he’s not even two, he is something else. No doubt about it.
I wasn’t expecting Isla to get pregnant so soon after Sunny was born, but it happened and we went with it. Get it out of the way and all that. Things aren’t any better after the birth of Sunny like I thought they would be. She’s angry, and frustrated, and always out. She puts Sunny into care and disappears for an entire day, stating that she’s searching for jobs.
I highly doubt it.
“Let him cry, Isla,” I say, picking up my keys. “You can’t always give him what he wants.”
She glares at me in a way that makes my skin prickle. She’s angry, god is she angry. She’s always fucking angry.
“He is a child. Pick him up, Bohdi.”
I exhale and lean down, scooping Sunny into my arms. He immediately stops crying—he always does when I hold him—which is why Isla always wants me to pick him up. She can’t handle his crying. I get it, but I’m not about to create entitled children, either. Still, I like having my boy around, and I certainly like it when he’s happy.
“Come on, buddy. You can come into town with me.”
“Where are you going?” Isla asks, narrowing her eyes.
“To get some food for this family, because you didn’t go grocery shopping and Sunny is out of diapers.”
“Well excuse me for being too busy looking after your son.”
God.
I can’t deal with this. Not today.
“I’m going to the store.”
I take Sunny and leave, heading to the store. When I arrive, I find myself walking up and down the aisles in a daze. I should be doing more to make this family work, but day by day, my soul dies a little more.
I feel like I have nothing left, and it’s killing me.
“Bohdi?”
I hear a familiar voice and spin around, seeing Carson and Sean striding toward me, big grins on their faces. No fucking way. They haven’t been in town for years—fuck, I can’t remember the last time I saw them. A grin spreads across my face when they reach me and pull me in for a hug.
“Fucking hell,” I say when they release me. “What the fuck are you two doin’ here?”
“We’re in town for a comp. Fuck, man, it has been a long time!” Sean says, slapping my shoulder. “This your little fella?”
“It is, this is Sunny.”
“You still with Isla?” Carson asks.
“Yeah.”
“Fuck, it has been too long. You busy this afternoon? Keen for a surf?”
Fuck.
I’d do just about anything to get out on the water this afternoon, or anytime for that matter. “Fuck yeah. I’m still at the shack, come by and we’ll go out.”
“Deal,” Carson says, pulling me in for another hug. “It’s good to see you, brother.”
“You too.”
They disappear, laughing as they move through the shop. They don’t have a care in the world. Not a fucking care. They’re free and living the dream I always wanted. I push the envy down and stare at my son, who grins up at me. I have him. I have my boy. I have happiness, I just need to start focusing a little more on it.
I finish up and head home, putting Sunny down for his nap. Isla comes in just after lunch and goes right to the shower, completely ignoring me. The guys arrive a few minutes after she gets out, and when she sees them, her eyes widen. “Well, I didn’t think I’d see you two around here again. How are you boys?”
“Isla, good to see you,” Carson says, hugging her. “I see Bohdi has been keeping you busy.”
He nods to her belly.
Her face hardens a touch. “Something like that. What are you boys doing in town?”
“Surf comp. Mind if we steal your boy here for a surf?”
Isla gives them a tight smile. She wants nothing to do with me surfing, not these days, but she nods stiffly anyway. The two guys grin big, and I get the hell out of there before she decides to change her mind and make a scene. I dig out my old board and clean it up, then we all head down to the beach. There are a lot of surfers here today—the waves are huge and the sun is out.
Fuck it has been a long time.
“Let’s do this,” Carson says, jogging toward the water with his board under his arm.
Sean looks to me and grins. “It has been a while for you?”
“A fuckin’ long while. You two will show me up no doubt.”
He slaps my shoulder.