“I know you are. Their pictures are all over your apartment.”
“They’re as much my babies as they were my mom and dad’s.”
“I can totally see that. They love you so much.”
“I’m not sure what I’ll do if something terrible has happened to him.”
Nate hugged her tightly. “I know, honey, but let’s try to stay positive.”
“I’m trying, but it gets harder the longer we go with no word. The silence is making me crazy.”
“Let’s go see if anything happened overnight. I’ll check in with my office, too, and see if they have anything new.”
“Thank you for being here with me. It’s the only thing keeping me from losing it.”
“Don’t you know by now that the only place I want to be is wherever you are?”
“Love you,” she whispered tearfully.
He kissed her softly. “Love you, too.”
* * *
Gonzo walked into an apartment filled with boxes ahead of their upcoming move to Sam and Nick’s home on Ninth Street. It was ten times the size of where he and Christina lived now, and he couldn’t wait to be settled there.
Christina came out of the kitchen, dressed for another day as the press secretary to the president. She was so fucking pretty and put together in a sharp navy suit that he was almost afraid to hug her back. “How was the meeting?”
He held her close and nuzzled her neck, breathing her in as he rested a hand on the baby bump under her fuchsia silk blouse. She’d taught him that word—fuchsia. “Good.”
She stood back to examine him more closely, placing her hands on his face. No one had ever seen him the way she did, but even she hadn’t known how bad things had gotten for him with the pain pills before it was almost too late to save him.
“Any news about Ethan?”
“Nothing yet.”
“God, what is that about?”
“I don’t know, but I hope we find him soon.” He looked down at his hand on the curve of her pregnant belly. “How’re you feeling?”
“Pretty good today. The nausea didn’t last as long as usual.” She kissed him. “You look exhausted.”
“It was a long night. Where’s the boy?”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’s getting his shoes on. He’s going to Angela’s for a couple of hours to play while I go to work and you get some sleep. Alex? Daddy’s home.”
An excited scream came from his three-year-old son’s room before the boy came bursting out of the hallway, launching himself at Gonzo, who scooped him up into a big hug.
Gonzo kissed his neck and made him giggle. “What’s this I hear about shoes?”
“Mommy said to get them, but I can’t find them.” Alex leaned in to whisper in Gonzo’s ear. “I’m in big trouble cuz I didn’t put them where they go last night.”
It was all Gonzo could do not to laugh. “Well, that sounds like a problem. Maybe I could help you look for them?”
“Yes! Daddy can help!” He squirmed his way out of Gonzo’s arms and ran back toward his room, shooting a grin at his mother on the way by.
“See how he does that with the little grin? And then I forget all about why I was annoyed with him.” She reached up to cuff Gonzo’s chin. “Like father, like son.”
“We can’t help that we’re adorable.”
