All I Want For Christmas Is You

Six

Unpacking Kelvin’s clothes and toys was comforting for me. Each piece reminded me of our life together—our small, cozy apartment. As I folded the last shirt and placed it into the drawer Lisa had cleared for him, my mind drifted to thoughts I’d been trying to push away since the plane landed.

Adrian.

Kelvin deserved to meet his father, but the mere thought of seeing Adrian Barfield again, face-to-face, made my chest tighten. I hadn’t thought of him for years—not like this, anyway. He was always a shadow in the background of my life, a name whispered by commentators on TV during football games I tried to avoid. Now he wasn’t just a memory or a headline. He was a reality I couldn’t escape.

I closed the drawer with a soft thud and glanced over at Kelvin’s bed. He wasn’t here, of course—he’d run off the moment Lisa’s brother Aaron invited him to play video games downstairs. I envied his carefree joy. For him, this trip was an adventure. For me, it felt like a reckoning.

Taking a deep breath, I headed downstairs.

The living room was alive with laughter. Kelvin and Aaron sat cross-legged in front of the large TV, their fingers flying over the controllers. Aaron’s voice boomed as he narrated the game in dramatic tones, making Kelvin double over with laughter. The sight made my heart ache in the best way.

Lisa was perched on the armrest of a couch, chatting with her parents. When she saw me, she stood and crossed the room, her warm smile a balm to my fraying nerves.

“You okay?” she asked softly, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, though the tightness in my throat betrayed me. “Yeah. Just… watching him.”

Her eyes followed mine to Kelvin. “They’re like twins already,” she said with a chuckle.

I smiled faintly, but my thoughts drifted to what Kelvin was missing—a bond with the man who was half of him. Watching him laugh with Aaron made it so easy to imagine him playing catch with Adrian, or sitting on the sidelines of one of Adrian’s games, beaming with pride.

Lisa must’ve sensed where my mind was because her grip on my shoulder tightened. “Don’t overthink it,” she said gently. “You’re doing this for him, and that’s all that matters. Everything will work out.”

“I hope so,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

Her gaze softened. “Vanessa, you’re a good mom. You’ve always done your best for Kelvin. Don’t doubt that now.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and managed a smile. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Lisa returned the smile, then nudged me toward the couch. “Sit. Relax. You’ve had a long day.”

As I sank into the cushions, my fingers instinctively reached for the locket around my neck. It was old and slightly tarnished, but the photograph inside was still clear—my father’s face, frozen in time.

He’d been gone for years now, but his presence lingered in my memories. He was the one who had taught me to fight for what I believed in, to stand tall even when the world seemed determined to knock me down. When I found out I was pregnant with Kelvin and had no one else to turn to, his voice had been the one I heard in my head, urging me to keep going.

“You thinking about your dad?” Lisa asked, breaking into my thoughts.

I nodded, running my thumb over the locket’s edge. “He always knew how to make me feel like I could do anything. Even when I felt like I couldn’t.”

“He’d be proud of you,” Lisa said. “I mean it, Vanessa. You’ve done an amazing job with Kelvin. And you’re about to do something really brave for him.”

I smiled faintly. “I just want to be a good mom. Better than mine was.”

Lisa frowned but didn’t push. She knew enough about my past to understand why I didn’t talk about my mother. The truth was, my mother hadn’t wanted to keep me. If it hadn’t been for my dad, I wouldn’t have had a childhood at all.

“Hey,” Lisa said, nudging my knee with hers. “You’re not your mom, okay? You’re a great mom. Don’t forget that.”

Her words warmed me, but they also reminded me of the stakes. This wasn’t just about me or my complicated feelings for Adrian. It was about Kelvin, his happiness, and his future.

I glanced at him again, still laughing with Aaron, and made a silent promise to myself. I’d do whatever it took to make sure this trip gave him what he needed, even if it meant facing my fears and opening old wounds.

The evening wound down as Aaron and lisa’s parents went to bed, leaving Lisa, Kelvin, and me alone in the living room. Kelvin was drowsy but still clutching the controller, his eyes half-lidded as he leaned against my side.

“Come on, buddy,” I whispered, brushing his curls back from his forehead. “Time for bed.”

He mumbled a protest but didn’t resist as I helped him up. Lisa offered to carry his things upstairs, but I shook my head. “I’ve got it,” I said.

As I tucked him in, Kelvin’s sleepy voice broke through the quiet. “Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Do you think my dad will like me?”

The question made my heart ache. “Of course he will,” I said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

“You’re amazing, Kelvin. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.”

He smiled faintly, his eyes already closing. “I hope so.”

I stayed by his side until his breathing evened out, then tiptoed back downstairs, my mind swirling with everything I wanted to say to Adrian.

Lisa was waiting in the kitchen, two mugs of tea in hand. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world,” she said, handing me one.

I sighed, cradling the mug. “It feels like it sometimes.”

She smiled knowingly. “You’ve got this, Vanessa. Adrian doesn’t know it yet, but meeting you again might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

I huffed a laugh. “We’ll see about that.”

As I sipped my tea, I let her optimism bolster me. Tomorrow, I’d take the next step. For Kelvin. And confront my past.