Jamal POV
"How were they?" I asked as she approached me, the smile on her face told me all I needed to know.
It had gone well.
She stood close to me, close enough that I could smell her perfume and shampoo, I wanted desperately to reach out and hug her but I knew that was a terrible idea.
"They are- beautiful." She said, her voice cracking at the last word. I noticed her eyes were getting wet.
"Well," I said, sticking both my hands in my back pocket to prevent me from putting them around her. "Their mother is beautiful, I wouldn't expect less."
"Stop it." She scolded, wiping off the tears quickly with the back of her palm. "Stop being so kind Jamal."
"Please, Methis, just hear me out." I said, grabbing her arm as she tried to walk away from me. "I know I messed up, but I'm different now. I've changed. I'm a better man, Methis. A better father."
She looked at me with a cold stare, as if I was a stranger. She pulled her arm away from me and shook her head. "Jamal, you can't just show up here and expect me to believe you. You've hurt me too many times. You've broken too many promises. You've lost my trust, my respect, my love. You can't just get them back with a few words."
I felt a pang of desperation in my chest. I loved her, I needed her, I wanted her back. I wanted us to be a family again, with our kids. I wanted to make things right. "Methis, please, just give me a chance. Come and live with me and the kids. See for yourself how much I've changed. See how happy we can be. Don't you miss me? Don't you miss them?"
She sighed and looked away. She seemed conflicted, unsure, hesitant. Maybe there was still a spark of hope in her heart. Maybe she still cared about me, about us. Maybe she would give me a chance. "Jamal, I don't know. I need some time to think. This is too much, too soon. I can't just pack up and move in with you. I have a life here, a job, friends. I can't just leave everything behind."
I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment. I knew I was asking a lot from her, but I was desperate. I didn't want to lose her, not again. I wanted to hold on to her, to keep her close, to never let her go. "Okay, Methis, I understand. Take your time. Think about it. But please, don't take too long. Don't make me wait forever. Don't break my heart again."
She gave me a sad smile and turned around. She walked away from me, towards her home. I watched her go, hoping she would look back, hoping she would change her mind, hoping she would come back to me. But she didn't. She just kept walking, until she disappeared from my sight.
* * *
I watched Methis walk out of the hotel room, feeling a mix of emotions. I was happy that she had finally met our children, and that they had accepted her. They had been more composed than I would have thought initially, and they had opened their hearts to her. And even more, I was hopeful that this was the first step towards reconciling with her, and bringing her back to our home.
But I was also sad that she had left so soon, and that she had not agreed to come with us. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It was going to take a lot more than showing her the kids I took away from her to get her back in the first place. This was only just the beginning, the process was way longer.
I loved her more than anything, and I wanted her to be happy. But I also wanted her to be with us, as a family. I wanted to hold her in my arms, and kiss her. I wanted to tell her how much I missed her, and how much I needed her. I wanted to make her laugh, and make her smile. I wanted to make her feel loved, and make her love me again.
I turned to our children, who were sitting on the couch, looking at me with expectant eyes. They had heard our conversation, and they knew their mother was not going to come home with us, at least not yet. They knew that she had a different life here, and that she had a different plan for her future.
They looked confused, and hurt. They did not understand why their mother wasn't with them, and with me. They did not understand why she had left us in the first place, and why she had stayed away for so long.
They deserved an explanation, and they deserved the truth. I decided to tell them everything, and to ask for their help.
I sat down next to them, and took their hands. I looked into their eyes, and said, "Kids, I need to talk to you about something important. Something about your mom, and me, and us."
They nodded, and listened attentively.
I took a deep breath, and said, "You know that your mom and I love you very much, right?"
They nodded, and said, "Yes."
I smiled, and said, "And you know that we used to be very happy together, right?"
They nodded, and said, "Yes."
I sighed, and said, "But you also know that we had some problems, right?"
"Yes."
I said, "Do you remember what those problems were?"
Summer remained silent, still staring up at me like she was confused but Autumn shook his head, "No."
I felt tears in my eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We should have never done that. We should have never hurt you. We should have never hurt ourselves. We should have never given up on our love."
"But we're not giving up now. We're not giving up on our love. We're not giving up on our family. We're not giving up on you."
I pulled back, and said, "That's why we're here. That's why we came to see your mom. That's why we want her to come home with us. Because we love her, and we miss her. Because we want to be with her, and we want her to be with us. Because we want to be a family again, and we want you to be happy."
I looked at them, and said, "But your mom doesn't want to come home with us. She wants to stay here, and be with her father. She thinks that's what's best for her, and for us. She thinks that's what will make her happy, and what will make us happy. She thinks that's what we need, and what we want."
I said, "But she doesn't know that. She doesn't know how we feel, and how we think. She doesn't know how much we love her, and how much we miss her. She doesn't know how much we want her, and how much we need her."
"How will we let her know that?"
"We have to tell her. We have to show her. We have to make her see, and make her understand. We have to make her change her mind, and make her come home with us. We have to make her love us again, and make her happy again. We have to make her our family again, and make us happy again."
Autumn frowned, "Why can't she just come home with us," he pouted, "We are family aren't we? Family are meant to stay together."
I almost chuckled at his innocence, " Yes, yes I know."
"But we can't do it alone. We need your help. We need you to help us win your mom back. We need you to help us make her ours again. We need you to help us make her happy again. We need you to help us make us happy again."
"Will you help us? Will you help us get your mom back? Will you help us be a family again?"
They looked at each other, and then at me. They nodded, and said, "Yes."
I smiled, and said, "Thank you. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being our children."
Hugging them deeply, I kissed both their rosy cheeks "I love you too. I love you more than anything. I love you more than life itself."
They hugged me back, and said, "We love you too, dad."
We stayed like that for a while, holding each other, and feeling our bond grow stronger. We had a lot to do, and a lot to hope for. We had a plan, and a goal.
We had to get Methis back, and we had to do it fast.
We broke the hug, and as we separated, I smiled, and said to them, "Let's do this."