Chapter 5 #2
Not really. Did I do the right thing? I married my best friend.
I couldn’t say no because of an overbearing feeling of caring for him while he was ill.
I was na?ve to think that he was supposed to get better.
I wasn’t supposed to feel that I wanted a child and that he would be a great father.
Zac was optimistic he would be okay, until he told me when I was very pregnant that he didn’t have long left.
Harlow sinks into the booth. “You know if you need a break or something, just send Bo our way. I’d be happy to take care of him if you need rest or…”
I look at her, unimpressed but still with a humored smile. “I’m sure you mean if Nash and I need to have a serious discussion?”
“No,” she lies, her voice uneven, then she takes a second before she gives in. “Totally,” she says bluntly.
That causes the corners of my mouth to tug up. Twirling some hair around my finger, I do my best to sink into my current life status. “I should have thought about this more. I mean, not just agreeing that he could move in.”
“Maybe. But if it’s in his will, can you even do anything? How do those things work?”
A short laugh escapes me. “I’m still processing the request a little more. Instead, my mouth didn’t connect with my brain, and I found myself agreeing to it.”
She shrugs. “Maybe that’s a good thing. Our brains are the last to catch up. Besides, wouldn’t you want Bo to be around his family?”
I hold my mug up to her. “Exactly that.” Harlow waits for me to continue because she can tell that I’m about to rant, and I do.
“We will just have to set some rules, go over schedules, and he will need to learn that we work around Bo’s needs.
And he has to work on his baby-caring skills.
Do you think I can leave him alone with Bo yet?
” I bring a finger to my chin, also recognizing that they had an instant connection.
“Of course not, silly thought. He probably doesn’t even know how to change a diaper.
Oh, and he absolutely better not leave dirty dishes in the sink. ”
Harlow taps her nails on the table. “You might need to slow down. I think you first need to make him a spare key,” she points out.
“Ugh, this is not happening.” I collapse onto the table with an innate need to bang my head for show.
Harlow gently pets my head. “Unexpected things can bring sadness, but they can also bring the best things in life,” she mentions softly.
I raise my head to look at her.
Because what she says is crazy, ridiculous… and probably true.
Couldn’t he use a doorbell? But noooo, let’s just knock.
It stirs up some therapeutic nonsense that someone offered after Zac’s passing. I vaguely remember the words that knocks means right decisions, positive change, a message from a spirit, a soul mate…
Huffing out a breath, I open the door with gusto.
“It’s me… again.” Nash has an uncomfortable look on his face.
I crane my neck and tip my nose up to search for his luggage. “Changed your mind? There are no suitcases.”
Nash steps through the threshold without a care in the world. “In my car, and I’ll get it later.”
Closing the door, I follow him to the living room where he plops himself onto the couch as if he owns the place.
“Where’s Bo?”
“Sleeping. He does that a lot in case you’re wondering. Speaking of which, what is your experience with babies on a scale of one to ten?”
“Probably a two.” He doesn’t seem bothered. At least he’s honest.
“And how do you want to handle the schedule? Are you just going to come and go as you please?”
He kicks his feet up on the coffee table, bringing his crossed arms behind his head, and I stomp right over and strip his feet off back onto the floor. “I’ll work around you guys, handle everything I need to while I’m in Lake Spark.”
“Fine.” I pick up a baby blanket on the floor and begin to fold it to keep my hands occupied. “Dishwasher and garbage, those are your chores.”
Nash chuckles. “Didn’t realize I would have a sticker chore chart. Do I get ice cream at the end of the week if I’m good?” He’s mocking me.
I throw him a tight smile. “Funny.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, his hands hanging between his thighs. “Seriously, do you need anything? The house all good?”
I take myself down a notch to bring neutrality to the room.
“It’s fine. I’ve only had this house since right before Zac passed.
He was insistent that he buy it, and in a rush, too.
We didn’t have a lot of time once he found out that he was terminal.
In fact, in the end, he didn’t even sleep here since I moved in while he was in the hospital. Still, I’m sure his spirit is here.”
Nash seems to register my meaning. “He wanted to ensure you and Bo were taken care of.”
I toss the blanket onto the arm of the sofa, giving up on folding it properly. “That’s him. He kept saying to me ‘Don’t worry, Summer. I’ve made sure that you have everything you’ll need, I promise.’” The pure thought causes my lips to curve.
Perching on the sofa arm almost exhausted, I reach up to find the charm of my necklace to twist between my fingers.
“Everything made sense in his head,” Nash notes.
“So it seems.” I bring my charm to my mouth, a habit.
“What is it?”
At first, I don’t understand, but then I see Nash with his eyes set on my fingers.
“This?” I hold it up and affection warms my face. “It’s a treasure chest.” Nash seems surprised, and his eyes widen slightly. “Zac got it for me.”
To me it’s normal, but Nash’s eyes are lasered in on my chain, and most of all, I can’t help but notice his eyes have darkened. A shiver runs down my body all the way to my toes.
“A lucky guess on the charm since I never mentioned my ridiculous theory of the mystical lake. He got it for me after we…”
I don’t finish the sentence because I can already see that Nash is lost in thoughts, or worse, memories.