The words felt solid and unshakable as they left my mouth. I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes for a brief moment, letting it sink in again.
My wife. The title wasn’t just a label; it was a truth that grounded me.
When I opened my eyes, Nova’s expression had softened, her smile small but genuine. “I’m glad you have that,” she said quietly. “You deserve it.”
We both sat in that moment, the unspoken understanding passing between us.
“There’s a children’s museum nearby—it’s indoors. We could meet there tomorrow, say nine?”
I nodded without hesitation. “I’ll be there.”
She offered a small, relieved smile, and for the first time, the tension in the air seemed to ease just slightly.
This was happening. It wasn’t going to be perfect, but it was a start.
38
charlie
I’d slept in, which was a rare luxury these days. Winter weekends didn’t come with farmers’ markets or early alarms, and since I knew Austin was staying at his mom’s house last night, I’d let myself sleep.
When I finally rolled out of bed and checked the clock, it was already past ten. I lazily stretched, expecting to hear some movement downstairs—maybe Austin had come home early—but the house was quiet. Too quiet. I grabbed my phone, but there were no texts, no missed calls. Nothing.
A strange unease crept over me as I threw on a pair of pajama pants and a spaghetti-strap top, then shoved my phone inside the pocket. Maybe he’d gotten home late, and I’d missed him? Or maybe he’d stayed at Auburn’s longer than planned?
I padded downstairs, the house still silent. As I reached the bottom of the steps, I froze. There he was, slumped over the counter, his shoulders hunched, one hand buried in his hair. His back rose and fell rapidly, his breath coming in uneven gasps. He looked sick.
“Austin?” I called out, my voice sharp with panic as I stepped closer.
When he looked up, my stomach dropped. The dark circles under his eyes, the tears streaking his cheeks—something was really wrong.
“Oh my god, what’s wrong?” I rushed toward him, my heart pounding.
He held up his hands quickly, his voice breaking. “I’m sober, I swear.”
I blinked, suddenly realizing I hadn’t even thought about that. My eyes darted around the kitchen—there was no booze in the house, and I knew Auburn didn’t keep any at hers either. Of course, that wouldn’t stop him from going to a bar, but the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“That—” I stammered, shaking my head. “I wasn’t even thinking that.”
Austin let out a shaky breath, his hands trembling as he wiped at his face. “It’s not that,” he said, his voice raw. “It’s... everything else.”
I stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm, grounding both him and me. “Okay,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. “What’s wrong?”
Right at that moment, my phone rang, and Austin whimpered. “Answer it.”
I was so confused, but I grabbed my phone to check who was calling and saw Auburn’s name flash on the screen. “It’s your mom,” I whispered. “I can call her later.”
He shook his head. “Answer it.”
I nodded and swiped to answer the call. “Hi, Auburn.” I tried to sound as cheerful as I could.
“Is Austin at the house? Ledger and I have been calling him.”
I looked over at Austin and furrowed my brows. “Uh, yeah. He’s right here.”
Auburn let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” There was a long pause. “Is he sober?”
I glanced at him again. He still looked like shit, but he didn’t smell drunk. “Yeah, he’s sober,” I said, so Austin could hear what his mom was asking.
