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Tatiana blew out a slow breath as she sank onto the park bench. This fourth pregnancy was really taking it out of her and she still had three months left to go. After their last child, she had tried to start the 'maybe three is enough?' conversation a few times, but Mark always brushed it off. Then she got pregnant. Again.
(And she's excited for this kid - she is! But she's already planned out discussions with her doctor and Mark because she doesn't think she could do it again - physically or mentally.)
She watches as Mark leads their two oldest into the "pumpkin patch" the festival has set up, on the hunt for their pick. Lacey, barely two, had passed out after lunch and is sleeping in the stroller beside her.
She's settling in to people watch, a bag a kettle corn on hand when she sees them.
A little girl with dark pigtails skips past and Tatiana sits up a little straighter.
It's not anything special, really. The festival is aimed at families and there are tons of kids wandering around.
But this little girl is wearing a sweatshirt with a cartoon tiger as a firefighter, and she's followed by a very familiar face.
Chimney.
Tatiana hasn't thought about him ages.
Well, that's not entirely true. His accident all those years ago was a turning point in her life. He was tied to this current version of her in a way her other exes weren't. So she thinks about him from time to time, in an abstract kind of way.
But the man in front of her right now is very much real. And honestly, she feels a little stupid that she's surprised. How can she be surprised to see her firefighter ex at the LAFD Fall Festival?
His smile is bright, his face full of warmth as he scoops up the little girl and showers her face with kisses, her giggles carrying over the sound of the crowd.
He looks . . . great, actually. Settled. At ease. A light in his eyes she doesn't think she ever saw when they were together. (He also looks as handsome as ever, maybe more. Still fit and lean, now with a bit of gray sprinkled in his hair. And well, she's not mad at the LAFD shirt he's wearing. Her weakness for a man in uniform is one of the reasons they lasted as long as they did.) He settles his daughter on his hip, turning them both towards a woman who had stopped just behind them.
She's gorgeous, Tatiana can't help but notice. Thick, dark curls are pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail. Big brown eyes that sparkle just like the grin on her face. Her left hand (complete with a wedding ring) rests on a baby carrier. The baby is still small - maybe six months at most - with a dark tuft of hair. They're snoozing peacefully against the woman's chest.
Tatiana feels her pregnancy hormones kick into overdrive, tears welling as the little girl leans over to place a gentle kiss on the baby's head.
The woman shares a soft smile with Chimney over the girl's head. And yes - she can confidently say Chimney never looked at her like that. Not even close.
"What do you say we do next, Jee?" He rubs a hand on the girl's back as she does her best koala impersonation, arms looping tightly around his neck. "Hen and Karen should be here by now. And I think it’s Uncle Buck’s turn at the dunk tank soon. Between you and me, I got a good feeling we can get him in the water."
Jee tries to put on an innocent air. "Can Mara and me visit Eddie?"
Her mother laughs, a knowing look on her face. "We can find Eddie, but his shift at the dessert booth is over. No more cupcakes."
Jee pouts for a moment, but quickly recovers. "Can we dunk Uncle Buck, then go on that with Mara?" She points to the ferris wheel, standing tall in the middle of a handful of carnival rides and games.
"Sounds like a plan!" Chimney agrees enthusiastically. He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, repeating the gesture on the baby and his wife. She smiles, grabbing his free hand in her own.
They turn to walk to the midway . . . which means they're walking right towards her.
Tatiana ducks her head and busies herself with straightening the blanket in the stroller and tucking a few stray items into their well-used diaper bag. It's not that she doesn't want him to see her but . . . Well, maybe it's exactly that.
They may have left on good terms, but they aren't friends by any stretch - neither of them had reached out since that day at the cafe. They don't need (another) reunion filled with awkwardness and stilted conversation. What more is there to say that they haven't already?
She had meant it, that day at the cafe.
I really want you to have a blessed life, Tatiana.
I want the same for you.
Well, I guess I'll just have to do that, then, huh?
It looks like he does.