BUTTERCUP:
I’m upstairs with OG xx
I pick up the paper bag, push off the couch, and make my way back to the elevators, heading up to Caleb’s floor.
DYLAN:
Thanks. You got your scan today, right?
ME:
Yeah, just got to the office to pick up Iz now.
DYLAN:
Let me know how it goes.
I thumbs up the last message as I step onto Caleb’s floor.
“Morning, Riley.”
Ice blue eyes peer over the computer screen. Riley pushes back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Good morning, Daddy-o.” He grins.
His jet black hair is a windswept mess, pushed back on his head. I’m putting money on Caleb rolling his eyes at that. My big brother wants people to be comfortable expressing themselves in the office, but he’s a stickler for things being neat and orderly.
He’s a bit like me in that respect, but the need is rooted in a different place. Caleb sees it as a responsibility to the Heart name, while I always took it as controlling what I could. Something that doesn’t seize my thoughts quite as much as it used to. In the six weeks that Isabelle’s been living with me, the things I used to do to keep my mind occupied have become things I enjoy. Like my garden, my hands buried in the soil, air filled with earthy sweetness. Spending time in the gym has been keeping my body strong so I can keep up with my need for Isabelle, and for the days I’ll be running around with our baby. I want to be strong and healthy for them, for both of them.
I still go to group therapy on Monday nights, taking my turn to open up more rather than just being a silent observer. I’ve even been to a few of the same sessions Jennie goes to.
Before, everything I did was a tool for distraction, a checklist to complete to feel worthy of the life I kept living, the reality where I left August behind. The craziest thing is, the more I do for myself, the closer August feels, just like Dylan said. If August is watching over me, I gotta give him something worth watching.
“You been surfing this morning?” I ask.
“Hell yeah.” Riley’s face lights up. “Swells are starting to pick up. Froze my fucking nuts off, though.”
“I can tell. Looks like you brought half the beach back in your hair,” I say, walking past him and ruffling his hair. The strands are rough and crunchy, and I feel my face twist. “Dude.”
Riley runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back into some type of order. “What? Women pay actual money for this beach wave look.”
I wipe my hand down my shirt. “I can’t believe my brother doesn’t say shit about that.”
“There’s no point washing it every day when I’m only gonna be in the water again the next morning. Besides, I think your brother is too distracted by his lady love to notice my hair. Speaking of, you here for your baby mama?”
I tuck my hands in my pockets and nod. “Got our twenty-week scan today.”
Riley shakes his head. “Who would have thought, you and Isabelle. Grumpy and sunshine. Beauty and the beast.”
“Definitely not me.”
“You’re here.” The reason I breathe steps through Caleb’s office door. Isabelle’s tight blonde curls are in a bun on her head, secured with a white ruffled scrunchie. A long-sleeved denim shirt is tied over her belly, paired with an olive skirt that hugs every curve. Her rounded hips, her shapely thighs, and that beautiful bump. My heart is in my throat as I take her in.
“Hi, baby.” I cross the room, placing a hand on her stomach and dropping a kiss to her lips. “I brought you a treat. Snickerdoodle slice.” I hold up the Sweet Escape bag, which she takes greedily.
“Aww, thanks, Grim.”
Caleb steps up behind Isabelle, looking down at the bag, then up at me.
