At the age of 5, Seb didn’t know much, but he had a feeling that his family was… special. One day a man turned up, saying that he knew him when he was a baby, and he brought lots of pictures to prove it. He said he knew his dad as well. His dad… he knew nothing about. Because no matter how many times he asked, his mother always found a way to shift the conversation. And there are a lot of ways you can occupy a 5-year-old.
But ever since Aaron came back to his life Seb knew that something was different than it was before. He just didn’t know the reason.
At the age of 7, Seb knew he had a special connection with Aaron. They got on really well. And he always found a way to tell him about his dad. And Seb liked those stories. Even if Aaron didn’t exactly tell him why he’s not there. He told him more than his mother, that’s for sure. And Seb knew that Aaron was more than just someone who knew his father. He felt like a dad. Seb wanted him to be his dad. He just didn’t have the courage to ask.
When he did ask, it was unfortunately in Rebecca’s presence. He kind of whispered to her how he wanted to ask if he could call Aaron daddy. Aaron sat in the living room a couple of feet away, trying hard not to hear it on purpose. But he did. Rebecca suggested Seb to ask the man himself but Aaron could see it on her face, she didn’t like it one bit. But Aaron didn’t have time to think about Rebecca’s feelings, because a couple of seconds later Seb stood before him and sheepishly asked the question.
“You’d really like that?” – asked Aaron already wiping his tears away.
“If you don’t want it you don’t have to.” – he pouted, obviously misunderstanding his emotional outburst.
“No, no mate, I’m happy.” – laughed Aaron kneeling in front of him. – “I’m really happy, and of course I’d love that.” – he smiled. He only had to wait two hours before Seb called him daddy for the first time.
Seb was 8 years old when everything’s changed. He knew something was up because daddy Aaron started talking about his dad way more often. Then one day he told him that his dad came back, and he’d like to meet him. What Seb didn’t know was, that in reality, Robert was back 3 months prior to that. But he and Aaron spent that last 3 months arguing with Rebecca for her to let Robert see his own son. It was ridiculous but when Robert started talking about court, she agreed.
That’s how Seb met his dad after 6 years again. And much to Robert’s surprise and Rebecca’s dismay, they started bonding right on that first meeting. It didn’t take long before he spent weekends there permanently. Rebecca allowed it, as long as Seb continued to live with her. She told them, that if he asks about moving there, they tell him no. Either that or she forbids him spending the weekends there. Robert knew she could do it because even if he threatened her with court he knew Rebecca would try to ruin them in the process, and with his record, it was likely she would get her wish. Either way, he didn’t wanna risk it.
That’s why they kept their mouth shut for years.
By the time he was 11, Seb wanted nothing more than to live with his dads. He didn’t get along with Rebecca, he hated Liverpool, he hated the school there, he genuinely hated everything about it. Rebecca tried to buy his love with toys and empty promises but Seb only wanted one thing. That’s what he asked for every Christmas and birthday… basically any opportunity he’s had.
Robert and Aaron welcomed the twins not long after Seb turned 12, and it gave Rebecca another excuse to say no to his son’s greatest wish. He told him how busy his dad must be. He obviously meant Robert because one thing that Rebecca never did, was acknowledging Aaron as a father figure in Seb’s life. No matter how much his son loved him. It meant nothing to her. She was jealous, and she wanted to block it all out. She fed Seb lies about how Robert and Aaron canceled the weekend he would’ve spent there because they wanted to be with the twins. It wasn’t true, and it only didn’t come out then because Rebecca phoned them and told them that Seb was a bit poorly so it would be best if he’d stay at home. She even reasoned with how she didn’t want Seb to accidentally get the twins sick.
The whole story was beautifully orchestrated… that’s why it remained uncovered for at least 6 months.
Seb’s birthday was coming up and he spent the weekend in the village with his dads, helping them with the twins and out of the blue, he asked them….
“Why do you not want me to move here with you? Is it because you think I wouldn’t help around the twins? I would I swear!” – he pleaded. Robert and Aaron just looked at each other, immediately knowing that something wasn’t right.
“Wait a minute, who told you that?” – asked Aaron putting down the twins’ clothes he started folding not long ago, while Robert made their bottles. At that he abandoned the task as well, coming to the couch where his son sat, with a baby either of his sides.
“Mum said you wouldn’t want it.” – he pouted and for a second Aaron remembered how he always did that, even as a little boy.
“Seb, that’s… that’s not true.” – said Robert carefully, because even though he was mad at Rebecca he didn’t want his son to hate her because of this.
“It’s not?” – he asked looking at both of them.
“Course not, we’d love if you’d move here. Do you want that?” – asked Aaron with a gentle smile.
“Yeah. I’ve been asking mum for years… I don’t like that school, I wanna go to school here, I wanna see nana Chas and play with Harry and I can’t because I’m only here for the weekends. I don’t like it.” – he said clearly upset.
“Seb if you really mean it I promise you, we’re gonna sit down with your mum, and talk about it.” – said Robert ruffling his hair.
“But I don’t wanna be in the way.” – he said sadly looking at the twins. He loved his siblings and right in that minute, his behavior made sense to Robert and Aaron. He always seemed a bit… distant when it came to the babies and now they knew why. They never thought Rebecca would be capable of sabotaging her own son’s happiness. That was plain cruelty.
“Seb, listen to me.” – said Aaron. – “We want you here, okay? You have your own room, we love it when you’re around, and to tell you the truth we’re always a bit sad when you have to go back.”
“Your dad’s right.” – said Robert – “If this is what you want… we’re gonna try to make it happen, okay?”
“Okay.” – he said sniffing a bit.
That night, after they finally put the babies down Aaron and Robert had a long conversation. Things needed to change.
At first, they only managed to persuade Rebecca to let Seb be with them a bit more, to take him to trips in school time, as long as they deal with explaining that to Seb’s teachers at school.
Seb was 14 when he moved to his dads’ for good. It was an emotional turn of events, something that nobody saw coming.
They tried to argue with Rebecca, about how staying in Liverpool isn’t good for Seb, but she was adamant. She kept saying that Seb belonged with her and that they shouldn’t try to interfere. Their umpteenth argument got out of hands, and they started bringing up the past. Well at first Rebecca did. She shouted about how Robert didn’t even think about Seb when he killed a man and got arrested for it. That he abandoned him and that it was all up to her to take care of Seb… alone. That was the point when Aaron lost his temper. He told Rebecca that what Robert did wasn’t a selfish act, that he was protecting his own sister, and he told her what a hypocrite she was, after how she denied Aaron the right to see Seb for years. He told her how hard it was for him to cope with Robert’s sentencing and then on top of that with losing Seb as well.
What neither of them realized was that Seb came home from school earlier and he heard everything. Some things weren’t news to him. Like what his dad did. He obviously didn’t know the details but he knew he was trying to help auntie Vic, and that he didn’t deserve prison for it. He didn’t know about his mum forbidding Aaron to see him though. It came as a shock. It was all too much. He just stepped from behind the wall, revealing himself. Everybody froze for a second.
“Seb.” – started Rebecca already thinking about a lie to spin.
“You’re…. unbelievable.” – he said directly to his mother. – “Is this true?” - he asked.
“Seb, mate….” – said Aaron.
“You tried to see me and she didn’t let you?” – he asked Aaron. Aaron didn’t answer just looked at Robert. Neither of them wanted Seb to hold a grudge against his mother for that.
“Mum? Is it true?” – he asked again – “IS IT?”
“Okay yes…” - stuttered Rebecca. – “It’s true… but listen to me, your dad was gone and Aaron…”
“AARON’S ALSO MY DAD. HE ALWAYS WAS.” – he shouted crying already.
“Seb, come here.” – said Aaron quietly. He wanted to comfort the boy more than ever. Seb crashed against him in a matter of seconds saying how he had no idea. – “I know mate. I know.” – said Aaron.
“I’m… I’m gonna go upstairs… pack a bag… then I’m gonna leave… with them.” – he told Rebecca. – “I wanna live with them… I’ve wanted nothing else for the past 4 years.”
“But Seb… this is your home!”
“IT’S NOT!” – he screamed. – “You lied to me, who knows what else I don’t know about.” – he scoffed.
“You can’t…” - started Rebecca. She wanted to tell him how he cannot leave but Seb didn’t let her finish.
“If you won’t let me then you can go to court, and then they’ll ask me. I’m not a stupid kid anymore, I have a right to say where I wanna live. And it’s not here, and definitely not with you.”
“You!” – spat Rebecca looking at Robert and Aaron. – “You told him to say that.”
“No, we really didn’t.” – said Robert while he was amused by his own son… and maybe a bit proud as well. Okay, REALLY proud.
“This is the first time I hear about this. Do you honestly think that I would’ve stayed here a second longer if I’d known about this before? Why did you do this mum? Do you want me to be miserable?” – he asked.
“But… but… you’re gonna come back… right?”
“I wanna live with my dads. I wanna be there with them and I miss my siblings, I don’t wanna stay here.” – he said again.
“Go upstairs.” – told him Robert. – “Aaron, would you go with him? Help him pack.” – he said to his husband quietly. They went up, while Rebecca stood there, obviously furious.
“I can, actually. Look, I don’t want him to hate you. Why do you think we never told him any of this stuff? Or when you lied about him being ill just so he wouldn’t spend time with the twins. Honestly Rebecca this should’ve happened years ago, but we always thought it would be cruel to take him away. Even when his school rang and told us he was failing in math… even then we said okay he just needs a tutor. You know I never really understood how can he have those grades when he knows everything. When I sat down with him, he knew all the answers. I was stupid for not questioning it. And now ?? You’ve heard him. He’s 14 and he knows what he wants. He doesn’t hate you…. yet. Do you want him to?” – he asked finally looking at her.
“Then let him go with us.”
“If you want me to change his mind I won’t.” – warned her Robert. – “We’ve always wanted him there. I was an idiot for letting you take him all those years ago. It only brought us suffering. More to Aaron than me. But now that we know for sure it’s what Seb wants… I’m gonna be there for him, to do anything he wants to do.”
“Yeah me too.” – said Aaron as they appeared on the top of the stairs.
“You’re ready?” – asked Robert. Seb nodded.
“I still have stuff left, but… can we just go?” – he asked not even looking at his mother.
“I don’t even wanna look at you right now.” – he said to her before he turned to Robert. – “I’ll wait in the car if that’s okay.”
“Here’s the key.” – said Aaron handing it to him.
“It’s his choice.” – shrugged Robert as he took a look at Rebecca one more time. Only after they closed the front door behind them could Robert let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“You alright?” – asked Aaron stroking his back as they walked to the car, where Seb waited for them.
“Yeah. It’s just… somehow I think things are about to change… for the better.” – he smiled at his husband.
“Yeah, you might be right. I can feel it too.” – he smiled back at him as they got into the car, and drove back home. All three of them.
