*~*Chloe’s POV*~*

I went over to the bookcase in the living room, standing up on my tiptoes to reach the photo books and yearbooks from the top shelf. Jayden had followed me and crawled up on the couch, where he sat patiently waiting for me. I turned around to catch Zacky staring and smirking at my stretched out body as he took a large swig of his fresh beer.

“Mommy, can I get Ralphie before we look at pictures?” Jayden asked.

“Yes my little love, go get him. Bring a blanket too.” I replied as Zacky walked in the room.

Jayden slid off the couch and ran up the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him as I set the yearbooks and photo books down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Zacky walked around the couch and took a seat in the nearby overstuffed chair sipping his beer. Jayden’s tiny footsteps could be heard on the staircase as he toted Ralphie in one hand and dragged his green dinosaur baby blanket behind him. He put his blanket on the couch, Ralphie still in his hand as he walked over to Zacky sitting in the chair.

“Zacky you come sit with me and mommy.” He said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the couch.

Zacky sat down as Jayden crawled up onto the couch next to him, patting the open spot next to him for me to come and sit. I picked up one of the Huntington Beach High School yearbooks from the table and sat next to Jayden as I opened it.

“Mommy I want to show Zacky. I know where.” Jayden said as he grabbed the yearbook and put it in his lap, flipping the pages.

I shook my head and laughed lightly at my son’s actions, “Jayden, don’t you want to see Zacky?”

“What? Zacky, you went to school with mommy?” Jayden stopped flipping pages and asked Zacky.

“I sure did. So did all of your Uncles and Aunties from today… all except Uncle Johnny… Do you want me to show you?” Zack asked, setting his beer on the table and scooting closer to Jayden, wrapping his arm around the back of the couch, lightly touching my shoulder.

I blushed lightly as I felt his fingers softly caress my skin. I looked down to the pages of the yearbook as Jayden picked out my horrible high school picture.

Zacky laughed as I made a disgusted noise, “Oh, come on Chloe, yours isn’t that bad.”

“Ugh, it so is. What were we thinking?” I giggled.

“We weren’t. Maybe that’s the problem…” Zacky said before pointing out Val and Michelle’s pictures a few photos away from my own, “See there’s Aunty Val and Aunty Michelle’s picture.”

“Where’s yours Zacky?” Jayden asked as he planted his thumb in his mouth.

“B…B…Ba-” Zacky said absentmindedly as he flipped the page.

“Zachary! There you are!” I exclaimed, throwing a wide-eyed glare at Zacky as he was about to say his last name, as I picked out his picture.

“There I am. Not too much has changed has it Jay?” Zacky said sitting up and letting Jayden look between him and the picture in his lap.

“Nope. You almost look the same. Where’s Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Brian and Uncle Matt?” Jayden continued as Zack started flipping the pages again to show him.

After the yearbook I grabbed one of the photo books that I never showed Jayden. It was one filled with pictures of when we were in high school and mostly of the band playing in Matt’s parent’s garage. I never showed it to Jayden because honestly, it made me sad to look at the life I had left behind. The blue cover had messages all over it in sharpies from Zacky, Jimmy, Matt, and Brian. Jayden grabbed the book from me and Zacky looked at me surprised.

“I’ve never seen this one mommy… have I?” Jayden asked looking up at me with his bright green eyes.

I brushed his hair out of his face, kissing the top of his head, “No sweetie. This one I never showed you.”

“Why not mommy?”

“Because this one used to make mommy sad. I can show you now though.” I said wiping the tear threatening to fall.

“Why mommy?”

“Because your mommy is back where these pictures came from.” Zacky said softly rubbing my back and smiling at me, “Jayden, these pictures are ones your mommy took before she went away to New York. It has me and your uncles and aunties in it.”

“Really? Wow. Did it make you sad because we were far away from your friends mommy?” Jayden asked me.

“Yes baby. Now that we are back with them, mommy doesn’t have to be sad anymore.” I said smiling at him before smiling up at Zacky.

“I can’t believe you still have this album. I remember writing this on here…” Zacky laughed at his message on the front cover, “ ’Don’t forget us when you’re famous. Love Zacky V.’ Who knew we’d ever make it out of Matt’s parent’s garage?”

“I did. I always knew you guys would be great.” I replied as Jayden opened the book.

“Well thank you Chloe, good to know someone had some faith in us.” Zacky said looking down at the book in Jayden’s hands. “See Jayden, this is Uncle Matt’s old house where everyone used to go to play music.”

“Cool. Mommy said my daddy plays music too. Right Mommy?”

“That’s right Jayden.” I replied glancing over at a smiling Zacky.

“I miss daddy.” Jayden said softly before sticking his thumb in his mouth and hugging Ralphie to his chest.

“I know baby. I’m sorry…” I said feeling Zacky’s eyes on me as I hugged Jayden to my side and kissed the top of his head.

“Chloe, can you show me the bathroom?” Zacky asked standing up from the couch.

“Sure.” I said getting the hint, “Jayden just wait right here.”

I got up and walked down the hall, Zack following me away from the living room. I leaned my back against the cool wall of the hallway and put my face in my hands as I shook my head and let a few tears roll down my cheeks. Zacky grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to his chest, hugging me tightly as he softly rubbed my back trying to soothe me.

“It’s okay…” he quietly said.

“It’s not okay Zack. Now that you’re here I don’t know how long I can keep this from him.” I said pulling away from Zacky and going into the bathroom and cutting on the water, splashing some on my face.

He leaned against the doorframe, “Chloe, whenever you want to tell him, I will be here. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.”

I looked up at him seeing the sincerity in his bright green eyes as I thought about what to do. I wanted to tell Jayden so badly, but I still wasn’t sure if Zack was ready to be a father. Even if he said he was.

“Mommy?” I heard Jayden call from the living room.

“Come on…” Zacky said wrapping his arm around my shoulder as we walked back down the hall to the couch.

“Mommy, who is that?” Jayden asked pointing to the old bass player in the band.

“That’s Uncle Justin, he used to play with us.” Zacky replied as he sat down next to Jayden, pulling him closer to his side.

“What happened to Uncle Justin?”

“Uncle Justin got really sick and had to go to the hospital. That’s when Zacky’s brother, your Uncle Matthew, found Uncle Johnny to play instead.” I told him as he turned the page to a picture with Zacky and I kissing.

My eyes went wide as did Zacky’s as he glanced over at me smiling goofily. I felt my face blush as our son looked up at the both of us.

“Mommy? Is that Zacky?” Jayden’s emerald green eyes stared up at me inquisitively.

“Yes it is.” I responded.

“Why are you kissing him like that?” he asked curiously.

“Like what Jayden? You kiss the people you love. Mommy loves her friends.” I said trying to brush it off.

“No mommy. That’s like when mommies and daddies kiss.” He answered.

I looked at Zacky, hoping he would have some kind of an explanation for our son but he just looked pale as a ghost.

“It was a game Jayden. Mommy and Zacky were playing a game.” Zack answered quickly.

Jayden looked at him strangely before turning the page, “That’s a weird game.”

I let out a sigh of relief as the next pages had pictures of the band performing in the garage. There were a few with Val, Michelle, and I on the couch drinking and smoking cigarettes. There was a great shot of Zacky playing his guitar, smiling brightly at me as I watched him from my seat on the couch. The picture captured a moment of the love we had shared back then as two young teenagers in love. I smiled and let another tear fall, quickly wiping it away.

“What’s wrong Mommy? Why are you crying?” Jayden said putting his hand on my leg.

“Just remembering some stuff baby. Don’t worry, it’s happy tears.” I said looking over at Zacky, “Remember those days Zee?”

“I never forgot them.” He smiled back at me.

Jayden handed Ralphie to me, “Here Mommy. Hug Ralphie. He makes it all better.”

“How about a hug from my little love? That would make me feel even better.” I said as Jayden got up and wrapped his arms around my neck hugging me tight.

Zacky reached out and gently rubbed my arm smiling at me before Jayden released his hold on me and sat back down pulling the book from Zacky’s lap. He flipped the pages, looking at the pictures and asking questions. Zacky and I did our best to answer them in a way that a 3 year old could understand, all the while, throwing glances back and forth as we remembered certain pictures and the way things once were.

“I want to show Zacky my pictures when I was a baby.” Jayden said as he yawned.

“Looks like someone is getting sleepy… It’s almost bedtime mister.” I said as I felt Jayden’s forehead again feeling him burning up, “Jayden, do you feel hot or cold?”

“I’m a little cold Mommy.”

“Here let me cover you in the blanket little man.” Zacky said pulling the green blanket and placing it over Jayden.

“I’m gonna get him some medicine, I’ll be right back.” I said as I ran upstairs and grabbed the medicine from my bathroom.

I gave Jayden some more of the medicine, setting the bottle down on the coffee table before picking up a light green photo book covered in dinosaurs. Jayden clapped his hands as I handed it to him, excited to show Zacky his baby pictures.

“Look Zacky. This is when I was born.” He said opening the book and showing Zack his first hospital picture.

I watched Zack’s face light up as he looked at the photos and I instantly felt like a horrible person. Zacky had always told me that he wanted to have a family. He always told me that I was the only one for him and that he only would want kids with me. Of course back then, we were kids ourselves and I didn’t think he was serious, but watching him now as he looked at the pictures of Jayden, I felt like I had done the unspeakable.

I have kept the love of my life from the only other thing he wanted besides music. I kept him from his son. From our son. I’ve done a horrible thing…

“Chloe, you alright?” Zacky asked.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry…” I said shaking my head at the thought of what I had done.

“That’s me and Uncle Jake. Do you know Uncle Jake, Zacky?” Jayden asked him.

“I sure do. Do you see Uncle Jake a lot?” Zacky asked Jayden.

“Not all the time before, but now I see him more because we live close to his house.” Jayden smiled up at him.

Zacky flipped the page and stared at a picture of me kissing Jayden’s smiling face. He smiled brightly and ran his hand over the page as I saw tears start to well up in his eyes. Jayden babbled on about a different picture on the page and Zack nodded at what the little boy was saying.

“Mommy I don’t feel good.” Jayden turned to me and said, snapping me out of my observation of Zacky.

“I know baby. That’s why I gave you more medicine.” I told him.

“Mommy my tummy hurts.” He said crawling up onto my lap and wrapping his arms around my neck.

I hugged him and rocked him gently back and forth before standing up from the couch and carrying him as I walked around the living room softly humming to him. I walked around the back of the couch, noticing Zacky’s beer on the table was empty. He was looking thru the baby book that I had made for Jayden after he was born. I was rather proud of myself for actually keeping up with it even though my life was so chaotic.

“Zack, would you like another one?” I asked softly, still holding Jayden in my arms.

He turned to look at me, holding up the page about where Jayden’s name came from, his eyes brimming with water but a smile on his face, “I can get it. Thank you.”

He got up from the couch setting the book down and walked past me into the kitchen, returning with a beer. He stopped and came over to me holding Jayden who had his head resting on my shoulder and kissed my cheek softly mouthing ‘Thank You’ before he lightly rubbed Jayden’s back.

“You’re welcome. It was the least I coul- aggghhhhh” I jumped as I felt something slimy, warm and wet sliding down my back.

Notes

Alright my lovelies... I know a few of you have been dying for this to be updated so here you go. I hope I will be able to update my other story this week as well. Hope you guys like this chapter. Leave me some comments because I love the feedback! Much love and aloha <3 <3 <3 XoXo