Kite In The Snow by Karla Lopez

 

A YEAR LATER

 

I try to strap Ayla to my chest because we have a jumpy five-year-old who wants to run everywhere since he’s excited that we are going on the boat. At three months old, she’s a pretty calm baby, but this girl is serious about her sleep, so she fusses while I try to adjust her.

When we found out we were having a girl, we couldn’t be happier. We had our little set, and our family was growing. Seeing Wyatt become a dad for the second time again was the most beautiful thing to witness.

I did fear that Wyatt would feel differently about Carter once Ayla was born, but it was silly to think that. He always makes sure that he spends just as much time with Carter. They truly are best friends and the older that Carter gets, the deeper their friendship grows.

It’s beautiful.

Carter runs from me and right into the cafe that is currently closed because we’re spending a Sunday together. “Carter, you can’t leave by yourself,” I say to him as I chase after him.

“But, mommy, I just want to stand in here.”

“No, sir. I told you to—” My words get trapped in my throat as I stare at the man who broke me.

His eyes don’t look hard or dark. They look clean and guilty. “Carter, come here,” I say in my serious tone, and he walks about back to me.

It creates enough distance between them, but Travis can’t keep his eyes off him. It scares me that he might do something. Travis must read my face and he brings his hands up in surrender.

“I’m not here to do anything hurtful. I just want to talk to you, Mae. Please,” he says desperately.

“You know my mommy?” To add to my fear, Carter’s little voice hits my ears as he asks Travis.

Travis gives him a warm smile, and I’m momentarily stunned. It’s the same smile he used to give me when we were the old us. He nods his head. “Yes, I used to be friends with your mommy.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Wyatt’s growl comes from behind me. We were waiting for him to finish his letter to his dad to leave on our boat day. I feel relieved that he’s here but scared something bad will happen.

Carter gasps. “Daddy, that’s a bad word.” He runs to Wyatt and holds his leg, and I can see Wyatt rein back his anger. Travis eyes sadden at the scene, but he tries to mask it.

“I’m sorry, bean. I didn’t mean it.” His words are soft as he talks to our son, but he doesn’t stop scowling at Travis.

“I just want to talk to Mae for a little bit. We’ll stay where you can see us if that makes you feel better,” he says, gesturing outside.

“Absolutely not,” Wyatt says sternly. Carter watches back and forth, and this is something I don’t want him to ever witness.

“It’s okay, Wyatt.” His eyes snap to me and plead not to go with him. “I need this.” Then his eyes soften at my words, and he nods.

I follow Travis outside after handing over Ayla to Wyatt. I can feel how sweaty my hands are, and I know it’s fear that will never go away from seeing him. I move away from the bench, walking instead to a little bridge next to the shop. I don’t want him near the bench, that’s my thing with Wyatt.

We stand there as the summer sun hits us and a soft breeze blows around. Silence settles between us, but I know Travis is just taking his time to cope with what he wants to say.

“I got out on good behavior,” he rasps. I look up at him and wait for him to continue. “I was supposed to be in there for ten years, but I only got four and half. I deserve to be in there for everything I did to you.”

I shake my head at him. “That wouldn’t do anyone any good,” I whisper. “I never wanted to destroy you the way you destroyed me.” He winces at my words, but they’re the truth.

“Mae, I need you to know how fucking sorry I am for what I did to you. I will hate myself for hurting you the way I did. In prison, I got the help I needed. I saw several therapists and psychologists, all for different things.”

He clears his throat and rapidly blinks as he stares down at me. “I was so lost in my pain, Mae. From losing my dream to the way my dad treated me. I thought the NFL would be my way to get out of that town, from under my dad’s thumb. I also thought I would save you from your parents. Pretty ironic that I was the one who broke you the most in the process.”

He runs his hands over his hair and sighs heavily, as if he’s letting go of tons of weight from his shoulders. “I’m so sorry for that, Mae. I know that no matter what I say, it won’t help or heal what I did to you. The fucked-up thing about it is that I don’t remember doing those things to you because I blacked out so bad. I wish I could take those memories from you because they’re going to haunt me for the rest of my life. And they should because I became a monster.”

Tears start streaking his cheeks, and I’m overwhelmed with emotion as I watch him fall apart too.

“Thank you for taking care of Carter and giving him a dad that I couldn’t be for him. The day Wyatt picked him up from me was when he took my heart with him. So, thank you, Mae. I didn’t deserve you and I especially don’t deserve Carter. I don’t want him to ever know about me. He’s Wyatt’s and he gets that right for loving him and taking care of him the way that I never did.”

He grabs his neck and tries to calm his breathing from how hard he’s crying. All I do is stay silent and let him get it out because it’s exactly the closure I was looking for to finally move on from the pain he caused me. It will forever be rooted in me, the scars he created, but he can’t ever hurt me again.

He wipes his cheeks, but that doesn’t stop his tears from flowing. “The only thing I ask, if you and Wyatt wouldn’t mind is that if I can get pictures of him. Of all his milestones. That would really mean a lot to me, but I know you don’t owe me anything. My therapist said it would be a step to ask you, but not to expect anything.”

I nod my head at his words. “You’re right. You don’t deserve it, but I don’t want to cause any more pain between us, our story has ended. I’ll send pictures to wherever you decide to relocate to.”

He gives me a soft smile, and I know it’s all with gratitude. We’re quiet for a moment. “Mae, I really did love you,” he whispers against the wind.

“I know. Until you didn’t.” His lips tighten at my response, but it’s the truth. Without another word, he starts to walk away. The mom in me and knowing I get to raise that little boy and he doesn’t, makes me open my mouth.

“Travis.” He turns and waits for me. “Carter, he’s a lot like you.” His eyes crease. “The old you. The good you. He laughs a lot, and he really doesn’t have bad days. He loves to sing the alphabet and his favorite sport to watch and play is football.”

A tear runs down his cheek as he takes my words in and with that I turn and walk away from the man who broke me, but he didn’t kill me. I was stronger than that, and he can’t never hurt me again.

 

 

I sit on the end of the boat while I hold Ayla in her little bathing suit and sun hat, looking at Carter in his life vest watching all around us. This kid loves the outdoors as much as Wyatt and it’s funny seeing how excited he gets over everything.

He asks Wyatt a hundred questions, but Wyatt is patient and answers each one of them. We are lucky that this man who walked into our life five years ago, and he only gets sexier with age. Every year he adds a tattoo and soon he will be covered in them completely. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

He smirks at me while he sees me checking him out, and I shrug unashamed because he’s mine. Wyatt makes his way to me as I start to feed Ayla a bottle and he wraps his arms around me.

“Five years later and I’m still so in love with you. I am so lucky to have you and for what you’ve given me,” he whispers against my neck.

All I do is smile and give him a kiss that tells him exactly what I feel. I’m the lucky one.

He takes Ayla from me and seeing Wyatt Carter be a girl dad, oh boy, ovaries. Give me all his babies. “Hi, my little princess. You know you’re so pretty just like your mama.” Ayla smiles and it only encourages Wyatt more. “Yes, and I love you so much.”

At his words, Carter’s little head snaps toward him. His little face creases in fear. “What about me? Do you love me, daddy?”

Wyatt places him on his lap next to Ayla. “I love you more than you will ever know.” Carter smiles so big, and it makes me smile even bigger.

“You are my best friend, daddy.” I can see the emotion run through Wyatt’s face at his words.

“You’re mine, bean.” He kisses his forehead and I fall in love all over again with the tattooed boy from the coffee shop.

 

 

Wyatt’s large hands hold my hips tightly as he slams into me. My wetness and the water from our shower echoes in our bathroom walls. We both try to stay quiet, but our lust wins.

And the way Wyatt is gripping me and how large he feels inside of me makes me feel lost to everything around us. He pinches my clit, and I cry at loud.

“Fuck, baby. You feel so good. Your tight pussy is hugging my dick just right.” His vulgar mouth will always be the hottest thing about him when we are in bed.

The sensations of his hands on my clit and his hard length pounding into me makes me weak for him. Euphoria is all I see while I moan his name. I feel Wyatt’s warm cum inside of me and I want to come all over again.

As we both come down, we laugh and bathe each other until we’ve been in there too long and it’s time to get out. I go to change while Wyatt just puts briefs on and disappears.

I look inside of Carter’s room once I’m done changing and see him sleeping peacefully. I make my way around the house till I find Wyatt on our living room couch with Ayla lying on his naked chest.

I smile at the sight of my world.

He opens his arms and I slide right next to him. “I love you, Mrs. Smith.”

“And I love you, Mr. Smith.” I smile and we kiss softy.