Chapter 16
16
Ezra
It was difficult to pull myself away from Millie and leave her on the sofa looking pained and pitiful. She insisted she was fine, but her tone suggested she’s used to feeling this way, and that didn’t sit well with me.
But as much as I wanted to stay and rub her feet, I had to discuss my brother’s future with my lawyer.
I don’t know whether the meeting went better or worse than I expected. Custody by guardianship is fairly easy to obtain, and though I can petition for termination of parental rights, most courts won’t allow a parent to relinquish their rights just because they no longer want their child. Typically, severe child abuse or neglect must be present. We can, however, push to prove that Rob is an unfit parent. It just may take a while to prove to the judge that Rob’s parenting and involvement won’t improve.
After that meeting, I had a telehealth appointment with my therapist. By the time I hung up, I was 100 percent confident I’m doing the right thing.
I’ve been dreaming of having a family for years now—I just didn’t envision I would have a fifteen-year-old kid before having a wife. A real wife, that is.
Millie
Are you almost done in there? I really need to pee
Cringing, I hop up off the bed and dart out into the living room. “Shit, why didn’t you say anything?”
Millie leaps off the sofa and bumps my arm as she strides past me. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” she says as she disappears.
I’m brewing tea when she returns. “Want some?”
“Sure, thank you.”
“You could have come in, you know.” I hold out the tin of tea bags to her.
She picks a lemon and ginger blend. “You were on an important phone call. I didn’t want to disrupt you.”
“You can always disrupt me.” The second the words are out, I wish I could suck them back in. They were way more intense than I meant for them to be. Even if they’re true. Between the made-up marriage and the situation with Rob and Kane, my whole world has been disrupted.
Once upon a time, this would have caused me to spiral. Honestly, I still might, but this part right now—a new beginning with a brother I never knew I had and steeping tea in paradise with the most beautiful and interesting woman—feels right.
“How did it go?”
“Good, I think. Though, um, I don’t know how long I’ll have to be here.” I tuck my hair behind my ear and peer at her over my mug.
“Oh?” She leans a luscious hip against the counter.
“I don’t know how long the process will take or whether I’ll be allowed to take Kane with me to Brooklyn before everything is settled. There are a lot of unanswered questions right now. ”
Millie’s quiet, her expression open and thoughtful.
“I was wondering.” I clear my throat, working up the nerve to get the words out. “Would you like to stay longer?”
Her shoulders sag. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” She takes a sip from her mug, her throat bobbing as she swallows, then sets it down. “This is a family matter, and I’m not?—”
“I know.” Just like a movie reel, scenes of a life where Millie is really my wife flash before my eyes. Singing in the kitchen while I cook breakfast and she pours tea. Nude beaches in Greece. Picking out baby clothes in a stupidly expensive boutique on the Upper East Side. Her asleep on my shoulder after watching reruns of Glee . “But…” I really want you by my side through this. I don’t say that. I can’t. Instead, I go with “Do you have to be back in the city right away?”
“No.” She shrugs. “Not really.”
“Then stay. Val has offered the apartment for as long as we want.” I search her eyes for clues about how she’s taking this proposal, but her green irises are indifferent. “C’mon, what do you say?” Please say yes. “What else do you need here? I’ll buy a second bed if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
She grins. “No. Our bed situation is fine.”
My lungs constrict with tortured anticipation as she assesses me, still wearing an impossible-to-read mask.
“Okay,” she finally says.
“Okay?” I don’t even attempt to hide the smile that splits my face. Without a second thought, I scoop her into my arms, nearly knocking over her mug in the process. I press my lips into the soft skin at her neck and exhale my relief. “Thank you, Mills,” I whisper. “Thank you.”
While she doesn’t quite sink into my embrace, she doesn’t resist it either, so I count it as a win.
“Are you hungry? Have you eaten?” I ask like a fussy Jewish mother.
“I’ve been too nauseous and tired to eat.”
I release her and take a step back to study her. Her face is pale, though her cheeks are flushed, probably from the heat of the tea.
I grab the keys to the car off the counter and head toward the stairs. “I’ll be back soon with food. Will you be okay?”
She nods, and I’m out the door.