“Please, baby, don’t make me cry in front of these people,” Xander joked. “They willneverlet me live it down.”
Everyone laughed.
Rylee giggled, stepping closer to him to lay a hand to his chest.
Life had been amazing with Xander by her side. And although he’d been there for three years before all of this, her being able toacceptit became like food to her soul.
No more did she resist. In fact, she’d woven her being so tightly with his, the idea that she wasn’t once this close felt like a distant past.
“Xander, I promise to love you without hesitation, because you deserve more than that,” she said. “And I promise to trust you without fear.”
He smiled.
“To show up, speak up, and soften when it’s easier to shut down… because you give me every reason to be soft in your presence. And I am more than confident you know what to do withallthat.”
“And do,” he said, making her laugh.
“I vow to hold your hand and your heart… especially when the world tries to make you feel like you have to carry it all alone. You don’t.”
He nodded.
“‘Cause you got me, and I got you,” she recited his line back to him. “So we got us.”
He balled his lips, but gave into the pull at his mouth and nodded, his smile so big beneath it all.
“And with that, I promise to make this house of ours a home you never want to leave, even on the hard days.”
They’d already made their house a home full of love and comfort. And even though Xander insisted they keep the brownstone and visit it here and there, the children had already chosen what they felt was their haven.
She remembered the exact moment that showed her just how far they’d come.
A moment that had broken her heart in the quietest of ways…
“Mommy?” Nova called as she approached Rylee’s bedroom door in the brownstone.
Rylee was sitting on the bed, reading a book. This was one of the rare moments she was able to have to herself. Junior was asleep in the spare bassinet by her bed. The children had been busy in their rooms.
Well, at least they were before Nova came stepping inside.
“What’s up, baby?”
Nova climbed her little frame onto the bed, folding her legs once she was comfortable in her seat.
“When are we going home?” she asked. “I miss my room so much.”
The question hit Rylee square in the chest and made her close her book.
Her first inclination was to respond with,What are you talking about, Nova? We are home.
But she couldn’t.
Her goal when they moved to Greene Gardens had been to get the children comfortable with their new environment. She’d planned several trips around the village to familiarize them with the area. But most of that had proven unnecessary.
It only took one night for both Nova and LJ to become acclimated with their new home. They were in love with their rooms, and had already created tight-knit bonds with the neighborhood kids.
It was like the perfect magnetic click for them over there.
That didn’t stop Nova’s question from hurting.
