But now, it’s all messed up.
“You’re quiet,” Gwen says as I slide into the front seat and secure my belt.
Exhaling dramatically, I turn back to my niece and smile. Her little legs are kicking up a storm in her carrier, while her cousin is sound asleep in his. No, not cousin. They’re not related. Not anymore.
“So much happened last night, Gwenny. I don’t know where to start,” I whisper, the familiar burn of tears prickling my eyes.
“How about at the beginning?” she says, slowly backing out of the driveway and heading to the studio.
“We got the results.”
God, it hurts to even say this.
I feel her eyes on me, but I keep my gaze locked firmly ahead.
“And…” she encourages, though I can tell she already knows something’s wrong.
“He’s not his.” The first tear falls down my cheek, followed quickly by more.
“Oh my God,” Gwen whispers, reaching over and taking my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“Here’s the kicker,” I start, finding comfort in her touch. “Chase’s brother, Colton, is his dad.”
“Shut up,” Gwen blurts. My eyes finally meet her equally shocked ones. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“How’d Chase take it?” she asks as she pulls into the parking lot behind the photography studio.
“As well as can be expected, I guess. He’s trying to act all tough, but I know this is killing him. He went to work this morning earlier than normal. I heard him call Harrison and ask him for a workout.”
“I think that’s how they work stuff out in their heads. Harrison once told me, after we separated, he went in every morning and worked out with Chase. I’m not sure if there was much talking, but I believe kicking each other’s asses at the gym is their way of getting out of their own heads for a little bit and directing their focus on something else.”
Makes complete sense, I guess. Lately, I’m not sure how much workout time Chase has been getting in. We took a couple days off when Milo arrived, and then have only been working necessary hours. He hasn’t stayed late or even gone in early since the baby arrived on our front porch.
“What’s he going to do about Colton? Isn’t he still away?”
“Yeah. He sent him an email late last night, asking him to call him first chance he got. Who knows when he’ll actually get the message or be able to get ahold of Chase, though. He was going to call his mom and dad later today and go for a visit tomorrow. I think he’s going to tell them too.”
“Wow,” Gwen says, pulling into a spot and turning off the vehicle. “I’m really sorry you are both going through this. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be.”
My eyes fill with tears once more. “I fell in love with him, and now we have to give him up.”
My sister gives me a knowing, sad smile. “But at least he’s not going far. He’s your nephew.”
I nod. “Well, technically, he’s not my nephew.” I sniffle, digging into her glove box for a tissue.
Gwen blows out an exasperated breath. “Oh, puh-lease! You and Chase are living together, you’re all lovey-dovey and couple-y, and you worship his cock with your vajayjay as if it were made of gold and unlimited orgasms.”
My eyes widen, and my jaw drops to my chest as we both burst into laughter. “My God, I can’t believe you just said that! ” I holler through my giggles.
Gwen shrugs. “You’re rubbing off on me.”
Sophia starts to giggle in the back seat, making us both laugh even more. “Come on, let’s get these photos taken before the natives get restless.”
“You’re still going to have them taken?” Gwen asks as we climb out of the car.
I release Milo’s seat and gaze down at his angelic sleeping figure. “Yeah, I am. I want Colton to have them. He’s already missing so many of the little things. Plus, it’ll be good for Chase to keep too.”
Gwen just nods, taking her daughter’s carrier from the base, and heads into the studio. I put on my brave, tough-girl face, vowing to make this moment unforgettable to the men in my life. No, we won’t be able to keep Milo, but we’ll still have these memories to cherish for a lifetime.“Oh my goodness, they turned out so good,” Gwen says at our booth. “I can’t wait to get the proofs back.”
I glance down at my phone to the small baby boy who has stolen my heart, curled up on the All Fit T-shirt. The photographer let me snap a photo of her camera display of this photo to show Chase, and the link to all the photos will be available sometime early next week.
“You did the right thing,” she says from across the table.
Glancing up, I give her a small, sad smile. “I hope so.”