“Thanks, Daddy!” Bebe squealed, hugging hers tightly.
“Me too!” James said, cuddling his bear.
“These bears are going to stay with you all the time,” Jason explained. “Sometimes, you’ll stay here with mommy, and sometimes, you’ll be with daddy. But you’ll always be safe. with these bears.”
I watched in awe as Jason handled the moment with care. The kids seemed calm, though I wasn’t sure they fully understood.
“We’re going to live in separate homes for a while,” I added gently. “We just need some time to figure out what’s best for our family.”
Bebe looked between us, her face serious. “Like Ivy’s parents? Are you getting divorced?”
“We don’t know yet,” I said honestly. “We’re just taking it one day at a time.”
“What’s divorce?” James asked, his small brow furrowed.
Bebe’s eyes welled with tears. “Do we get two Christmases?”
Jason and I exchanged a look. “We haven’t figured all that out yet,” I said. “But no matter what, we’ll always be a family.”
“With the bears?” James asked, clutching his tightly.
“Yes, with the bears,” Jason said, his voice warm. “Come here, sweetheart.” He pulled Bebe into his lap as her tears spilled over.
I couldn’t hold back my own tears anymore. James climbed onto my lap, wrapping his little arms around me.
“Group hug!” Jason called, pulling all of us together.
We clung to each other for a long moment, the weight of the conversation settling around us.
“We’ll always be a family,” Jason said softly, brushing a tear from my cheek.
At that moment, I believed him.
CHAPTER 52
BACK TO BACHELORHOOD
JASON
After what felt like the hardest weekend of my life, I didn’t know where to go from here. What were our next steps? How do you move forward when everything feels like it’s falling apart?
As soon as I left the house, I called Danny. He didn’t hesitate, telling me he’d fly out immediately, pretending he needed to check on the West Coast offices. By lunch the next day, he was waiting for me in the hotel lobby.
We sat at the bar for hours, nursing drinks and talking about everything and nothing. Danny joked that we should hit a strip club. Maybe he was half-joking, but the thought of a lap dance right now made me feel even emptier.
“I don’t think that’s what I need,” I said, swirling the amber liquid in my glass.
Danny raised his glass. “Well, then, I’ll take one for the team.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even if it was half-hearted. That was Danny, always trying to lighten the mood, but this time nothing felt light. My chest was heavy with the weight of everything; the lies, the distance between Natalie and me, and the realization that this might be the end.
Danny stuck around for a few days, and I was grateful. Having him there made the silence less suffocating. Even with his company, I couldn’t stop the thoughts from creeping in. Where was I going to live? How would this affect the kids? And how was I going to explain all this to my parents?
The logistics came first. Natalie and I talked about a schedule for the kids. She’d have them most of the time, but I’d get them every other weekend and occasionally during the week for dinners if I wasn’t traveling for work. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Still, I needed a place that felt stable enough for them, a home they could visit without feeling like it was temporary. I called a real estate agent I trusted, told him my situation, and asked him to look for rentals.
“Let’s start small,” I told him. “I’m still hoping Natalie and I can work things out, but for now, I need a place for me and the kids.”
