Brad squinted his eyes at him. “I’m new to this whole dad thing, but shouldn’t the father be at the hospital for the birth?”
“She didn’t want me there,” Christian muttered to the screwdriver in his hand. He swallowed the bitterness rearing its ugly head.
“What?”
“She’d rather have her best friend there. I didn’t want to rock the boat.” Not even Mom or Dani knew that he’d missed both girls’ births in an effort to keep the peace.
“That’s messed up, man.”
Even more messed up was the relief Christian felt during those few days he had at home without her. Like he could finally breathe. Talk about a lousy husband. Not to mention a terrible father for not visiting his children in the hospital.
“You were right about her,” he choked out. “Everything you said. I should’ve listened to you.”
Brad ran a hand down the blond stubble lining his jaw. “I admit I could’ve been a little gentler in my approach.”
“A little?” Christian raised his brows.
“Okay, a lot,” Brad said hastily. “Cassie has helped me realize that I can be an idiot sometimes.”
“She’s good for you.” Christian nodded. “I could see that at Tyler’s wedding.”
Brad chuckled. “The funny thing is, we weren’t even dating back then. We faked it to get rid of her ex. You know, the drunk guy who crashed the rehearsal dinner?”
How could Christian forget helping to escort the man from the mansion? That whole night madehiscourthouse wedding seem like a fairytale event. “Well, you fooled me.”
“I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad between you two,” Brad said, continuing with their original topic. “I’m sorry for what I said, and for not making a bigger effort to reach out to you after everything went down.”
“I appreciate that.” A weight lifted from Christian’s shoulders. He’d have to find a way to thank Hallie for pushing him to unpack this particular guilt about his past. “If you ever need a breather from all this, give me a call. I’m sure Hallie would be happy to hang with Cassie for a while.”
Brad clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.” He handedChristian the instructions. “Enough chit chat. Let’s tackle this beast. I want to finish it tonight.”
They worked for several minutes, Christian deciphering the instructions and handing wooden planks to his friend building the crib. Attaching the final leg to the base, Brad looked up from the screw he’d twisted into the wood.
“So, you and my cousin, huh?” he asked. “What’s going on there?”
“Don’t know.” Christian reached for the next plank to ignore the way his neck burned. “She’s been watching the girls, so we’ve spent some time together. That’s all.”
Brad set down the screwdriver, shooting Christian a disbelieving glare. “Come on man, you can do better than that. Are you interested?”
“I like being with her,” Christian admitted. “She has a way of making me feel like things aren’t as bad as I’ve made them seem. I’m not saying it’s her job to make me happy, but I am happier around her. She has this presence that’s pure … sunshine. It’s peaceful.”
Even this rambling didn’t feel like enough to adequately describe how she made him feel.
He stared at his outstretched palms. “Even holding her in my arms is enough to give me hope that I can figure out a path to my own happiness. You know?”
When he finally glanced at his buddy, Brad’s brows were raised high on his forehead. The knowing grin stretched on his face flipped the switch in Christian’s brain. “I love her.”
He possibly had all along, he was just so consumed with anger for Sabrina that he’d ignored the subtle stirrings transforming his heart. His muttered curse drew a barking laugh from Brad.
“How did that happen?” Christian asked more to himself than to his friend. “I didn’t think I believed in love anymore.”
His buddy shrugged. “I didn’t think I did either until Cassie came along. The right woman has the ability to change your perspective, I guess.”
“Tyler’s going to kill me.” Christian pinched the bridge of hisnose. “I’m glad we could have this talk now because you’re looking at a dead man walking.”
“I wouldn’t worry about Ty. He’s a puppy dog.”
“Are you saying this because you’re planning to get to me first?”
