“The picnic tables have all been set up, the food is taken care of, and I’ve put all of the presents on that last table down there.”  Lynn pointed a finger in the direction she’s spoken of.  “Everything is all set, Bailey.  Nothing to worry about.”

Bailey’s blue eyes surveyed the scene.  Lynn was right.  Everything had been taken care of for her son’s party, and she couldn’t quite believe how many people had come together to help her.  Carter had no idea this party was going on, so one of his friends was distracting him until it was time.  A few of the baseball mothers had chipped in to pull together the food, and someone else had decorated the park with balloons and streamers.  Bailey hadn’t really needed to lift a finger.

“Thank you,” she said, slightly in shock.  How she’d suddenly become part of the Shelby Forest family, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed that she and her son were no longer outsiders.  Of course, much of that had to do with Justin, seeing as he was the town’s favorite teacher.

“Mom, it looks fantastic out here.”  Speaking of the devil, Justin came up beside Bailey, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before reaching out to hug his mother.  “You all did a great job.”

Lynn shrugged.  “When people heard that this was for Carter, they came out in droves to help.”  She gave a smiling look in Bailey’s direction.  “He’s a wonderful young man, Bailey.  You’ve done a spectacular job raising him.”

This time, Bailey blushed.  She didn’t really know what to say, so instead she gave Lynn a hug.  The woman was beginning to become something of a mother to Bailey; something she hadn’t had in a very long time.  It was nice to have another woman in her life, especially one that cared so much about Carter. 

Justin glanced at his watch, pulling his phone from his back pocket.  “They’re here.” 

“How do you know?  Can you see them?”  Bailey peered around the park, unable to spot her son. 

Justin grinned.  “I had Billy send me a text when they got here.  He’s been having the time of his life keeping this secret from Carter.”  The two of them moved toward the parking lot of the park where Carter would be coming from.  Bailey was nervous.  She wanted her son to have the best birthday ever, but she worried that he was getting too old for parties in the park.  He wasn’t her little boy anymore.  He was growing up, and way too fast, at that.

Justin pointed, “I see him.”

Bailey had to laugh when she spotted Carter walking in with a blindfold on, Billy at his elbow saying something.  Carter looked completed frustrated, but he seemed to be playing along for now.  A few moments later, the boys made their way to where Bailey and Justin were standing, Carter looking extremely agitated. 

“Seriously, Billy, this has to be the stupidest game of tag I’ve ever heard of.  I’m not about to go running around in a blindfold.  That’s just asking for a broken bone.”  He tugged at the offensive cloth, finally pulling it away from his eyes.  When he was able to get his bearings, his face turned to surprise at the sight of his mother.  “Mom, Justin, what are you guys doing here?”

Justin grinned.  “Surprise!  Happy Birthday!”

Shock slowly registered on Carter’s face as he glanced around, noting the tables set up near the ball field, with streamers and balloons.  It looked like a regular party.  “This is for me?”  He pointed to his chest, still trying to take it all in.  He turned to his best friend, Billy, grinning.  “How the heck did you keep this a secret?  I had no idea.”

Billy’s chest expanded as he grinned, proud of his accomplishment.  “Yeah, well I’m just really good at keepin’ secrets.”  His southern drawl was even more pronounced as he boasted.

Carter laughed.  “You just got lucky.”  He took another look around before moving to his mother’s side and wrapping her in a tight hug.  “Thanks, Mom.  This is awesome.” 

Bailey kissed the side of his head as the two started walking towards the party.  A lot more people had shown up, and quite the crowd was starting to gather.  “I can’t take credit for this one, Bub.  Justin had the idea, and Ms. Lynn and the other baseball moms put it together.  You should be thanking them.”

Carter let go of his mom and moved over toward Justin, no hesitation as he reached out and have the older man a tight hug.  “Thanks, Justin.  You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

Justin hugged Carter back, a little surprised by the show of affection.  He certainly wasn’t going to turn it down, though.  “You’re very welcome, Carter.  Happy Birthday.”

Once they reached the party Carter was swept into the crowd of well wishers and friends.  Bailey and Justin settled on the edges of the melee, content to chat with the other parents and watch the kids’ horse play.  It was the first time that Bailey felt like she belonged in this crowd of people; like she was part of this town and not just a visitor.  Carter looked completely at home with his friends, and Bailey couldn’t remember a time when the boy’s smile was this big.  The move to Shelby Forest had been difficult for both of them, but now…now Bailey was sure that it was worth it.  Peeking over at the man seated next to her, she grinned.  Yes, being here was completely worth it.

Justin caught her staring.  “What are you grinning at?”  He leaned over from his chair, kissing her on the cheek gently.

She blushed.  “Nothing.  Just happy.”

His eyebrow raised, “Happy?  You mean that?”

It was Bailey’s turn to lean over, this time catching his mouth in a chaste kiss.  “The happiest I’ve been since Carter was born.”  She stole another kiss.  “You make me that happy, Justin.”  This time, he was the one to blush.

~*~

“Hey, Carter, is that your dad standing over there watching you?”  Billy pointed, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the strange man’s stare.  “He’s kinda creepy, dude.”

Carter looked in the direction of Billy’s gesture, letting out a small curse as he spotted Travis standing by the fence of the ball field.  The man looked just as awkward as possible, unsure of if he was welcome here.  Well, in Carter’s opinion, he wasn’t welcome.  He looked over at his mother, who was sitting with Justin and Ms. Lynn, lost in a conversation.  As long as Travis didn’t ruin his mother’s time, Carter would be okay.

“I’m going to go see what he wants.  I’ll be right back.”  Carter waved to his friends, trotting off in Travis’s direction.  He tried to make his face look passive, but it was difficult.  Carter was starting to resent Travis’s presence in his life.  The man seemed to cause nothing but discomfort and trouble, and Carter didn’t want him around anymore.  Of course, he didn’t think he could say that without hurting some feelings, but still.  He wanted the man to just leave them alone.

“Hey, Carter.  Happy Birthday!”  Travis shuffled on his feet as Carter approached, holding out an envelope to the boy.  Carter took it reluctantly.

“Thanks.”  He kept a safe distance from the man, looking back toward the crowd to make sure no one had noticed Travis’s presence.  “What do you want?”  It was rude of him, he knew, but Travis was pretty close to ruining the best birthday party Carter had had.

“I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday.  I mean…this is the first one I’ve been around for, so…”

“Right.  Well…thanks for the card.  You can go now.”  Carter didn’t think it was a smart decision on Travis’s part to bring up his absence for the past thirteen years.  The man must be stupid.

“Hey, you don’t have to be rude.”  Travis understood Carter’s anger, but he knew that his son was much more respectful than he was being right now.

“Sorry.”  Carter sighed.  “It’s just…Travis, you make my mother miserable and you make me really uncomfortable.  I don’t know you, I don’t miss you, and I’m really tired of watching my Mom fall apart because of you.”  Taking a deep breath, Carter finally said what he’d been thinking all along.  “I don’t need you, Travis.  And I would really, really appreciate it if you would leave me and my mom alone.”

Silence surrounded the two of them as Carter’s words sank in.  Even the party noise seemed to be farther away from them. 

Travis let out a breath and nodded toward the envelope in Carter’s hand.  “I know.”  He started, clearing his throat as he searched for the words.  “I know you don’t need me, Carter.  I’ve seen that over these past couple of weeks.  Your mom raised you better alone than I could’ve ever done.  And I know you don’t want me around.  You’re a very smart kid, and I can’t blame you for not wanting me around.”  His vision went far away and Carter stood still, waiting for the rest.  “I’m heading back to Boston tonight.”

“What?”

Travis’s smile was rueful.  “I don’t fit here and I never well.  You’ve got your mom, your friends, and Justin seems to be a great guy.”  Those words were hard for him to admit.  He swallowed thickly.  “I’m going back to Boston tonight, so I wanted to come by and wish you a Happy Birthday before I left.  And I wanted to give you those,” he pointed again to the envelope, “papers.  You’ll find any information about my side of the family that I had in there.  In case you’re ever curious about where I came from.”

Carter was in shock for the second time today, but this moment had him speechless. 

Travis turned and looked Carter square in the face.  The boy was almost as tall as he was.  “I love you, Carter.  Know that much, please.”  He gently touched the Carter on the shoulder before turning and walking away, leaving Carter standing there in a slight stupor.

“Hey…Everything okay?”  Bailey’s voice broke through Carter’s trance, and he turned to see the worried look on his mother’s face.

Carter smiled and handed her the envelope.  “He’s going back to Boston tonight.  He gave me some information on his family for my birthday, but he’s leaving.”

Travis’s figure could barely be seen now in the distance, and Bailey felt a lightness lift her heart at Carter’s explanation.  She wrapped her arm around Carter’s shoulder and turned him back toward the party.  “Well, then, I think it’s time for cake.”

Mother and Son shared the same elated smile as they headed back to the crowd.