I step toward her, and she shies back.
So I go completely still. “I’ve made mistakes. I’ve hurt you. If I could take it back, I would. But I can’t. I’d explain why I left, but it still boils down toI was wrong. I have a solid reason why I didn’t come sooner, but again…I was wrong. I’ll do better, Emma. I’ll be better. I promise.”
She still doesn’t believe me. I can see it in every little nuance of her expression.
But she’s given me an in.
I’ll take it.
16
Emma
InvitingJonas to a cookout with my family was a mistake.
A massive, huge, overwhelming,what was I thinking?mistake.
And he’s not even here yet.
“Asking the triplets to come too was too much, wasn’t it?” I murmur to Laney and Sabrina over dishes while I watch seven of my very favorite people entertain Bash on the patio. Theo has the grill ready. Grey already seasoned the burgers. Zen’s kombucha is chilling in a cooler.
“You invited everyone who has a direct daily impact on Bash’s life,” Sabrina replies. “None of this is too much.”
“You wouldn’t have been out of line to invite more,” Laney agrees. She turns a frown at the cats playing around the kitchen. They have each other to play with, but they still insist on being where the people are. “Fred. Leave your sister alone. Snaggleclaw, that’s Cream Puff’s toy. You don’t evenlikeit.Fred.Enough.”
“We should definitely leave him alone inside for ten minutes to see how he does with the cats,” Sabrina says.
“I told him he has to pee in the woods.”
“Probably best for making sure none of the cats escape,” Laney says while Sabrina cackles in amusement.
For all that my destination wedding in Hawaii was a disaster, a lot of good came out of it. Theo adopted a litter of stray cats who’ve been his and Laney’s pride and joy. He even built them an addition on to his cabin and made internet stars out of them with a paid subscription site with all proceeds going to pet shelters around the nation.
Since Laney got pregnant, they’ve all gotten overprotective of her and won’t leave her side when she’s home.
It’s adorable.
And it’s also half the reason they’re building a larger house on their many-acres lot up here. So there’s room for the two of them, the cats,andthe baby.
Grey and Sabrina met when Chandler sold the family café to Grey, who bought it with the intention of ruining it since Chandler once tried to ruin Grey’s life as well. But after a contentious battle between Sabrina and Grey over what should happen to the café, now they’re expecting a baby and happily in love too, and she’s back to running the café that holds her heart.
I got Bash.
Sabrina’s cousins, identical triplets who were groomsmen in my wedding that wasn’t, are now Bash’s adopted uncles. They became a bigger part of all of our lives in the aftermath of the wedding when they took my side over Chandler’s.
And also when they started suspecting at my wedding that they were Laney’s half brothers.
They’re not—she took a DNA test and there’s no chance they’re half siblings. We still don’t know who their father is, but now that they’ve ruled out the most likely suspect locally, they’relow-key curious while still keeping the secret from the dad who raised them that they’re not biologically his.
But the bigger point—we’re all tighter now.
I didn’t think twice when I texted the triplets that I needed extra backup at a family cookout where Bash would meet his father without being told that the man visiting was his father.
“Jonas will have enough to deal with outside,” I say as two different cats circle and rub my legs. “No reason to feed him to the cats. This time. We’ll see how the day goes.”
“Still feeling okay?” Laney asks.
This was her idea, and on the surface, it’s a good one. Give Jonas a small bit of what he’s asking for so he keeps thinking I’m reasonable and doesn’t pull in the lawyers, but do it where I feel safe and have a lot of people on my side.
