Jealousy Rides

Thea’s POV

I yanked on my dress, trying to adjust it around my belly when I heard Leo’s voice outside my bedroom door. “Mom! Are you ready yet?” he called impatiently. “We’re going to be late!”

“Just one more minute!” I shouted back, hurrying to finish getting dressed. I’d become more comfortable with dresses lately, so I’d chosen a cute spaghetti-strap sundress that hit just above my knees. I paired it with comfortable sandals, considering we’d be walking most of the day. My hair was pulled back in a curly ponytail with a few loose strands framing my face. I’d barely put on any makeup, mainly because I couldn’t be bothered today.

Honestly, I hadn’t initially wanted to go on this outing. Pregnancy made me tire easily, and I didn’t want to ruin the day by getting exhausted too quickly. But seeing the excited smiles on Leo and Wyatt’s faces had changed my mind. Especially Wyatt—after what happened last week, he really needed this. He needed to feel loved and valued. I hoped being surrounded by people who loved him would create new, happy memories to replace those painful ones about his mother.

I grabbed my purse, opened the door, and found Leo waiting outside. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Just as I said that, a honk sounded from outside. Jaxon and Wyatt were ready too. Since we were all going to the same place, there was no point in taking separate cars. We decided to ride in Jaxon’s vehicle because it was more spacious, and I wouldn’t have to drive with my pregnant belly.

“I’m so excited… I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you agreed to go,” Leo said, carefully helping me down the stairs with my pregnant state in mind. “I even called Dad yesterday. He sounded weird, but I told him I wouldn’t be home today.”

I was surprised he’d called Sebastian. Usually, he tells me when he’s going to call his father, but he hadn’t mentioned it yesterday. The mention of Sebastian made me uneasy. His behavior over the past few months could only be described as “unpredictable.” I didn’t think he’d show up, but given his recent behavior, I couldn’t be sure.

Pushing thoughts of him aside, I focused on the day ahead. We walked out of the house, Leo rushing toward Jaxon’s car. I followed after locking the door. Climbing into the passenger seat, I smiled at the father and son. “Hey there,” I greeted as cheerfully as I could.

“Hi, Thea!” Wyatt exclaimed excitedly. Jaxon returned my smile. “Hey.”

Once we were all buckled in, Jaxon started the engine and pulled away. Thirty minutes into the journey, the kids were still as excited as when we first made these plans. They were so hyped up it was actually amusing to watch their behavior.

“How much longer?” Leo asked, bouncing with joy while Wyatt jumped up and down in his seat.

“About forty minutes or so,” Jaxon answered.

They were quiet for a moment before starting to talk among themselves. Their conversation mainly consisted of all the things they wanted to do, games they wanted to play, rides they wanted to try, and food they wanted to eat.

“They’re really excited,” Jaxon said, his eyes flicking to me then back to the road.

I chuckled. “That’s an understatement. Leo barely slept last night, and when he did, he woke up at the crack of dawn and woke me up like the world was ending.”

He laughed—a real, genuine laugh. I couldn’t help but stare, unable to look away. “What?” he asked as his laughter died down.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Nothing. I just haven’t heard you laugh like that before. You should do it more often. It suits you.”

His previous smile faded, and he went back to being that distant, detached person.

After calming Wyatt’s emotional breakdown that day, I’d contacted Jaxon, who came over as soon as he finished his work. By then, Wyatt had fallen asleep from exhaustion. I held him and transferred him to Jaxon’s arms. Jaxon looked grim but didn’t say anything. I had many questions about Wyatt’s mysterious mother, but seeing the state of the father and son, I swallowed them back. But I hadn’t expected him to speak up before leaving: “Wyatt’s mother doesn’t want him, doesn’t want anything to do with him. I knew she didn’t accept me, but what kind of woman doesn’t accept her own son?”

“She’s done nothing but hurt me and my son over and over again,” he continued, pain evident in his eyes. “I hate her, but I also find I can’t stop loving her. And what’s worse is that I can’t bring myself to regret it. Because regretting her would mean regretting having Wyatt, and that’s something I could never do.”

I watched in shock as he left carrying Wyatt. Hadn’t I heard those words somewhere before? Yes, from my own mouth. Hadn’t I said the exact same thing to Sebastian?

After that, everything became more jumbled in my mind. I kept feeling like I was missing something. If I could piece the fragments together, maybe I’d understand why this whole thing bothered me, why my brain wouldn’t let it go.

Back to the present, Jaxon and I didn’t talk much for the rest of the journey as he drove in silence. Most of the time, the kids would call out to us to include us in their chatter. These two kids surprised me; they were so in sync. They even finished each other’s sentences, which Jaxon found amusing.

Soon we arrived at our destination. As soon as Jaxon found a parking space, we got out of the car. “Where to first?” Jaxon asked as we faced the entrance to the amusement park. There were probably thousands of people milling about.

“The rides, of course!” Leo and Wyatt said in unison. Their faces lit up with bright smiles, eyes twinkling with excitement.

“The rides it is then,” I smiled, taking their hands as we walked into the sea of people.

About two hours later, my legs were aching, but I was happy. I sat down on a bench watching Jaxon, Wyatt, and Leo play. Rubbing my feet, I couldn’t help feeling a bit wistful. This was exactly what I’d always wanted to do with Leo and Sebastian. Every time I brought up the subject, Sebastian would refuse. He’d always say he didn’t mind spending time with Leo as long as I wasn’t there to ruin their moment, because my presence disgusted him.

It hurt, but I endured it. Apart from that one vacation we took as a family, and that was only because Leo insisted, we never did any family activities. It was always Sebastian and Leo, or Leo and me. Never the three of us.

“I don’t like another man playing father to my son.” My whole body froze, unable to believe I’d just heard his voice. As if my thoughts had summoned him out of thin air. Yes, I really should have trusted my instincts that Sebastian might show up. This was sure to be a disaster.