I sigh again, and Hux’s attention shifts to me.
“How are you holding up through all this?” he asks. There’s no edge in his voice. No sarcasm. Just sincerity for once.
I shrug. “I’m getting there.”
Hux nods. “Well, thanks for sticking around. If I were in your shoes, I probably would’ve bailed.” He glances at Colt. “Thanks for not breaking him again.”
Colt immediately wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. “I’m lucky,” he murmurs. “I don’t deserve her.”
Hux pretends to gag, sticking a finger down his throat and making a retching noise. I actually smile—my first real one in days.
Hux catches it and grins back at me.
“Seriously, though,” he adds, sobering. “I know this is hell for you, Dee. If you need to talk… well, I suck at it. But I’m around. You’re family.”
That breaks something small but significant inside me. I blink back tears as Hux reaches across the table and squeezes my hand.
“Thanks, Hux.”
He gives a short nod and turns back to Colt. “So… you’re a dad now.Jesus. Wait till Mum finds out she’s a grandma. She’s gonna flip.”
Colt groans. “That’s a phone call I’m dreading.” He keeps rubbing slow, soothing circles on my shoulder as he says it.
And despite the chaos, despite the fear, for the first time in days, I feel a flicker of something close to hope.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Colt asks, his finger hovering over the console as we pull up to the front gate.
I nod.
He doesn’t move. “Do you want me to take them somewhere? So you don’t have to—”
“No fucking way.” My tone snaps harder than I intended. “I want to be here.”
I need to be here.
There’s no way I’m letting Macy have alone time with my husband under the guise of co-parenting reunion bliss.
“And Caleb?” he presses. “If it’s easier, he can play outside—”
“No,” I cut in, voice low but firm. “I want to be in the room. With both of them.”
He hesitates again. I roll my eyes, reach over, and slam the gate button down myself.
“I don’t want you uncomfortable,” he mutters. “You know I love you. Onlyyou.”
“I know,” I say, and even though the words are true, they feel worn out. Like we’ve both said them too many times lately. I kiss him instead of replying again.
A car pulls up out front.
I peel away from Colt and open the door.
Macy’s smile is instant. Too bright. Too damn happy with herself. Caleb walks beside her, clinging to her coat. His coloring is pale today, paler than I remember.
“Hi, guys,” Macy chirps as they head up the stairs.
“Mace. Hey, little man,” Colt greets, scruffing Caleb’s hair. “How you feeling today?”
