𝒆𝒗𝒂 ➙ 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔

sixteen

adelaine miller
TORONTO, CANADA

shawn was about to land back in toronto and i had the task of picking him up from the airport, so here i am, sitting in my car waiting for him to walk through those sliding glass doors so that we can go get our daughter from pre-school and make our way to my parents home for shawn to meet them.

our daughter. that still feels so weird to say, i'm so used to calling eva my daughter because that's what she's been for the last three, almost four years.

normally shawn would have gotten his car parked at the airport for him by brian, his friend, i think — at least that's what shawn told me. but according to him, brian was on a holiday with a bunch of their friends so he was unable to do that for shawn this time.

so long story short, the task was handed over to me, which i didn't mind, the airport wasn't far from the next location only about half an hour or so.

as i sat in the drivers seat, tapping my feet and constantly watching the doors to see if shawn emerges out of them, i hated being late to anything to a fault, everytime i don't arrive at least ten minutes early my chest gets tighter and it feels like i can't breathe.

my eyes scan down to my wristwatch and just as they look back up, a figure similar to shawn looks to my car, in my direction. they had brown curly hair and were wearing sunglasses to cover their eyes, that was shawn.

he gets into my car, placing his suitcase in the back, "hey." he mumbles quietly, buckling his seatbelt. i turn the engine on and begin to drive in direction of eva's school.

"hi, how's work been?" i asked him, he takes a deep exhale, shaking his head.

"it's... going, i guess? i can't seem to get any song inspiration lately, ever since i released my fourth album three years ago, it's been difficult to write about anything. i feel like everything i needed to say, i've said in that album, but then i also did take this three year break which probably wasn't the best idea, i see that now and i shouldn't have done it. but i'm sure you know because i'm sure i told you but i was in a bad place, breaking up from a long-term relationship is a very difficult thing to do and get over. but anyways to make a very long story short, i hope i'll get some inspiration people." he rambles on, looking at me at the last phrase.

"i hope you do too." i tell him, with a short smile.

∎ ∎ ∎

"do you want to get her from the gates?" i ask shawn as we arrive at eva's school, he nods his head with a wide smile.

"where do i go?" he questions, looking at the school.

"so—" i begin, as he puts his sunglasses back on, getting ready to leave. "once you get out the car, take this card and scan it through, the gates will open and walk all the way up to the main doors then, go to the door on the far left, she will leave from the door." he nods his head.

"wow, talk about security." shawn says with a laugh, making me chuckle, nodding my head.

"yeah." i mumble, watching him leave the car and towards the school, to greet eva.

not even five minutes later, shawn comes back into my peripheral version, holding eva on his hip and tickling her tummy which makes my heart swoon.

"hi mommy!" eva smiles as shawn buckles her up into her booster before rushing over to the passenger seat and buckling himself in. "where we going?" she asks.

"we, are going to grandma's baby." i tell her, making her cheer loudly and shawn chuckle at her reaction.

"she loves going to my mom's house, mainly because of my siblings, i think."

"how many siblings do you have?" shawn asks nonchalantly, as he scrolls down his phone, occasionally looking over to eva who was playing with her doll and then subsequently looking at me.

"two, i have an older brother called daniel, and a younger sister called avery, who is currently at pine ridge."

shawn looks up, "pine ridge? that's my old school. my sister aaliyah goes there. do you live in pickering?" he asks and i nod my head.

"i was born and raised there, just recently moved over to toronto, when i started my business, wait hold on a second, did you say your sister was called aaliyah?" i ask and he nods his head at me.

this is getting weird.

"long brown hair, brown eyes, olive-y type skin?" he nods once more.

holy shit.

"ok so, don't freak out but i think i've met her, a couple months back when i went to my family's for a dinner and avery brought her friend from school called aaliyah." his eyes open widely and he chuckles in shock.

"wow, what a small world." he mumbles in shock.

"tell me about it."

∎ ∎ ∎

"mom! dad! i'm here!"

shawn was dangerously close to me as he shut the front door since he was the last one to come in, i could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest and his breath hitching as my parents came closer towards us.

"hi darling!" my mom exclaims, giving me a quick hug before crouching down to eva's height and giving her one of her usual big kisses on her cheek, making her giggle as she wraps her arms around my mom's neck. "how was work, honey?" she asks me once she's stood back up.

i nod my head with a curt smile, "it was ok, just a lot of paperwork." i tell her, clearing my throat as i move out the way so shawn was in her line of sight, "this—" i begin with a slightly wider smile, "is shawn mendes."

"oh so you're the guy that gave me my first grandchild." my mom says feigning seriousness, i could see right through her but shawn looked like he was sweating buckets.

"uhm, yep that would be me ma'am, sorry about that." he chuckles nervously, looking at her. it didn't take long before my mother burst out laughing, tears pouring out her eyes like a waterfall.

once she stops laughing, she takes a deep breath, "oh honey, you looked so scared! you should've seen your face, it's quite alright. i've been asking for grandkids for ages, but i was expecting my first grandchild would be from daniel and not this one here but, it's fine."

"i heard that!" daniel shouts from the living room.

oh boy.