Chapter 21
After dinner on Monday, Wade cradled Bella.
Wiggling in his arms, she rubbed little fists on droopy eyes.
He yawned, still running on fumes after several sleepless nights.
He needed a routine of some sort, a jog more than anything.
The ache in his muscles and the haze in his mind spoke of little rest or exercise.
Claire’s fever had subsided, and she wasn’t throwing up anymore, although she was still down, fighting off the remnants of her illness.
John had turned in early. Bella wriggled, fisting the teddy bear Mom brought her.
Putting her in the Pack ’n Play still in the living room would play out the same as the last two nights.
She’d fuss, and he’d go pick her up, bounce her to sleep, then put her down.
Only for her to wake up minutes later. This wasn’t an ideal place for her crib—not with her grandpa and his caregiver bustling in and out during the day.
She’d literally given up on her daytime naps since he’d moved her there.
Pushing to his feet, he propped Bella on his hip and wandered through the quiet house, his feet carrying him toward the closed door he’d been avoiding since his arrival. Albert’s room.
His breath caught in his throat. Bella shifted, her small hand stretching to pat the wood with curious insistence.
Memories of that bedroom flooded back. He’d helped Albert set the mahogany crib up by the window months before Bella was born. Albert and Sammy wouldn’t be in there, but their framed photos would be, Albert’s easy smile captured in each one.
Taking a steadying breath, Wade grasped the faded brass doorknob and turned it. The latch clicked open, and he pushed the door.
The air inside hung heavy with silence. He flicked on the light. The bed was unmade, the dresser cluttered with odds and ends. The photos told a story of the joy, love, and family Albert built.
Wade stopped at a photo of the five of them—himself, Claire, Albert, Sammy, and John—at Albert’s wedding.
Another photo held position nearby: Albert and Sammy, radiant smiles on the day of their engagement.
Beside that, a bittersweet image of Albert holding Bella at her dedication ceremony, Claire’s arm wrapped around both of them.
“Aya-aya.” Bella’s voice and wiggle refocused him. She pointed toward her father’s photo.
“That’s Daddy.” Emotion clogged his voice. He hugged her closer, the sweet baby scent grounding as Albert’s absence pressed down on him.
Albert was gone, reunited with Sammy. Could Wade hold together their legacy?
He moved further into the room, his gaze drifting to a framed photo on the sage green wall, Albert’s ski shop, his pride and joy.
Wade once considered selling the shop, but now the thought felt wrong.
He’d have to contact the manager and reopen it for the ski season.
Albert had built that business, without ever asking Wade for financial help.
It had thrived, supporting his family. It was part of Albert’s legacy, just like Bella.
Bella squirmed and reached for something. Wade set her on the carpeted floor, then stood still as she scooted toward the crib with surprising speed.
“You want to get in your crib?” Had the toys dangling above the bed excited her?
He lifted her into the crib, and his heart clenched when she lunged for a stuffed purple teddy bear.
Her face lit up as she clung to it, snuggling it close.
Her tiny fingers clasped around the blanket draped over the teddy bear.
Then, stunningly, Bella rolled to her back and snuggled the blanketed teddy bear in apparent contentment.
“Is this where you want to sleep?”
Bella’s wide eyes gazed up at him, her expression almost as if she understood.
Wow. And just like that, the room felt alive again. A piece of Albert lingered here. And yes, the book claimed babies associated with scents. It did smell like Albert in here indeed.
Wade stood by the crib, his hand resting on the edge as Bella’s eyes drifted closed.
The curtains were already drawn, but he wasn’t sure if she preferred sleeping with the light.
Claire had a night-light in her room for the baby, but maybe Bella, like Wade, preferred sleeping in the dark. It wouldn’t hurt to test the theory.
That night, he slept more than six hours for the first time in days. Bella didn’t stir once, the peaceful rhythm of her breaths carrying through the baby monitor. When John’s blaring alarm woke Wade, his first thought was of Bella.
He rushed to her room and found her as he’d left her—safe, sound, and fast asleep. Her tiny chest rose and fell. Her hand clutched the purple bear.
He exhaled. Wow.
Wade carried a bowl of oat bran cereal over and set it on the portable tray attached to John’s recliner. “Best meal of the day makes you a better champion,” he said, earning a broad smile from the older man.
“The ‘A’ game you called it?” John beamed, running a spoon through his cereal, relaying their conversation before dinner when he’d asked Wade to refresh his chess skills for the senior center’s tournament.
“Just be confident. You’ve got this.” Wade gave him a curt nod.
After John had eaten and Wade handed him his morning medicine, he peeked into Claire’s bedroom. Her hair was a tangled mess as she shifted against the pillows. She winced, her bandaged hand still propped on another pillow. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and he rushed forward. “Is your hand okay?”
“I was getting up to grab some ibuprofen.” Her voice was husky from sleep.
“I got you.” He returned to the kitchen, opened the cabinet, and grabbed the medicine canister. He hurried back and held out two pills and a glass of water. “Here.”
Her face scrunched as she swallowed. Even groggy and disheveled, she was adorable.
“Are you up for some food today?” He took the glass, the bed creaking when he sat.
“Maybe toast later.”
“Fair enough.” He’d have her do some simple movements for her hand later as the paramedics instructed.
“Sorry I haven’t been much help.”
“Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded, then grimaced. “I know the sofa is too small for you. Bella’s in the living room. I’m sure she hasn’t slept at all.”
Wade couldn’t suppress a smile. “Funny thing—she hasn’t woken up once since I put her down at seven last night.”
Claire’s brow furrowed. “You mean… I should’ve had her sleep in the living room all along?”
“In her bed. Albert’s room.”
Her eyes widened, her brows lifting as her lips parted. “You… went in there?”
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” He gripped the water glass tighter. “When you’re feeling better, maybe we can go in there together.”
Her face softened. “Okay.”
Warmth spread through his chest. It was a small step in helping her overcome her loss, but it was still a victory.
“You’re sure you don’t want anything right now?”
“Toast for lunch is good.” She sank back into the pillows. “I feel stronger today.”
“You look stronger.”
“You need to rest too.” She yawned. “You look beat.”
Grinning, he resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face, tuck stray strands from her face. “Thank you, wife. What a compliment.”
A faint smile curved her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
Her words comforted him like an embrace. Yes, he was where he was meant to be. “I believe that’s what a husband is supposed to do.”
Even if Claire didn’t want anything to eat that morning, he had to make sure she didn’t get dehydrated. Hot milk with honey seemed to go down the easiest, and she managed to finish half a mug. It was progress.
When John’s caregiver arrived, Wade summoned Steve, the Stone family driver, to take the four of them on a scenic route, before John’s chess adventure. Steve easily transferred Bella’s car seat to the limousine. The autumn air was crisp, and the leaves falling in golden and crimson were refreshing.
At one stop, Wade let Bella sit among the leaves, her chubby hands swiping at them. He crouched and tossed handfuls into the air, her giggles ringing out like music. Then he snapped pictures of her in the colorful pile, her face radiant.
A perfect moment—if only Claire were there. Now, he couldn’t wait to get home to her.
Back home after lunch, Bella went down for her nap without a fight and snuggled into her crib, worn out by the adventure. He then convinced Claire to step outside, and they sat on the front steps, breathing in fresh air in mellow sunlight.
“Bella had the time of her life.” He gripped the wooden railing. “You should’ve seen her sitting in the leaves like she owned the place.”
Claire smiled. “You’re good with her.”
He shrugged, though her words resonated. But was he playing a temporary role? Doing this daily would get tedious. “I’m not so sure.”
When she returned to bed, he answered a series of calls from his siblings, all checking to see how Claire was feeling. He then managed to get two of them on FaceTime.
“Mom said you had to give her a bath.” Theo let out a laugh. “How’d that go?”
Wade’s face heated. The desire to do it all over again surged. “It wasn’t… um…”
“No need to answer,” Nate said.
“At least, you’re taking care of her.” Theo smirked.
“It feels… right.”
That evening after losing at the senior center, John wanted to challenge Wade at chess.
“I’ll settle for Colombo for now,” John said after losing to Wade.
“Too bad I like to win too, John.” Wade winked. He handed John the remote. “I’m not sure how you research your shows.”
“Number 5.” John jabbed the buttons. The screen flickered, settling on a grainy image of a detective in a trench coat, pacing under a flickering streetlamp.
Wade scooped the game pieces from John’s makeshift table, but grunts and clatters stopped him.
Bella sat before the cabinet. DVDs tumbled from the open shelf as she yanked them free, a growing pile forming at her feet.
How had she managed to scoot on her stomach all the way from the play mat to the cabinet?