Chapter 36
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
OWEN
They won’t let us into the x-ray room with Ivy. I argue with Dustin, the nurse, trying to intimidate him into letting one of us inside. But Dustin stands his ground and eventually Everest pulls me away.
Ivy sniffles, looking so small and vulnerable as she follows Dustin into the x-ray room. She’s being so brave, courageous, and strong. I’m so goddamn proud of her and at the same I don’t feel worthy to be her parent. I’ve made so many mistakes already and we hadn’t even had her for a year. I don’t want to think about all the mistakes I’m going to make in the future, all the ways I’m going to let her down. I just hope I don’t fuck her up too badly before she reaches adulthood.
It turns out her wrist is broken—in two places. They look clean, though—I made Dustin show me the images and walk me through what he saw. The bones don’t look like they’ve shifted, so hopefully she’ll only need a cast. We’ll have to bring her back in once the swelling’s gone down to double-check alignment and maybe get a new cast if the first one becomes too loose.
Dustin lets Ivy choose which color she wants her cast to be. She chooses pink, of course, then he gives us a prescription for pain medication and tells us to schedule an appointment for next week.
By the time we get home, it’s long past dinner and all three of us are pooped, barely hanging on by a thread. All I want is to fall into bed with Everest on one side and Ivy on the other.
Except we have guests. The house is full when we step inside, with not only both sets of grandparents but also all of Everest’s friends. The grandparents, I understand. But Everest’s friends?
“What are they doing here?” I ask Everest in the foyer when I hear all those extra voices echoing out of the kitchen.
He shoots me an annoyed look as he hands Ivy to me. Other than getting the x-ray by herself, she’s insisted on being carried at all times. Everest and I have traded her back and forth the entire way home.
“Because they care,” Everest hisses at me.
I frown. I didn’t mean to imply they didn’t care. I’m sure they do. But what does that have to do with loitering in our house all day?
“Hi, how did it go?” Mom leads the procession out of the kitchen to meet us halfway.
Nell’s right behind her and she gasps with an excited expression. “Oh my gosh, is that a pink cast, Ivy?”
Ivy gives her a shy smile and nods.
“It’s so pretty!” Logan sidles up next to me, holding out his hand. “Can I see?”
Ivy giggles quietly as lets him examine the cast that runs from just below her elbow to halfway down her fingers.
He knocks on it softly with a knuckle. “Whoa! You have an arm of steel!”
Ivy giggles some more and Logan rises in my estimation.
“You guys must be hungry,” Mom says, ushering us back toward the kitchen. “We’ve been keeping it warm for you.”
In the kitchen, Donnie and Christian are setting the table for us. I thought they would’ve just heated up the leftover food from the party, but instead, I find three plates of baked pasta filled with some of the random vegetables I had in the fridge.
My surprise must show on my face because Donnie gives me a knowing smile.
“I tend to stress cook, so I took the liberty of raiding your kitchen.”
“That’s…” Words fail me as gratitude and the sense of unworthiness overwhelms me. I sit down heavily on a chair, feeling so utterly exhausted. “Thank you,” I say, voice thick with emotion.
“You’re very welcome.” Donnie steps back and lets the other guys crowd in.
“Hey Ivy, can we sign your cast?” Sawyer holds up a brand new pack of sparkly-colored Sharpies. We definitely didn’t have those in the house before we left for urgent care, so the guys must have gone out and bought them while we were gone.
Across the table, Everest catches my eye. He cocks a brow, as if saying, “See? That’s why they stuck around. That’s what it means to care.”
Yeah, yeah, fine. He’s right. I can admit it. It’s nice to have people, and Everest’s people are definitely excellent options.
Enticed by the prospect of sparkly markers, Ivy scrambles out of my lap and into her own chair, kneeling on the seat and holding out her arm. “Can you draw me a unicorn?”
The guys stare at each other, a little dumbfounded before Christian holds up his hand. “I can give it a try?”
With Ivy distracted by the guys, Everest and I each grab a fork and dig in. My stomach grumbles as I take my first bite, and I realize I haven’t eaten anything all day, not since my morning coffee.
“I assume the cast means it’s broken?” Nell asks, she and Mom slide into the seats next to me and Everest.
I nod. “In two places?—”
Both Mom and Nell wince.
“But it could’ve been worse.”
“We have to bring her back for a follow-up next week,” Everest adds.
“Do you want us to stay a bit longer?” Mom asks. Both sets of grandparents were only planning on staying for the weekend before heading home.
I’m about to decline the offer when I notice the expression on Everest’s face. Longing and hopefulness and a general fatigue blanketing it all. It’s okay to accept help, Lambert.
I sigh. “If it’s not too much trouble?”
The surprise on Mom’s face is evident. She hadn’t expected me to say yes. I guess that says a lot about me, huh?
“Of course not. It’s no trouble at all. You know that.”
Everest shoots me a smile. It’s small, private, just for the two of us. Full of approval and pride. It makes my chest fill with all the good feelings I’ve become addicted to. I glance around our kitchen, at the people I love most in this world and the people who love us in return. Life can be hard and shit happens. Sometimes we get hurt and sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to. But so long as we’re surrounded by family and friends who care, everything will work out okay.
The Mars guys don’t stay late. Just long enough for them all to sign Ivy’s cast. The grandparents retire soon after. Then it’s just the three of us.
Everest and I get Ivy ready for bed and stay with her until she’s fallen asleep. Then we go up to our room and get ready for bed ourselves.
When we climb in under the covers, Everest scoots up next to me and wraps himself around my body—arm encircling my waist, leg thrown over my thighs.
“I don’t know if I’m up for it tonight,” I murmur, eyes already closed, mind barely conscious.
“Neither am I. I just want to cuddle.” He adjusts the position of his head on my shoulder, pressing his face into the side of my neck.
I sigh, taking in his weight, his steady breathing, the soft puff of air against my skin.
A part of me can’t quite believe this is real. This is my life now. I have a partner who likes to cuddle, who brings out the best—and sometimes the worst—in me, who I know will stick by me whether I want him to or not. We have a house, a beautiful daughter, a group of friends who rally around us whenever we need them.
It’s like a fairy tale. I never believed in fairy tales. But maybe that’s just another thing I was wrong about too.
The next morning, I wake to the scent of coffee in the air. My eyes fly open and I bolt upright in bed. I’m alone.
What time is it? Why didn’t my alarm go off? Why didn’t Everest wake me?
I scramble out of bed and yank open the bedroom door. The fragrant aroma of coffee is stronger now, along with the distinct umami of bacon. Everest is making breakfast? His idea of breakfast is a bowl of cereal with milk. I’m halfway down the stairs before I hear the voices drifting up from the kitchen. Mom and Dad. Nell and Graham. I’d totally forgotten they were here.
Shit. Ivy. Her arm.
I detour to the second floor only to find the door to Ivy’s room open and her bed empty, covers rumbled in a messy pile. She must be downstairs with everyone else.
I drag a hand down my face, scratching at my jaw, then comb my fingers through my hair. Jesus. How the hell did I sleep so late? Yesterday was long and exhausting, sure, but I’ve had longer and more exhausting days before, and I’m not usually one to sleep in.
With a sigh, I make Ivy’s bed for her, then head back upstairs to make myself presentable. When I get down to the kitchen, everyone’s already gathered, more than halfway through their breakfasts. They all turn when I walk in.
“Good morning.” My voice is still hoarse from just having woken.
Everest notices, his lips twitching into a sly smile. “About time. Jeez. Way to sleep away the whole day.”
Nell smacks him on the arm and rises from the table. “Grab a seat, Owen. I’ll bring over your plate. How do you like your coffee?”
“I’ve got it,” Everest says, following his mom to the coffee maker on the counter.
A warm and fuzzy feeling lingers in my stomach as I watch Everest pour a cup for me. It’s not hard to doctor my coffee when I drink it black, but there’s something intimate about him knowing how I like it all the same.
He takes the plate from his mom and sets both the plate and the mug down in front of me. His hand glides over my arm and around my shoulder as he steps away. When he sits down, his arm rests across the back of Ivy’s chair between us, his fingers brushing against my bicep. It’s small, absentminded, almost accidental, but it makes my heart pitter-patter something ridiculous.
“How’s your arm, Ivy?” I ask, leaning toward her and into Everest’s touch.
She holds it out for me to inspect. The unicorn the guys drew commands center stage in the middle of the cast, with all their names scrawled around it. The grandparents’ names are on there too. “It hurt when I woke up but Uncle Ev gave me some medicine and now it’s okay.”
I take her hand and press a quick kiss to the tiny fingers sticking out at the end of the cast. “Good. Remember to tell us if it starts to hurt again, okay?”
Ivy nods. “Okay! But you won’t be here.”
I furrow my brow at her strange statement. “What do you mean I won’t be here?”
Ivy gasps, slapping her good hand over her mouth. Her eyes are wide, like she’s been caught stealing candy from the pantry.
“It’s okay, Ivy,” Mom says from across the table. “You can tell them.”
Ivy beams and even with the scrape across her jaw and the little nicks and cuts all over, she looks brilliant. “You and Uncle Ev are going on a date!”
Me and Ev are what? I glance at Everest who shrugs, looking just as confused as I am, then at Mom who’s wearing a smug grin. Nell has a matching one, like the two of them have some scheme up their sleeves.
“Mom?” I don’t like surprises. She knows I don’t, and yet, the expression on her face has “surprise” written all over it.
“We were wondering, have you guys been on a real date yet?” Nell asks.
Everest blinks, dumbfounded. “A date?”
“Yes, you know, going to do something fun and romantic—alone?” Nell clarifies, putting extra emphasis on that last word.
I scoff. “We’ve been a little busy lately. When exactly would we have had time to go on a date?”
“That’s our point,” Mom cuts in. “You went from barely tolerating each other to…” She waves her hand in our general direction. “You completely skipped the hanging out, getting to know each other part in the middle.”
“I think I know Everest pretty well, Mom.” I shoot her a skeptical look.
“But have you ever had fun together?” she shoots back. “Alone.”
Alone? I can think of lots of fun we’ve had alone, but somehow, I don’t think our moms are referring to our bedroom activities.
“So what are you trying to say?” Everest asks, suspicion evident in his voice.
“You’re going on a date!” Ivy shouts, bouncing in her seat.
Mom pulls out her phone and a second later, mine chimes with an incoming message. “I just sent you the itinerary. We’ve planned everything out, including travel time between each location, and reservations have been made under Lambert-Wheeler.”
I stare at the detailed itinerary on my phone. Everything’s laid out just like Mom said, with address and phone numbers and reservation confirmation numbers. I sputter. “What— No— We can’t— But Ivy?—”
“Ivy will be fine!” Nell exclaims. “Mark and Graham have tickets to that auto show. And the three of us are having a girls’ afternoon. Isn’t that right, Ivy?”
“Yup!”
“But—” I try to object again.
“You’ll show us where her medication is and any associated instructions. We’ve got both of your numbers in case there’s an emergency. We’ll be fine .” Mom gives me a pointed look, daring me to oppose her.
I turn to Everest for support, because there’s no way we can leave Ivy the day after her accident. But I should’ve known better because instead of the outrage I expect, Everest turns his big puppy dog eyes on me.
“Ev,” I scold.
He shrugs and gives me the most adorably pleading look that he definitely learned from Ivy. “Kinda sounds fun?”
Fuck. Guess we’re going on a date.