my dad is coming over!"
"I know, buddy. Are you excited?" Bryce forced a smile.
"Yes! I'm gonna show him my room and then maybe we can play video games and then maybe we can swim. Mom can dad swim with me?"
"Honey, he probably won't be here that long, but you can definitely show him your room okay?"
About that time, the doorbell rang.
"It's dad! I'm gonna go get the door."
"Go sit in the living room, I'll get it honey." I smiled, walking towards the door but not before giving Bryce a stern look reminding him to be civil.
My heart was beating out of my chest as I trudged towards the door. I stood there for a second composing myself before turning the door knob and slowly opening the door to reveal him. I studied his face. A little different than from seven years ago, he had some facial hair, his hair was blonde again, and he was more buff. But all together, he looked like the same old Jaden.
"Are you going to invite me in or are we just going to stand here?" He awkwardly laughed.
"Yeah, sorry. Come on in."
He walked in and looked around and then back at it. It was kind of awkward for a second, but he leaned in and hugged me. Not a quick side hug, but a full-on tight ass hug that lingered for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Y/N." He whispered.
"I know Jaden."
"What's our son like?" He backed away and asked.
"Just like you. He's beyond excited, so come on."
He followed me into the living room, and Jake's face lit up while Bryce's basically dropped to the floor.
"Hey buddy." Jaden smiled, walking toward Jake who was sitting on the couch.
Jake got up, running and hugging him.
"God, you look just like me." He laughed.
"Mom says that all the time." Jake grinned. "Come on, I want to show you my room dad."
Jaden nodded.
"Sounds good. One second though Jake." He said. He turned his attention to Bryce, who was now standing up. "Hey, man." He held his hand out for Bryce to shake.
Bryce just stared at him with no emotion.
"Okay then. Let's go to your room" He turned back to Jake.

I sighed, sitting back down next to Bryce.
"Thank you." I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I think I'm gonna go for a walk or something to get some air, I think I'm about to go insane." He got up, knocking my head off his shoulder.
I nodded, understanding how he was feeling right now.

A little while later, Jake and Jaden came downstairs side by side.
"Mom can I show dad my new skateboard?" Jake asked.
"Do you know where it's at?" I joked.
"I'll go look outside. Dad sit here and don't move okay?"
Jaden laughed and sat down at the other end of the sectional.
"He's a great kid. You did an amazing job without me."
"No offense but I kind of had to."
"Fair enough."
"Jaden can I ask you one question?"
"Anything."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
I widened my eyes and gave him the "are you fucking serious" look.
"I thought you knew?" He cleared his throat. "At first I just planned on leaving for a day or two until you had calmed a little so you would hear me out. I went to a rough hotel a couple hours away and I found a guy who got me some stuff so I could forget for awhile but I quickly got addicted and then I was stuck. The rest of my days were spent trying to find enough money to get more and more until finally I traded my phone for enough for a week or two. Half the time I was so drugged up that I wasn't able to get up out of the bed. I overdosed more times than I can remember and I got beat to almost death just as many because I didn't have the money to pay the guy back. When the private investigator found me four years later, I was so far gone that it took almost the whole three years to get me stable enough and as close as back to normal as I could get."