“No, we work. We’re happy and working on starting our family, and I won’t let you make this shit into something it’s not. I won’t let you use your past as an excuse to push me away. I don’t give a fuck what Max did. He is not here. This is you and me. I’m not asking you to sacrifice your happiness. I’m telling you that Aubrey and Steven’s relationship with their mother isn’t something you need to tie yourself into knots about.”
“But it is,” she replies gently, and I jerk my head back.
“It’s not, baby. She’s the one who should be fighting to stay close to them. She’s the one who should be worried about how she’s going to make it work, not you. I’ll worry about it, because I want them to have as much love as they can get, and because I want them to have their mother in their lives. But that isn’t something for you to worry about.” I sigh, then growl, “Jesus, Max may be a dick, but he loves his son enough to fight for him. He loves him enough to fly here to see him when he hasn’t heard from him for a few days. Don’t get me wrong; I know Tina loves Aubrey and Steven in her own way, but she’d never sacrifice her own happiness for them. Right now, she’s looking out for herself.”
“That’s not fair to Steven or Aubrey,” she whispers, wringing her hands together.
“It’s not, but at the end of the day, all I can do is pray the kids see what we have, what we’re building, and know what love looks like, what family looks like, and hope that sinks in for them somewhere along the line.”
Her face softens and she goes to speak, but is cut off.
“Moms moving?” Steven asks, and I swing my head toward the hall, where he and Hunter are standing, obviously having come in through the back door in the kitchen at some point, only I don’t have a clue when or how much they heard.
“Bud.” I hold his gaze and see pain in his eyes that causes my jaw to tighten.
“Is mom moving?” he repeats, and I nod. “She’s going to talk to you and Bre about it while you guys are over at her place for the weekend.”
“She’s going to live with Thomas, isn’t she?” he prompts, and I nod, not wanting to lie to him, even though every part of me wishes I could, so I could protect him from this. He loves his mom, has always loved her unconditionally, and that love runs deep. So deep, I wonder if I’ll lose my boy to this—something I’ve been worried about since Tina told me her plans.
“She’s leaving Bre and me here to go live with her boyfriend?” he asks again, and I take a step toward him, wrap my hand around the back of his neck, and drop my head toward his.
“She’ll be a forty-five minute flight away. You can go see her anytime you want.”
“And see him, right?” He laughs, but it sounds pained and bitter. “He doesn’t even talk to us! He doesn’t even act like we’re there when we’re at her house and he’s there with us.”
“We’ll find a way to make it work, bud. Your mom and I will find a way to make it work so that when you’re there, he’s not, or she’ll come here to see you, if that’s what you and Bre need.”
“What’s the point? Bre’s right. Mom doesn’t care,” he mutters, dropping his eyes to the ground, sounding defeated.
“She loves you,” Shel cuts in, and Steven lifts his eyes to her. “I know this transition will take time, but your mom loves you. I’ve seen you together, and have seen pictures. I know you and Aubrey are both her world.” Steven’s muscles tighten under my hand. “Just give it time, honey. Everything will work out. You’ll see. Your dad and I will make sure you can see her as often as you and Bre want. Right, Zach?” she asks, and even though this isn’t the time to smile, I feel myself do just that, because she has somehow just placed her self in the middle of this.
“We will,” I agree, giving his neck another squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Sure,” he agrees, not sounding sure at all, and I touch my forehead to his.
Hearing the front door open, I don’t pull away until I hear Bre ask, “Is everything okay?”
My eyes move to her. “Everything’s fine, gorgeous.”
“Then why does Steven look so upset?” she questions, and I hear Shel say something to Hunter about Penny then the sound of footsteps on the hardwood floor, along with the sound of paws, and I know Bre must have brought Penny over with her.
“Your mom is going to talk to you and Steven this weekend about her plans to move to Anchorage.”
“I told you,” Aubrey says, looking at Steven. “I told you that she was going to move away with him.”
“Shut up, Bre,” Steven growls, as I hear footsteps coming back toward us.
“Aubrey, don’t. Now is not the time for an attitude,” I stop her, seeing she’s getting ready to say something in return.
“Fine,” she huffs, glaring at Steven and crossing her arms over her chest.
“Once your mom talks to you both, we’ll sit down and figure out how we’re going to move forward, but I don’t want this to be something you two fight about. Do you both understand?” I ask, looking between them, and they nod.
My cell on my hip rings, causing me to sigh, because I know it’s work and I can’t ignore it, even though I want to. “Hello?”
“I know you just left, but there was a fight that broke out at the Harbor, and both men involved were sent to the hospital and are asking to press charges against each other. Arney’s already there, but he needs backup,” Darla says, and I look at Shel. We made plans two weeks ago to have dinner with Austin, Lea, Rhonda, Ben and their son Braden and two weeks ago we had to cancel when I got called out for work and it looks like that is going to happen again.
“Tell them I’m on my way.”
“Will do,” she says, hanging up.
“Sorry, baby, I gotta go. Take the kids out to Austin and Lea’s, and I’ll meet you there or at the restaurant as soon as I get done taking care of this.”
“Go on, we’ll be fine,” she replies, making me wish I could kiss her in a way that expressed what I’m feeling. Because as long as her list of shit she needs from me is, my list only includes two things: our kids being happy, and moments like this, when I know she understands my job is important and doesn’t ask a million questions about when I’ll be back, or get angry at the fact I have to leave to begin with.
“Be good,” I point at Aubrey and Steven, then walk to Shel and drop my mouth to hers for a quick touch before heading out.
Knocking on the door at Austin and Lea’s house a half hour later, I listen to the sound of a baby giggling on the other side and smile. Rhonda and Ben are either already here, or Lea has once again confiscated Braden, their son. Something I know she’s done often since his birth, which drives Austin crazy, since Lea is pregnant and, as Austin puts it, should be resting. She obviously ignores him, since she has Braden as much as Rhonda will let her.
Seeing Lea come to the door and her smile through the glass, I—not for the first time—feel happy as hell for my friend. Lea and Austin dated in high school. They were solid whe
n they were teens, and everyone knew they were planning on getting married after graduation. Then Lea’s father passed away in a boating accident, and instead of staying in town and marrying Austin, she moved away and eventually married someone else, only to move home and find herself back with Austin. Since then, they’ve been inseparable, and are now married and have a son of their own on the way.
“Hey, Zach.” Lea smiles as soon as she has the door open, and then leans up on her tiptoes, kissing my cheek. “Come on in. We’re all in the living room waiting for the guys.”
I step into the house, sliding the door closed behind me. “They still at the Harbor?”
“Nope they are both upstairs attempting to put together a crib,” she says over her shoulder, as we head for the large open living room. “They could probably use your help, since they’ve been at it for three hours now, and last time I looked, it was still in a hundred pieces.” She laughs, and I smile at her then stop in place, the sight in front of me making my heart contract.
The kids—Aubrey, Hunter, and Steven—are all hanging out on the large sectional that faces the giant stone fireplace in the middle of the room, with a game in front of them spread out on the coffee table, while Shelby is seated in a chair off to the side, with Braden on her lap and a book open in front of them. I hate that I didn’t get to experience her with our kid, to see her in moments like this everyday. But something in me wonders if it’s not too late for us to have another child.
“Hey, Zach,” Rhonda says, coming toward me and pulling my attention to her, and I lean down, kissing her cheek.
“Hey, honey,” I return, and she smiles then leans into my side.
“He’s been glued to her since the moment she came in,” she tells me quietly, and my eyes go back to Shel and soften as I see her kiss the side of Braden’s head and smile when he giggles, turning his head back to look at her.
The kids all greet me at the same time, and I look at them and smile, lifting my chin, then look at Shel when I feel her eyes on me.