“No,” I deadpan. “If he did, I would’ve tried to go with them, which we both know would’ve been a terrible idea.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “Yeah. I saw you’ve been texting me like crazy.”
“Well, I didn’t know when you’d be home, and Lauren thought it was a good idea to keep you updated.” I pause. “Wait… how do you know that?”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “Your brother kept this. I don’t think he wanted you to stop texting me. He said it helped you cope while I was gone.”
“Yeah.” I lift Julian and cradle him against my chest.
“So… what are their names?”
I give him a sideways look. “I feel like you already know.”
“I don’t,” he says with a smile. “I have a guess from your last text, but humor me.”
“Well, you’re holding Victoria Mattea, who’s two minutes younger than her brother, Julian Matthew.”
“Mattea and Matthew?” His brows lift. “How’d you pick those middle names?”
“They’re different versions of your name. I wanted, no, I needed, them to have something that tied them to you.”
He exhales softly. “Then the next kid we have, I get to pick.”
“Are they really that bad?” I laugh. “You picked their first names, remember?”
“They’re not bad at all. But the next kid needs to have a version of your name in there too.”
How has he been home for less than ten minutes and he’s already talking about another baby? And how am I falling in love with him all over again?
He turns toward me, his gaze dropping to the necklace at my chest. I follow his eyes. When I look back up, there’s a flicker of something raw in his expression, something he’s trying hard to hide.
“Do you want it back?” I ask softly, glancing down at his wedding ring.
“It looks beautiful there,” he murmurs, “but yeah… I do.”
I shift Julian into my lap and reach for the necklace, slipping his ring free and holding it out in my palm. He stares at it for a second before taking it and sliding it back onto his finger.
“That’s better,” he says quietly. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved that you were wearing it, but I need it back so I can feel like I’m home.”
“Well, you are home,” I say, “and don’t you ever fucking do that shit again.”
“I promise there will be no trips to Italy for the foreseeable future.”
We sit on the couch a little longer, the TV murmuring in the background, neither of us really watching. When Victoria starts to cry, I gently take her from Mateo’s arms and head upstairs with both of them. He follows close behind.
Getting to the nursery, I step inside while Mateo lingers in the doorway. I set Julian in his crib, change Victoria, then change Julian. When I look up, Mateo is staring at the sign on the nursery door. When they were born, I had their names made into plaques and hung there. Something I’d always wanted.
“What is it?” I ask quietly.
He clears his throat. “You’ve been doing all of this by yourself?”
“Juliet comes over during the day to help,” I say. “So not completely by myself.”
I place Julian in his crib, turn on the white noise, then take Mateo’s hand and flip off the light. “Come on. They need a nap.”
We step into our room, and I reach for the baby monitor on my side of the bed. Mateo stops.
“I don’t know why you stayed here,” he says softly. “Youcould have stayed with Gino. He and Juliet could’ve helped more than just during the day.”
