I was laying on the couch watching a movie with

Brayden laying in my arms sleeping peacefully when

there was a knock at the door. I sighed as I tried to

get up without waking up Brayden.  I opened the

door and froze when I saw Justin standing there

before me looking very timid and shy staring at the

ground. “Can we talk?”Justin almost whispered as

he finally looked up at me. “Uh…Yeah. Let me take

Brayden up to bed first.”I said as I stepped aside

letting him in and making my way back into the

living room. “Would it be okay if I took him

up?”Justin asked looking at me uneasily. “Sure.”I

said as I let Justin pick up Brayden and let him

upstairs to Brayden’s room. Justin laid Brayden

down and tucked him in and started to walk away.

“Uh…he needs his Elmo.”I said as I pointed to the

stuffed animal sitting across the room. Justin just

nodded as he grabbed it and placed it beside

Brayden on his bed. “And you have to turn his night

light on.”I said pointing to it. Justin did so then

quietly followed me out of the room and back

downstairs.             “So?” I said as I sat on the

opposite end of the couch from Justin. “Look this all

was really shocking for me and I can’t say that I’m

not still upset with you for running and hiding

because I am, but at the same time I can’t walk

away knowing he’s my son. I want to be in his life

and I want him to know who I am, but as for you

and I, I can’t trust you at this point and it’s going to

be hard for me to get past the fact that you felt you

couldn’t come to me with all of this when you first

found out.”Justin said as he fidgeted with his hands

and finally looked up at me. “I understand

completely. It was a really hard decision for me to

make when I did it and every day since I’ve

questioned whether I did the right thing or not.

Regardless I knew that when I ran into you again

that there was no way of keeping my secret

anymore and that I had to tell you the truth. I’m

glad you know and I’m glad that Brayden will get to

know his dad. As for us I completely understand, I

wish things hadn’t ended with us the way they had

when it did, and I wish things were different now.

Maybe one day we can move past all of this, but

until we do the only thing I ask is regardless of your

hatred toward me you cannot let it show around

Brayden.”I said begging Justin as I looked up at

him. “Oh Abs I don’t hate you.”Justin sighed as he

scooted over closing the distance between us and

pulling me into his embrace “I just don’t know what

I’m supposed to do. I can’t be with someone I don’t

trust. I mean you finally told me the truth, but what

if you’re hiding other things from me?”Justin said. I

looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. “I

can promise you that I’m not hiding anything else

from you…but I completely understand why you’re

apprehensive about me and the whole situation.”I

said looking back down. “Hey.”Justin said as he

lifted my chin to meet his gaze “Don’t beat yourself

up. You did what you thought you had to and even

though I don’t understand it I’m sure you had your

reasons for it.”He said as I just nodded. “Will you

come over tomorrow after breakfast and we’ll both

sit down and talk to him?”I asked. “Yeah that

sounds like a good idea, but I better go now.”Justin

said as he started to get up from the couch. “Yeah I

suppose.”I sighed as I walked him to the door.