She hesitated aroundoffers, and Owen knew it was because she’d exposed herself by making a request. She wasn’t just making time for Hayden to see his son, she was asking for some time to herself, and Hayden didn’t seem to care about that.
Owen did. But that wasn’t the same. “Can I take Charlie out for a walk?”
Becca shrugged listlessly. “Sure.”
“Take that time for yourself. And ask me for more of this, okay?” He frowned. “Have you talked to Kerry about any of this? Or your mom?”
“Yeah. Yes, to both. Kerry made me take a whole screening test for postpartum depression.”
Owen fought back a smile at the sullen tone Becca had aroundmade me. “She was doing her job.”
“I know.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m going to grab a sweatshirt, then I’ll take the little guy out for a while. You grab a hot shower, make a TikTok that makes it look like you’re having the Best Time Ever, and show Hayden you don’t need him.”
She didn’t reply.
“Becca, youdon’t—” Owen stopped. He looked at his daughter, who was staring down at the tiny, soft pile of laundry. He remembered the way Becca had gazed at the kid after Charlie’s delivery, and what Adam had said the week before. “You love him.”
Her profile tightened. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It does, though.” He sighed. “We can’t lie to ourselves. That never works.”
“Yeah, well.” She shrugged. Then she gently lifted up the baby and bundled him into the bucket carseat. Owen’s cue to put on a sweatshirt and give his grown-up kid a bit of space.
The stroller—awelcome to the world, Charliegift from Rachel and Hudson—was a lot more complicated than they had ever had for Becca. It was a beast of a machine with giant wheels, that needed to be carried off the porch first and unfolded on the driveway before the tiny bucket seat could be clipped into it.
But once they were rolling, Owen had to admit that it was a smooth ride, and Charlie didn’t stir the entire time. That gave his grandpa some time to chew on the fact that Becca’s heart had been bruised, again.
As he cut across the edge of the residential neighbourhood and headed for the hill down to the harbour, he called Adam.
“What’s up?”
“I’m out for a walk with Charlie in the stroller. What are you doing?”
His brother made a clattering noise. “Nothing.”
“Do you want company?”
“I’m not at home.” There was more clanging in the background.
“Where are you?”
“Working out.”
Owen didn’t miss that Adam pivoted to saying what he was doing, and not where he was doing it. He stopped at the top of the hill. Ahead of him stretched the dark edge of the lake, disappearing in either direction behind thick stands of trees. He and Charlie didn’t need to head down there and be all alone. He turned the stroller around, pointing back up Main Street. If he walked fast, he could be at the Emergency Services building on the edge of town in fifteen minutes.
“Gotta go,” his brother said.
Owen rolled his eyes. “All right. Talk to you later.”
He stopped at Mac’s first to pick up coffee, because who knew how long he’d be waiting for Adam to finish his workout, and then he texted Becca to let her know that he was still on a big loop around town but her baby was fast asleep and all was well.
When he got to the station, he didn’t bother going inside. Charlie was having a good long sleep, and Owen liked the quiet of the evening. Bright fluorescent lights would ruin both of their vibes. It didn’t take long for Adam to appear, his hair and shirt damp with sweat.
He waved. “You figured out the mystery.”
“What’s going on?”
