6. Ben
CHAPTER SIX
ben
PERSONAL MOVING CREW
I tell myself I’ll wait for Mateo and Leo. That we’ll all show up together like a proper moving crew.
I last ten minutes. Then I’m in my car, driving to Grandma Patty’s like the house is on fire. Because the second Ella hangs up and says Katy’s parents reacted badly and that she needs to get all her things out today, I know exactly what that means.
They gutted her. Fucking assholes.
When I walk through the door of her grandmother’s house, she’s curled on the couch, face blotchy, wrapped in a blanket like she’s trying to make herself smaller.
The girls are trying their hardest to make her feel better. Lily is currently winning. She keeps talking to her belly, and it’s making Katy smile. I’ll have to buy her a present for that.
Seeing Katy like this is brutal. I want to tell her she isn’t alone, but words burned me last time, and she doesn’t want them from me now.
So instead, I do what I’m good at. I make her laugh. I take one of the face masks the girls brought for her and put it on, along with the headband thing I’ve seen Ella wear.
If I can’t fix what they broke, I can at least look stupid enough to distract her.
“Ella, why have you not shared these with us? It’s not fair.” I tease.
Katy fights a smile. “Oh my God, Ben. You’re ridiculous.”
“What’s ridiculous is my complexion. Now scooch.” She reluctantly moves a little so I can sit next to her. “How long do I have to keep this thing on?”
Ella laughs. “Just like ten minutes.”
Ten minutes of forced proximity. I’ll take it.
Katy pretends she doesn’t think it’s funny, but she’s smiling and giggling. Once I feel she’s truly relaxed, I go wash my face.
And then I get to work. I move box after box. I untangle lamp cords. I fold clothes and put them into drawers. I line her shoes by the door. Set her books on the dresser.
She doesn’t look at me. Not directly. But every time I pass through the room, I feel her eyes on me.
Wyatt and Leo help me assemble the crib, and I triple-check every screw like this is the most important thing I’ve ever built. But it still doesn’t feel like enough.
When everything that can be fixed has been fixed, I grab the thing I’ve been carrying around in my car for days, the stupid little gift bag I haven’t had the guts to give her yet.
I join everyone in the living room just as Katy speaks again.
“Thanks for today,” she says. “Especially you guys.” She nods at Tyler and Wyatt. “You didn’t even know me and you just spent the day packing and moving my things. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it,” Tyler says.
“Anytime,” Wyatt adds easily.
Rebecca, Ella’s best friend and Tyler’s girlfriend, grins. “Wow. Chopped liver, I guess.”
Katy exhales something like a laugh. “Fine. I don’t hate you as much anymore.”
“I’ll take it.”
We eat. We talk. The heaviness lifts. It’s not completely gone, but it’s bearable.
Then Ella asks gently, “So, Katy. Anything else we can do?”
Katy hesitates.
“I’m good.” She fiddles with her bracelet. “It’s just the normal couple stuff that I’m too embarrassed to do alone. But I guess I’ll get used to it.”
“Like what?” Declan asks. “I’ve been to all your appointments. What am I missing?”
“You’ve been the best. I just mean, like, a prenatal yoga class or birthing classes. I don’t want to show up with my brother like some loser.”
“You’re not a loser for going with me,” Declan answers immediately.
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. “I’ll go with you.”
The room goes still.
I clear my throat. “I’m awesome at Pilates. I went with Ellie a bunch of times, when she was trying to regain her core str—”
Ella’s glare could cut glass.
I stop talking. Immediately.
“Uh, anyway,” I mutter. “I got you a present.”
I hand her the bag. My palms are slick.
She eyes it warily, then reaches inside.
When she pulls out the onesie, her mouth trembles.
“I call you Katy Cat,” I rush to explain. “So… the baby’s the kitten.”
For one awful second, I think I got it all wrong.
“Do you hate it?” I panic.
“No.” Her voice cracks. “No. I love it. Sorry.” She swipes at her cheeks. “It’s the hormones.”
It’s not just hormones. I see it, the flicker of something soft. Familiar. Something I once had and didn’t protect.
When she starts crying for real, instinct takes over. I wrap my arms around her carefully, like she might shatter if I hold her too tightly.
She sinks into me for one heartbeat. And I let myself believe, just for that moment, that I haven’t lost her completely.
Ella herds everyone into the kitchen, pretending she doesn’t see anything.
Suddenly it’s just us.
Her. Me. And a tiny onesie.
Her shoulders soften against my chest, like she’s letting herself feel not alone for a second. I don’t move. I don’t breathe.
Then I feel it. The weight of someone watching.
I look up.
Declan doesn't say a word. His jaw is tight, his hand resting against Ella's waist like he's grounding himself. Considering how hard he had to work to get her back, you'd think he'd be in a better mood.
Instead, his eyes are locked on me, sharp and assessing. Like he’s measuring whether I’m a risk.
Ella beams, oblivious. “Isn’t that adorable? I can’t with the little kitten onesie. Ben’s so thoughtful.”
Declan doesn’t smile. He just keeps watching.
My arms tighten around Katy instinctively.
If Declan is watching this closely now, I’m going to have to prove not only to her, but to him that I won’t hurt her.
Not again.