Our house sits next door to my childhood home where Gabriel and Eden still live; the little place Cain and I have spent almosta year slowly turning into a home. It’s small, creaky, imperfect, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Cain landed from his last work trip to Los Angeles two hours ago, but I haven’t gotten to see him yet. Even though he’s been cutting back his hours, finally learning that “work-life balance” isn’t a myth and setting real boundaries with his father, he’s still been flying back and forth between California and New York at least every other month.
But soon, that’ll be ending. Because once our son is born, he’s made it clear to Maxwell that someone else will have to take over the travel so that he can be a present and involved father.
Unfortunately, that someone will probably be Rosie.
We walk up the pathway to the house to find Gabriel, Eden, Natasha and her older brother Roman are already inside, playingGo Fish!at the dining room table. The deck doors are propped open, sunlight spilling through, and the smell of grilled meat wafts in from outside.
Cain stands over the grill, tongs in hand, sleeves rolled showing off his forearms that I've always been obsessed with.
“Hi, baby.” His voice softens the second he sees me. He leans down to kiss me, slow and warm. His scent wraps around me and instantly I feel safe and at home. “Everything go okay at Rosie’s house?”
“Yes,” I say, brushing my fingers across his jaw. “But I think you need to talk to her about moving more things into her place here. She hardly has anything in there.”
He shrugs, flipping a burger. “It’s just a weekend place for her right now.”
“But it could be more. If she wanted it to be,” I say quietly.
He exhales; gaze fixed on the lake shimmering beyond the deck. “I know. I want her closer once the babies here. But it might be difficult with the way my dad’s been working her lately.”
“Do you feel responsible for that?”
His jaw flexes. “Yeah. But she insists she’s fine. Says she enjoys it.”
I nod slowly. “She wants to make partner.”
“I know,” he murmurs, lowering the tongs and finally meeting my eyes. “But something tells me my dad’s not going to hand that to her without a price.”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t cost her too much,” I whisper.
He kisses me again; this time his hand instinctively drifts to my belly. He rubs slow circles there, his thumb tracing idle patterns over the curve that’s grown a little more each week.
I love that about him, the way he can’t seem to keep his hands off me. Offus.The way fatherhood has softened him, grounded him, made him shift his priorities and become morehim.
Since we got engaged and bought the house here in Brookhaven, everything’s changed. I quit my cleaning job, and Cain helped me ramp up marketing for my therapy business. Between that and the thrift store, I finally feel like I have balance while still making enough to contribute to my parents’ debt.
I thought I’d miss the occasional modeling and acting gigs, but I don’t. Cain won’t admit it, but I think he’s a little relieved I haven’t run into anyone like Rebel again too.
The store’s still struggling, but I’m proud of what we’ve built. I’m proud that every chipped mug and donated sweater carries a story. That somehow, through all the chaos, I’ve found a way to carry my parents’ legacy forward. And it's not out of guilt or obligation anymore, but out of love.
I know a day will come when we'll have to let go of the store, but until then I'm going to cling to the last tether that I have to our parents.
“Anyone want sweet tea?” I call over my shoulder.
Eden throws up a thumbs-up without looking away from her cards. I grab a pitcher from the fridge. When I return to the table, I fill a few glasses and linger for a moment, watching the way Rosie laughs softly at something Gabriel said.
There’s color in her cheeks again, and even though her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes, it’s something.
Cain wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. “How’s it possible that this is our life?” he asks softly.
I smile, leaning into him. “Who knew our place would end up being the cool hangout spot?”
“I did,” Gabriel says with a nod. "As soon as Cain bought that boat, I knew this is where we’d be spending our summers."
Cain chuckles softly.
“You think she’s going to be okay?” I whisper to Cain, watching his sister. “I can tell she’s struggling with something, but she won’t say what.”
