The Son I Left Behind Called Me Mommy Chapter 04

The Son I Left Behind Called Me Mommy Chapter 04

The atmosphere inside the Crestwood Estate was suffocatingly tense.

Callan sat Coop on the sofa, kneeling to slide his shoes onto his small feet.

Cooper huddled in the corner of the cushions, seemingly aware that he’d caused a scene.

He kept his head down, sobbing softly into his chest.

Every few seconds, he’d peek up at Callan.

Callan, clearly used to this routine, wordlessly handed him a glass of water.

He waited for Cooper to finish drinking, then simply watched him cry in silence.

I sat on the opposite end of the sofa, my own eyes stinging as I watched my son break down.

Callan looked at the two of us, mother and son, mirror images in our misery.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, weary breath.

I had spent years wondering how Callan felt about Coop.

When I gave birth, I handed the baby to his mother without a word.

Callan hadn’t even known I was pregnant.

I’d always been curious about what he thought when a son suddenly dropped into his life.

Seeing them now, it was clear they were close. A small weight lifted off my chest.

Callan caught the faint smile on my face. His expression remained calm, but his voice was sharp.

“Maya.”

“Still a fan of the vanishing act, I see?”

I froze.

He didn’t wait for an answer.

Instead, he softened his tone. “I wasn’t trying to kick you out earlier.”

“Coop has been asking for you. Constantly.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I thought he’d be glued to you the second he saw you.”

Truth was, the cold night air outside had cleared my head.

That, and the sound of Cooper’s heart-wrenching screams, had made me turn back before I even reached the gate.

Poor Coop. He looked conflicted, like he didn’t know whether to stop crying or keep going.

I watched him clutch his water glass, his eyes darting around the room.

“Is he always like this?” I asked Callan.

Callan gave a small, affectionate laugh, reaching out to tweak Coop’s cheek.

“Yeah. He’s clingy. And a total crybaby.”

He paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

“Wonder who he gets that from.”

I stayed silent.

Cooper immediately raised his hand. “I’m like Mommy!”

Then he added, “And Daddy too!”

He set the glass down and lunged into my arms, his voice cracking. “Mommy… please don’t go.”

The shift in identity happened so fast I didn’t know how to react.

Callan caught my eye and gave a slight nod.

Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around him, finally stepping into the role. “Alright.”

Cooper’s nose turned red as he started wiping away fresh tears.

“Stay the night,” seeing this, Callan suggested. “Coop said you guys were supposed to have a movie night, right?”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Callan cut me off with the one thing I couldn’t refuse.

“He’s never slept with his mother before.”

Coop looked up at me from my lap, his eyes wide and pleading. I couldn’t say no.

I agreed to stay.

Coop immediately grabbed my bag and stashed it as far away as possible.

He even gave it a firm pat for good measure.

“There. Now Mommy can’t leave.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When I turned around, I found Callan staring at me in silence.

Later, Coop dragged his pillow and blanket onto my bed. He even made sure his teddy bear was perfectly positioned.

He lay in my arms, vibrating with excitement. He had a million questions about me.

“Mommy, how old are you?”

I stroked his cheek. “Twenty-seven. What about you?”

He held up his fingers. “Four!”

“And what’s your favorite food?”

“I like pretty much anything,” I said. “But if I had to choose, I like spicy food.”

Coop gasped. “No way! That’s so cool! I like sweet things!”

I laughed. “How is that cool?”

I smoothed his hair back, a question nagging at me.

“Coop, when did you find out I was your Mommy?”

He looked at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve always known.”

I blinked. “What?”

He scrambled out of bed. “Wait here, Mommy!”

He ran to his room and came back a moment later clutching a heavy photo album.

He sat beside me, flipping through the pages.

“Daddy said this is the cafe where you first met,” he explained, pointing to a photo. “I think it’s still open.”

He turned the page. “And this is your college.”

I stared at the thick stack of photos. They were all of me and Callan.

Some were candid shots I didn’t even remember being taken.

I picked one up and turned it over.

The handwriting was sharp and lean, definitely Callan’s.

[Someone said she was going to study, but she fell asleep in thirty minutes. Should I wake her up?]

I flipped through a few more. Almost every one had a little note from him.

“Where did you get these?” I whispered.

Coop tilted his head. “From Daddy, of course.”

“He’s been showing me pictures of you since I was a baby. That’s how I recognized you right away.”

It wasn’t a shock that Callan had kept them.

But when Coop mentioned that his grandmother had given him some too, I was stunned.

My mind drifted back to the past.