God, she couldn’t be more perfect.
Jennie, Madeline, and Chelsea rush over to us at once, trading hugs and kisses on the cheek. Isabelle’s mum squeezes me just that little bit tighter before she lets go, pulling back with a hand to my cheek.
“Congrats, man.” Jacob reaches around Jennie to shake my hand.
“Thanks.” I nod. “It was a surprise, but as Iz said, a blessing.”
“It’s like nothing you could ever prepare yourself for.” He slaps my shoulder before he turns, grinning as he scoops his daughter up and blows a raspberry against her cheek. Wren laughs and nuzzles into her dad, and it fills me with something unfamiliar. A weightless kind of anticipation, but a good kind.
“I’m happy for you both.” Evan smiles as he comes to stand behind Chelsea. “We love being Aunt and Uncle, so another baby to dote on is very exciting.”
Chelsea leans back against her husband’s chest with a content smile as she nods her agreement.
“This is such wonderful news,” Jennie says, reaching for one of Isabelle’s hands. “I don’t want to assume, but inviting Gage over this morning, does this mean you’ll be raising the baby as a couple?”
Isabelle slides a hand around my back, carefully avoiding the crutch still wedged under my arm and snuggles into me. “I’m pretty confident he likes me enough to keep me around.”
I drop a kiss on her head, making her look up at me. I take her in, her blue eyes like the colour of sapphires, her dimples that pop when she smiles, the freckles on the bridge of her nose.
“We couldn’t be happier for you both. Isn’t that right, Joe?”
Isabelle’s dad has been notably silent since our announcement. I take a deep breath, readying myself for what reactionmight be waiting, but when I look up, all I see is a man fighting back tears.
“My little girl,” he whispers.
Isabelle told me her dad isn’t her birth father, but he came into her life when she was young. He’s the only dad she’s ever known, and the one who has earned the title. Watching as Joe hugs Isabelle as if she’s his own flesh and blood makes me consider the power of love. The way it grows from unexpected places at a rate you can’t control or define. It’s something to appreciate if you’re lucky enough to feel it, and even more if it’s bestowed upon you.
Love can’t be narrowed down to one thing. It’s commitment, trust, passion. It’s vulnerable, intimate, and dedicated. I suppose that’s why people call some connections the love of a lifetime. It’s something so profound and enduring that you know nothing else will compare. It’s exciting to feel like you’ve found it, and terrifying to imagine losing it. But after everything I’ve been through, I know living without Isabelle’s love would be a far greater loss.
“Let’s get this food on the table before it goes cold, shall we?” Jennie asks, wiping under her eye.
Everyone starts gathering plates of food and leading them through an open doorway on the other side of the kitchen.
“Can I do anything?” I ask Isabelle’s mum. I’m not sure what I can manage with my crutches, but I hate not being helpful.
Jennie waits until everyone disappears from the room before turning to me.
“I saw you the other night. At group therapy.” She tilts her head, waiting.
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod. Recalling she was the woman who spoke of finding love after she had every reason not to put her faith in another person like that.
“I’ve seen you around Life Vine plenty of times. I know what you do for the organisation. But that’s the first time I’ve seen you at that particular meeting.”
“My healing has always been led by other things in the past.” Grief.Guilt.
“And now?”
Now, it’s still there. I still grieve for my friend, but the ache of missing him doesn’t feel as colossal as it used to. So unbearable.
“Now I’ve found something stronger than my pain. Someone I want to be better for. Someone who showed me that life can hurt and feel unfair, but if I move through with my eyes and heart shut, I’m gonna miss all the good things. I don’t want to miss the good things. Especially when the best one is her.”
Chapter thirty-six
“Maybe we should tell my family next weekend.” I stare at the door to my grandparents’ house. Isabelle muffles her laughter against my chest.
“You survived telling my family, so I think you’ll be fine telling yours.”
“This is a lot of excitement for you in one day.”
