47. Chapter Forty Seven
Chapter Forty Seven
Cole
The house is quiet, the kind of quiet that settles deep in your bones.
I sit in my office, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching as the afternoon sun casts long shadows across the manicured lawn. Somewhere in the house, I know Annie is working on something—probably sketching, completely lost in whatever designs are in her head. And Robbie? He’s playing, reading, maybe running around outside somewhere.
A few months ago, this house didn’t feel like a home. It was just a space—big, empty, filled with things but not with warmth.
And now?
Now, it feels different. Because of her.
Annie came into our lives like a force of nature, turning everything upside down, pushing through my carefully built walls, and leaving a mark on me that I’ll never be able to erase. She’s changed me. Changed Robbie. Changed everything .
And soon, we’re going to have three more little lives in this house.
Triplets.
It still doesn’t feel real.
I drag a hand down my face, exhaling slowly. I never thought I’d be here—thinking about a future that wasn’t just about Robbie and me. I never expected to fall for someone again, to even consider the possibility of sharing my life with another person.
But here I am.
I glance down at my desk, at the ultrasound picture Annie threw at me last night in her frustration. I pick it up, my thumb running over the edges of the glossy paper. Three tiny shapes. Three tiny heartbeats.
And I missed it.
A knot tightens in my chest.
I should have been there. No matter what.
Alan showing up threw me off—I won’t deny that.
It was the last thing I expected, seeing him walk into my office after all these years. But no matter how important that moment was, I still should have found a way to get to that damn appointment.
I set the ultrasound down carefully, then lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling .
I think about everything Annie said last night. About how she sat there alone, listening to the heartbeats, wondering if this is how it’s going to be.
I won’t let that happen.
I don’t know what kind of father I’ll be to these babies. Hell, I’m still figuring out how to be a father to Robbie. But I know one thing for damn sure—I won’t be absent. I won’t let Annie do this alone.
A soft knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.
I straighten, glancing toward the entrance. “Come in.”
The door pushes open, and Robbie peeks his head inside, his dark hair slightly tousled. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, buddy,” I say, sitting up. “What’s up?”
He steps inside, hesitating for just a second before walking over to me. “I was just wondering… can we go do something today?”
I arch a brow. “Did you have something in mind?”
He shrugs, but there’s something careful about the way he does it, like he’s nervous. It occurs to me that he never would’ve done this a few months ago. Knocked on my door, asked me to go somewhere.
“I don’t know. Just… something,” he says quietly.
I watch him for a moment, taking in the way he fidgets slightly, his fingers messing with the hem of his shirt.
And then it hits me.
Maybe it’s the conversation I had with Alan, or maybe it’s everything that’s been weighing on my mind lately, but I suddenly know exactly what we need to do.
I stand, ruffling Robbie’s hair as I pass by him. “Yeah, buddy. We’re going to do something.”
He blinks up at me. “Really?”
“Really,” I say. “Go tell Annie to get ready.”
His face lights up, and he spins on his heel, rushing out of the office before I can change my mind.
I let out a slow breath, pressing my hands against the desk.
It’s time.
Time for Robbie to meet her.
Time to take him to Robin’s grave.
And I need Annie there with us.
***
The drive to the cemetery is quiet.
Robbie sits in the back, swinging his feet, looking out the window. He doesn’t ask where we’re going. He just trusts me to take him somewhere important .
Annie sits beside me, stealing glances in my direction every so often. I know she has questions, but she doesn’t push.
I grip the steering wheel tighter, focusing on the road ahead.
When we pull through the iron gates, I hear Annie’s breath catch slightly. She turns to me, her blue eyes filled with understanding.
Robbie looks up at the entrance, reading the sign as we pass. “Where are we?”
I nod. “A cemetery.”
He frowns slightly. “Ce-me-tery?” He sounds out the word.”
I park the car and turn to face him. “Yeah. We’re here to visit the place where your mom is buried.”
Silence.
Robbie blinks, processing my words.
“My mom?” he asks softly.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
Because I’m finally ready.
Because I’m done avoiding this part of my life.
Because it’s time.
Instead of saying all of that, I just say, “I think it’s important for you to see this place.”
Robbie nods slowly, his expression unreadable.
Annie reaches back, resting her hand gently on his knee. He looks at her, then back at me, and finally nods again. “Okay.”
We step out of the car, the air cool and crisp. The cemetery is quiet, only the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds filling the space between us.
I lead the way, my feet knowing the path even though it’s been too long since I last walked it. Annie stays beside Robbie, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder.
When we reach the headstone, I stop.
ROBIN WAGNER
Beloved wife. Cherished mother.
I swallow hard, my throat tight.
Robbie steps forward, staring at the name carved into the stone. His small fingers brush against the lettering, tracing the letters slowly.
“This is her?” he asks, his voice quiet.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice thick. “This is her.”
Annie stands beside me, silent, giving Robbie the space he needs.
After a moment, Robbie turns to me. “Can I talk to her?”
I feel my chest tighten, my heart clenching painfully. I nod. “Of course.”
He kneels in front of the headstone, his little hands resting on his knees. Annie and I step back, giving him privacy.
I don’t know what he says. I don’t need to.
All I know is that this moment—the sight of my son finally meeting his mother in the only way he can—is something I’ll never forget.
When Robbie finally stands, he turns back to me. His eyes are wet, but he’s not crying. “She was really great, wasn’t she?”
I smile, my throat thick. “Yeah, she was.”
He nods, looking at the headstone one last time before stepping toward Annie. Without hesitation, she opens her arms, and Robbie walks straight into them. She holds him close, resting her chin on top of his head.
And I know—right then, right there—that I made the right choice bringing them here.
Because we’re not just a broken past anymore.
We’re a future.
And it’s time to start living it.
I take a slow breath, steadying myself as Robbie steps back from Annie and wipes his eyes. He looks up at me, searching my face, waiting to see what I’ll do next.
I nod at him, then at Annie, before turning back to the headstone.
Robin.
I let out a slow exhale, shoving my hands into my pockets as I take a step closer. The granite is smooth beneath my fingertips as I trace the engraved letters of her name.
It’s been too long.
Too long since I stood here.
Too long since I let myself really think about her.
I swallow against the tightness in my throat and let my hands drop back to my sides.
“Hey, Robin,” I murmur. My voice comes out rougher than I expect, but I push through. “It’s been a while.”
Behind me, I feel Annie and Robbie stepping back and giving me privacy, but I don’t turn around. This is something I need to do.
“I should’ve come sooner. I should’ve brought him sooner,” I admit. “I know that. But I wasn’t ready.” I shake my head, my jaw tightening. “Hell, I don’t know if I ever would’ve been ready.”
The wind shifts, rustling the trees around us, the leaves whispering in the breeze.
I let out a quiet chuckle, shaking my head. “You probably would’ve told me to get my act together a long time ago.”
That’s what she always did—kept me in line, kept me moving forward. She never let me get too caught up in my own head.
But when I lost her, I lost everything.
And for a long time, I didn’t care if I got any of it back.
I glance over my shoulder at Robbie. He’s standing next to Annie, her hand resting gently on his back.
I turn back to the headstone. “I almost screwed everything up, Robin.” My voice is lower now, almost ashamed. “With him.” I clear my throat, shifting my stance. “I let my grief take over. I let it pull me under, and I nearly lost him in the process.”
I let the words settle between us, letting the weight of them sink in.
“But then…” I trail off for a second, exhaling hard.
I look back at Annie, standing quietly, watching me with soft, understanding eyes.
I swallow.
“Then Annie showed up,” I say, my voice rough. “And I don’t know how, or why, but she changed everything.”
I smirk slightly, shaking my head.
“She showed up, and suddenly, Robbie was smiling more. Talking more. Laughing.” I huff out a quiet breath. “And me? Well…” I hesitate, then look back at the headstone. “She fixed me, too.”
I rub a hand over my jaw, exhaling slowly. “I don’t know if you had anything to do with that. I don’t know if fate is real or if things just happen the way they happen. But if you did…” I let out a slow breath. “Th ank you.”
I glance back at Annie, catching the light of the sun in her hair as she leans down to talk to my son.
I turn back to the headstone. “Thank you for sending her to me when I needed her the most. For giving Robbie someone who sees him, who listens to him.” I press my lips together. “For saving me from myself before it was too late.”
I let the words hang there for a moment, letting the weight of them settle deep in my chest.
Then I take a slow step back, my eyes lingering on her name one last time.
“I won’t mess this up,” I murmur.
The wind rustles through the trees again, the leaves whispering softly around us.
And somehow, I know she heard me.