“Whoa.” His hands go up in mock surrender. “That’s not what I meant. Just wondering why you’re here instead of with Micaela and your son.”
“She kicked me out,” I grunt. “Said she needed some space.”
Marco nods. “I was pissed when I found out it was you who got my little girl pregnant.” I have nothing to say, so I wait for him to continue. “Then I blamed myself when I found out where you knocked her up.” He eyes me for a second. “And then I learned you were the reason she was finally living again.”
He walks around the desk and steps in front of me. “I’m hoping one day you’ll make an honest woman out of her, but I know firsthand how stubborn the Cooper women can be.”
“Cooper?”
“Fuck yeah, Bella and Micaela might have my last name, but their attitude is all fucking Cooper.”
“Yeah, okay.” I laugh. “And none of that attitude is from you.” I pat his shoulder. “Micaela can be stubborn all she wants, but one day I will marry that woman, and it’s good to know you’ll be supportive.” I look him in the eye. “I’m not proud of how it happened, but like I told Bella, I could never regret it. Micaela is the one for me. I can feel it deep in my marrow. Now, I just have to convince her I’m the one for her.”
Marco nods. “She’ll come around. And just for the record, I wanted to tell you about RJ. I would never keep something like that from another man. I know how that feels. I was just trying to give her time to handle it her way.”
“I know. I get it. I was pissed, but it’s hard to stay that way when I know why Micaela did what she did.”
“She’s scared as hell.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Any idea what you’re going to do about that?”
“I have a couple ideas.” I’ve actually been thinking a lot about our situations and how my life and hers can somehow come together. “I need to get through the next four months and once I get back, I’m going to figure shit out.”
“Well, regardless of what happens with you two, as RJ’s dad, you’ll always be family.” Marco pulls me into a hug and clasps me on the back, and I sigh in relief, knowing the man I’ve looked up to most of my life has my back.
After a good workout and a shower, I head over to my sisters’ boutique downtown to spend some time with them. They insist on taking me to lunch, where they gush over all the pictures of RJ. Since I haven’t spent much time with my nieces and nephews, I agree to have dinner with them. Mom and Dad join us, and we make it a family affair. It’s nice to have all of us together. Unfortunately, with me gone a lot, it doesn’t happen often enough.
While we’re hanging out, I check my phone a million times, but Micaela never once texts. Eventually we say good night and I head back to my parents’ place, to the guesthouse. I end up falling asleep on the couch while watching crap television and wishing I were with Micaela and my son.
I wake up in the morning and get ready to go to the gym, but before I leave, my phone goes off with a text from Micaela: I’m taking RJ for a walk, if you want to join.
I respond with: Would love to. Can be there in ten minutes.
She doesn’t respond, instead giving the message a thumbs-up. I laugh, knowing this is her way of letting me in while keeping me at arm’s length.
I arrive at her house and find her standing outside with RJ bundled up in a large red badass-looking stroller that makes him look even tinier. It has three fat wheels with a handlebar that runs across the back. It’s in the high sixties today, so Micaela is wearing a Fight Club hoodie, a pair of leggings that show off all her curves, and a pair of fluffy boots all women wear. She waves to me as I park and jump out of my truck.
“Nice stroller. You planning to go off roading with this thing?”
She laughs, the sound carefree, reminding me of our time in Venice once she let me in. “It’s a jogging stroller. My parents bought it for me since I love going for runs outside.” She pulls the canopy down, revealing a mesh cover. “This will protect him from the wind.”
Before she closes it, I lean over and give RJ a kiss on his forehead, inhaling his fresh baby smell. It’s something I hope he still has when I return in a few months.
We start our walk down the driveway and then make a left once we hit the road. At first, Micaela is quiet, looking everywhere but at me, and I don’t say a word, not wanting to push her even farther away.