James (Resisting Love #3)(4)

“Look at my handsome grandson! I finally get to meet you! You are so big!” she says, her words rushed.

“Well, hello to you too, mum,” I say in mock indignation. She doesn’t even glance up at me as she kisses Jye on his cheeks repeatedly. Finally, she looks my way, her hazel eyes narrowed on mine. “You'd think I raised you better, Sasha Crawford! Keeping my grandson from me for this long!” even as she lectures me, she walks forward and wraps me in her arms.

“I missed you, mum,” I tell her honestly.

“Missed you too, baby,” she whispers.

“Where’s dad?” I ask her.

“He’s away at work, he’ll be back next week,” she tells me. My dad is working in the mines as an engineer, so he’s away for weeks at a time. He usually works there for two weeks, and then gets one week off.

“Come on, let’s catch up on everything,” my mum says, steering Jye and me into the kitchen. She pours us both a drink, and then we get talking about everything we’ve missed in the last two years.

***





Chapter Two


Sasha


Chase came to my parents' house this morning, just as he said he would. We’re now in our new apartment, and I love how modern and spacious it is; it's perfect for Jye and me. My bed, chest of drawers, and television are already moved in. I went shopping and bought a new bed for Jye, along with more toys and clothing since I didn’t have room to bring everything back from Scotland. I’m cleaning and organizing Jye’s room and when there’s a knock on the door, I assume it must be either Layla or Chase so I open it with a smile. When I find myself face to face with a familiar tall, handsome, blond man, I freeze.

“James?” I say, my eyes darting all over him.

“Hey Sasha, you look good,” he says without emotion.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him. I’m not ready for this confrontation yet.

“Chase told me that you need to see me, and it’s urgent. What’s going on?” he asks, looking concerned. I swallow hard, and play with my hair, like I always do when I get nervous. This is the moment I’ve been dreading. But I need to face this, and there's no time like the present. I want to be furious with Chase for telling James without warning me, without letting me do it in my own time, but I know if the situation was reversed I'd do the same thing.

“Look, James, come inside, there’s something I need to tell you,” I start. His forehead crinkles and his face takes on a concerned look. He walks inside and I gesture for him to take a seat, but he remains standing. Okay, then. I open my mouth to tell him, but before I can, Jye himself runs out.

“Mamaaa!” he squeals with pleasure, dragging the new stuffed toy I bought him today behind. When he sees James, he stops dead in his tracks, checking out this new person. My gaze trails back to James, who is staring at Jye with a shocked expression. His mouth pops open, and then closes with a snap. I can almost see the moment he pieces it all together, because his expression turns tortured. He swallows noticeably before speaking.

“How old is he?” he asks in a quiet tone.

“Sixteen months,” I tell him, now looking at Jye instead of facing the accusation in James’ eyes.

“Are you f*cking shitting me?” he mutters under his breath. Jye walks over, curious, and stands next to me. He stares up at James and frowns, cuddling his toy tiger closer to his little body.

“What’s his name?” he asks me, never taking his eyes off Jye.

“Jye,” I say softly, my voice catching.

I bite my lip as he gets down on his knees, and sits back on his heels, eye level to Jye. I blink furiously to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks as my eyes begin to tear.

“Hello, little man,” James says, his gaze raking over every inch of Jye. Jye stares at him for a moment, with his head tilted to the side, as if in deep thought. Then he takes his toy and offers it to James. James smiles at Jye before taking the toy and thanking him. Jye hugs my leg once, before running back to his room. James stands up, but keeps his eyes on the floor.

“What the f*ck, Sasha? How could you do this to me?” he bites out through clenched teeth. I squirm under his intense gaze.

“James…” I start, but he cuts me off.

“No, Sasha, do you hate me so much that you would keep my own son from me? Hell, I’ve missed out on everything! Fuck!”

“I tried to call you, James! I left messages, and don’t get me f*cking started about when someone actually picked up the phone! After that I stopped bothering,” I hiss defensively.

“What are you talking about, I never spoke to you, so who did you talk to?” he asks, confused.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past, and it’s too late to change it,” I say quietly.

James doesn’t say anything to that, because he knows it’s the truth.

“He’s beautiful,” he tells me.

“I know, he looks just like you,” I respond. His eyes close for a moment, and he takes a deep breath.

“Peaches,” he says randomly.

“Huh?”

“I want to be in his life, Sasha. I want to be there for him,” he says, changing the subject.

“Okay, James,” I agree. He sighs with relief, as if he was expecting an argument from me.