The unexpected surprise

The unexpected surprise
“Thank you for having us, Dad,” I said softly as we both headed toward the door, my fingers tightly locked with Aiden’s. I squeezed his hand unconsciously, like I was anchoring myself to him. “And you don’t have to worry. We’ll be back just in time for Christmas. I promise.”

Dad smiled, that familiar tired smile that always made him look older than he actually was. He stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, holding on for a second longer than usual, like he was afraid letting go might undo everything we’d just fixed.

“That’s fine, Jamie,” he said gently as he pulled back, his hands still resting on my shoulders. “It was really good seeing you after all this time. Drive safe, okay?”

“I will,” I replied, nodding.

Then his gaze shifted to Aiden, who was standing quietly beside me, respectful as always. “It was nice meeting you too, Aiden,” Dad added.

Aiden smiled warmly. “It was nice meeting you too, sir. Thank you for having us.”

Dad nodded once more before stepping back inside and closing the door behind him.

As we turned towards the car, a voice stopped me.

“Jamie.”

I turned around. Jeremy stood a few steps away, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his posture unusually unsure.

“Do you mind if we talk for a second?” he asked. “I won’t take much of your time.”

I glanced at Aiden instinctively. He gave me a small nod and a reassuring smile.

“Go ahead,” Aiden said softly. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”
I watched him walk toward the car before turning back to Jeremy. I slipped my hands into my pockets, bracing myself.

Jeremy exhaled deeply, dragging a hand through his hair. Then he looked up at me, his eyes glossy.

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” he said quietly. “I’m really sorry for everything.”

I froze when he reached out and took my hand in his. I hadn’t expected that.

“I’m sorry for acting like a jerk all those years,” he continued, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me. I know I should have done better. I should have supported you no matter what.”

He paused, swallowing hard.

“It’s just… I couldn’t accept it. I kept telling myself it was a phase that would pass. And even if it didn’t, instead of protecting you like I should have, I chose to do the exact opposite, thereby making it worse by hurting you.”

“Jeremy! It’s fine. It’s all in the past and it doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is—” I started, but he shook his head.

“No,” he said, pulling me into a hug suddenly. And then he broke down. His shoulders shook as he cried against me. “No Jamie it’s not fine. You were literally just a kid and I made life so difficult for you. Now that I think about it hurts so much.”

I stood still, then slowly wrapped my arms around him.

“I can’t imagine Malia going through something like that,” he went on. “I would literally lose my mind if my child had to go through something like that. I’m so sorry, Jamie. I swear to you, this will never happen again. I’m done being narrow-minded, I’m done letting my own beliefs hurt the people I love.”

He pulled back, wiping his face, then held both my hands.

“I’m ready to support you in any way that I can, that’s a promise. And thank you for how you’ve always been with Malia. You have no idea how excited she was when you invited her for the holidays. That was all she talked about until she fell asleep. She definitely loves having you around, maybe even more than she does with me.”

I chuckled softly. “Well, I love her a lot, asides from the fact that she is my niece, she reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I don’t joke about her and I’m so protective of her.”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah. I can definitely see that.”

I smiled at him. “Thank you, Jeremy truly. I’m happy to see this new side of you. Thank you for supporting me, that means a lot to me. But I’m not the only one you owe an apology you know.”

I gestured as I glanced toward the car, and Jeremy followed my gaze.

“Oh,” he murmured. “Yeah you’re right.”

We walked over together. As I reached the car, Aiden rolled down the window as Jeremy was already standing close to him. 

Jeremy cleared his throat. “Aiden… I was wrong. I shouldn’t have acted impulsively by doing what I did back then, therefore jeopardizing your career and equally putting a strain on your relationship. I know an apology doesn’t erase the past, but I want you to know that I’m truly sorry.”

Aiden smiled gently. “It’s okay, Jeremy. I’m sorry too for not being better to Jamie. I also understand you were just protecting your brother, and I would have done the same. I know you guys had a rocky start for the longest of time, and I truly hope this sorts out the differences so we can all move on. Because if we keep on living in the past, we won’t be able to move on, and the pains will keep hurting us. So I forgive you Jeremy.”

Jeremy’s face visibly softened. “Thank you.”

As he turned to leave, Aiden stopped him. “Wait,” Aiden said, reaching into the back seat and pulling out a small bag. “Please give this to Malia. I figured she might have a sweet tooth like me, so she will really like what’s in it. My regards to her also. It’s a pity I couldn’t get to see my first real fan in a long time ”

Jeremy laughed. “Of course I will. Thank you.” Then he leaned in closely. “Just so you know, she really likes you too.”

They both laughed as Jeremy waved goodbye and headed back inside.

As we drove off, I couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m guessing someone’s in a good mood. I can pretty much tell, it’s so obvious,” Aiden teased.

“Yeah I am. Actually, It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest, and I feel much at ease now.” I said honestly. “And it’s all thanks to you baby.”

I said as I reached for his hand, gently squeezing his hand. “Come on babe. I didn’t do anything, it was all you. But I’m glad you decided to come here, seems like everyone missed you a lot. I’m happy your brother eventually came around. He concluded as he brought my hands to his lips and kissed it.”

We laughed as we continued the drive. We made a few stops for gas, while Ofcourse Aiden went on his usual sugar rampage. And due to the fact that I was in a good mood, I joined in on the fun.

Along the way, Aiden’s face eventually lit up. “What if we visit Leona in LA?”

I turned to look at him, obviously shocked. “That’s actually a great idea. She would be so surprised, and how about we add one more surprise visit to the list?” I said as my face lit up, while I smiled mischievously.

Aiden squinted at me, as he turned. “Okay are you going to tell me what’s your mind or are you purposely choosing to keep me in the dark this entire drive?” He asked curiously as he leaned in, his eyes on mine as if he was trying to get the answer from my eyes. 

“You’re also so impatient, poodle.” I teased. “Can you imagine the look on his face when he sees us together at his doorstep?” I said mischievously, as I laughed. “He will absolutely freak out. Let’s just say this is our time to also have fun and play with him just like he did with us.”

I concluded, my gaze back on the road. 

Aiden brows furrowed, as he gasped. “No way! Tell me it’s not who I think it is?” He asked laughing. “O my gosh Jamie. That’s insane. I mean it will be really good though, seeing that look on his face. That will literally make my day.” Then he leaned back, and asked curiously. “By the way babe, how did you come up with this though? 

“Well poodle, it’s not like I thought this through or anything. I just figured since we are visiting an old friend, why not add another to the list. That way we could kill two birds with one stone.” I replied smugly. 
Just then Aiden laughed, shaking his head unbelievably.

“How about we leave today? We both have free time on our hands right? Plus, we can think of this as a little vacation just the two of us.”

“Oh baby, I am way ahead of you. I already got us tickets, so all we need to do now is to get home on time, change into something else and head out for our own little vacation.” I admitted, leaning towards him as my thumb brushed his cheek. 

“You’re unbelievable.” He squealed, as his eyes widened. “I can’t believe you literally thought this through already. Well, I’m always up for a vacation anytime anyday and considering what he put us through, a little payback wouldn’t hurt.” He said excitedly, rubbing his palms together. 

We laughed about it and when we got to his hotel, we had our baths, changed into something more befitting, parked a few things that we might need and headed down to the airport. Soon we were on the air and Aiden slept throughout the flight. Maybe he got too excited and eventually got himself worn out in the process. I took cute pictures of him while he was asleep. More or less like a souvenir for myself to watch all over again when I wanted too.

By the time we touched down, he was already awake.

“How is it possible that you literally fell asleep all through the flight when you were the one who has been more excited about this vacation?” I teased. 

“Oh my gosh” He said as laughing, covering his face. “ I don’t know how you do it Jamie, but my body just shuts down on its own whenever I am tired.” He defended quickly. 

“Yeah I know babe. That’s because you’re literally spoilt” I teased laughing, as he pouted and rolled his eyes at me. 

“Anyways, should we do this now or should we get some rest and carry on tomorrow?” I asked, as we headed to the hotel. 

“No no baby.” He said quickly, shaking his head. “Let us do this today. I am super hyped for this. Plus I am already awake and my body isn’t so tired anymore.” He replied excitedly. 

I smiled, nodding my head. “Alright, baby. If you say so. Let’s get this party started.”