Luke
Amber was in her room studying, and Isabella had dozed off on the couch, but the surprising thing was that Zach still sat with us in the living room. The television murmured on in the background, the volume low, and it was strangely nice just sharing a beer with him.
He could have gone anywhere in the house—there was a games room, a home theatre, an entire wing he’d barely explored—but he’d stayed here, feet propped on the coffee table, the lamp beside him casting a warm amber glow over the room as the light outside faded to full dark.
“Will you move to Cambridge if Poppet gets in?” I asked.
He took a swig of his beer and nodded.
“I have a job lined up.”
“We’ll take care of the wedding,” I said, but when he looked as if he were about to argue, I raised a hand. “You and Amber are part of my family, and I will always take care of mine.”
He paused, taking another drink, the condensation from the bottle catching the lamplight.
“I’m not calling you dad.”
“I prefer Daddy, anyway.”
He snorted.
Isabella stirred on the couch, a soft blanket half-fallen from her shoulder, and I reached over to gently pat her back until she settled again, her breathing evening out into something peaceful.
Zach was maturing nicely. He gave Poppet the space to study without hovering, and from the way he looked at Bella now, there was only affection in it—none of the resentment that had lived in him the first time we met.
“Amber wants to get married next summer,” Zach said suddenly, peeling at the label on his beer bottle.
“And?”
“What if I mess up?” he said, staring at the bottle in his hands.
“Everyone messes up. Look at what I was married to before I met your mum,” I said, my expression grim at the thought of what could have been. “You know it when you have something real, something you’d do anything to protect. That’s your sanctity.”
He exhaled, but he glanced up.
“You know I’ve got your back, right?”
His eyes widened a touch before he nodded.
“And if there are any issues, you two can talk to us about anything.”
This parenting thing was easy.
He nodded again, looking a little lighter.
“I guess boomers are good for something.”
What an asshole. He really did remind me of my younger self.
There was no time for retaliation. Amber came into the room to say goodnight, but when she saw her mum asleep, she smiled.
“I’m off to bed,” she said, just as Zach shot up.
“Goodnight,” he said, before picking up the empty bottles and waiting for Amber.
“Goodnight,” I murmured, watching them leave.
They’d be fine. Bella would know if something was up. Then again, she’d been clueless for months at the initial stage.
? ? ?
I glanced around and realised Bella wasn’t with me. Turning, I saw she was further down the hospital corridor. I’d forgotten she walked a little slower now. I jogged back to get her, and found her scrutinising me.
“You were strutting. Like, literally shaking that ass as you walked,” she said.
“Of course I was. Did you see how big and lusty he was?” I said, flashing our son’s scan picture in her face.
Her face scrunched up further.
“Lusty?”
I shook my head.
“Honestly, Bella, you need to get your head out of the gutter,” I said, dropping to my knees. “Don’t worry, son, I’ll make sure she doesn’t embarrass you in front of all the other babies.”
Patients and staff walked past us. Some ignored us entirely, but most side-eyed us, clearly trying to work out what was happening.
I was busy massaging my son through her belly. He was probably having the time of his life in there. I glanced up to find his irritated mother staring down at me.
“Lusty means strong, fit, or vigorous,” I said, before kissing her belly and rising to my feet.
She grunted and took my outstretched arm.
“Amber told me you’ve got a bromance going on with Zach,” she murmured, taking my baby’s picture from me.
“All lies,” I said, guiding her back toward the main waiting room. Amber was revising, and Zach had gone back to Oxford after the half-term break. I missed having them here for the second scan.
“Won’t it be nice having everyone home for the summer holidays?” she murmured.
Our son would be loved, not only by his parents, but by his siblings too. Yes, Zach and Poppet would be busy with their own lives, but their homecoming would always be welcomed.
“It will, darling. It will,” I said, pressing the button for the lift.
My life had become so much richer, all through one woman and her family.
A woman who’d caught my eye in the bank. Her pleasant demeanour with the teller. The way she’d laughed, at something I couldn’t even remember now, in a way that made me forget I’d ever forgotten how to laugh myself.
The woman I’d followed back to the museum.