Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
CHARLOTTE
The house was finally quiet in the early morning hours with the kids blissfully sleeping.
I’d hoped to drop them off at Steve’s place once his parents arrived, but a storm in the Midwest had delayed their flight.
At least Steve himself would return later this morning.
We’d traded a few late-night emails, enough for him to know to come straight here.
Having the kids and the two small dogs at my place was easier in some ways.
My kitchen was stocked, and I had the comfort of being in my own space.
But it had also been a crash course in learning just how un-childproof my house had become in the last decade.
We’d been forced to corral them into confined rooms like my family room and kitchen.
Add in to everything else two nights of broken sleep, and it felt like the longest weekend of my life.
The baby had fought sleep on and off all night but had finally given in, her tiny fists still balled against my chest as she hiccupped herself into a restless doze.
My shirt was damp from her tears, but I didn’t dare move from the loveseat I’d dropped into an hour ago.
She’d fought sleep so hard, missing her mom with an ache only a baby could voice.
The least I could do was hold her steady while the world felt anything but to her.
Gabe shifted across from me, pushing up from the couch with a groan. His T-shirt clung to his shoulders, his hair was a little wild, and the scruff shadowing his jaw made him look unfairly sexy for someone who was also running on fumes.
“Morning,” he rasped, his voice gravelly and warm.
“Morning,” I whispered back, hardly believing he’d stayed through it all.
“You get any sleep?”
“A couple of hours. You?”
“More than that.” His gaze softened, lingering on the baby. “I wish I could take her from you.”
“You do that, and she’ll wake up the whole house.”
“Noted.” He dropped into a sitting position, his eyes steady on mine. “I’ll make coffee and walk the dogs in a bit. Can I ask you something?”
I raised a brow. “Really? The old trapped-beneath-a-sleeping-baby trick?”
He chuckled, low and rough. “Not that talk. Not yet.” His expression shifted, more serious now. “You ever think about having another baby? You know…if you ever remarried?”
The question jolted through me. “Honestly?”
“Please.”
“There are moments I miss it,” I admitted, glancing down at the tiny girl sprawled across me.
“Like this. But no. Austin’s sixteen and about to start looking at colleges.
The idea of starting over… I can’t imagine it.
Being a mom is the best thing to ever happen to me, but I don’t wish to do it again at this age.
” My throat went dry, wondering if having another child was a dealbreaker for him. “What about you?”
He leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees.
“There’s a part of me that would love to have a baby inside a healthy relationship, building the kind of family I always wanted.
A second chance to do it right. But then I think of Samantha and what she needs from me right now.
And I think maybe my job is to focus on being the best dad I can be to her.
She deserves all of me. I also can’t imagine having another baby at this point in my life. ”
I let out a slow breath, something easing inside me.
And maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the baby’s weight anchoring me, but for the first time in days, I wasn’t thinking about what had gone down the other day with the CEO title.
I simply felt…grateful for his unwavering help.
And maybe a little shocked at how much I wanted him to keep showing up like this.
Speaking of showing up, the slam of a car door echoed in the driveway.
“That would be Steve,” I muttered.
Gabe smirked. “How about I take the dogs outside and let him know you’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Appreciate it.”
It took me five minutes to settle the baby into her pack-and-play. Finally too tired to fight, she conked out without protest. I brushed my teeth, ran a comb through my hair, and started the coffee.
When I walked outside, I found Gabriel and Steve faced off in the driveway. Not in an aggressive way, but in the way that said they’d already exhausted small talk and had nothing left to say.
“How’s Stassie?” I asked, walking toward them.
Steve’s face fell. “She’s in treatment. Do we need an audience for this conversation?”
“Considering Gabriel’s been here helping me with your kids, I’d say he’s earned a seat at the table.”
Steve’s jaw flexed like he wanted to argue, but Gabe spared him. “It’s fine. I’ll take the dogs around the block.”
Steve scrubbed a hand over his face and waited until Gabriel was out of earshot. “I appreciate you stepping in, but I don’t know why you couldn’t have done this at my house.”
“You cannot be serious right now.” I stared at him, marveling that I’d once been married to this man. “How about just saying thank you? Better yet, we’ll load up the car seats and you can take them all home right now.”
His eyes widened. “By myself?”
“You are their father.”
“Yeah, but… Stassie’s the one who… I mean, she takes care of them.”
“She sure does. And you know what? She’s drowning. After forty-eight hours, I can see why. Three kids under four, two dogs, and a husband who thinks hiring help is optional? Of course she broke.”
He flushed red. I didn’t give him the chance to spin excuses.
“No. Don’t. What you need to be asking yourself isn’t how to pawn the load off again; it’s how to step up. How to be a quality partner. Because these are your children too, Steve.”
For once, he didn’t fire back. The defensiveness drained from his face, replaced by something that resembled shame.
His shoulders sagged. “You’re right,” he admitted quietly.
“She asked, no, begged, for help, and I was too cheap and too busy to give it to her.” His voice cracked with emotion. “I’ve been so fucking selfish.”
For the first time, he looked vulnerable and wrecked. “It’s not too late for you to change your priorities.”
He expelled a long breath. “Yeah. We’ll hire a nanny and whatever else we need.”
The “we” part was promising. “Good.”
“My parents and sister are on a flight arriving after six tonight. Meanwhile, I’m supposed to head up to LA to see Stassie and meet with her doctor. So I better load them up and take them with me as I don’t want to miss this appointment.”
Now that he was done being an asshole, empathy creeped in.
“Loading them in the car, along with all their stuff, for a three-hour drive while trying to juggle them and focus on your wife’s medical care?
“How about you drive to LA now, and we’ll watch the kids until your family gets here.
Austin can go and pick up your parents and sister if you send him their flight info. ”
His eyes went big. “You would do that for us?”
“This isn’t just your family. It’s Austin’s, too. In times of crisis, I’d like to think we can be good humans to each other.”
“Thank you. Truly.” He then flicked his gaze down the street. “So you and that guy…”
“Gabriel,” I supplied.
“You and Gabriel are serious?”
“It’s none of your business, except to know your kids are safe with him, with me, and with Austin. Now go before I change my mind.”
My words put him into motion. “Thanks again.” He paused. “It’s good to see you happy.”
It was the nicest thing he’d said to me in years.
Back inside, my steps felt lighter despite exhaustion tugging at every muscle. The house remained quiet. At least for now.
Austin stood waiting in the foyer. He was in his Padres T-shirt and rumpled pajama bottoms, his hair sticking up like he’d just rolled out of bed.
Before I could say a word, he crossed the space and pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Whoa. What’s this for?” Surprised, I hugged him back.
He mumbled against my shoulder, “For being amazing. And for telling Dad what he needed to hear so he could realize how selfish he was acting.”
Emotion caught in my throat. I hadn’t meant for him to overhear the conversation, but maybe it wasn’t the worst thing if he had.
He stepped back, smiling sleepily. “You look tired.”
“That’s because I am.”
“Then go to bed, Mom.”
As if on cue, the baby started fussing.
“Not yet,” I replied with a faint laugh, glancing toward Gabriel, who walked through the front door. I filled them both in quickly. “Austin, you’ll pick up your grandparents and aunt at the airport this evening. Until then, we just have to get through today.”
“All right. I’m making a McDonald’s run. Who’s hungry?” Gabriel replied, clearly still an active participant.