He knows I’m friends with them, but he still doesn’t know about the romantic element of our relationship or that I’m head over heels in love with all three of them.
“I had a lot of fun, bud.”
“Did Wyatt really carry you down the mountain when you fell?”
I laugh, making sure the blanket is pulled up high enough. “Yeah, he really did.”
“That’s… wild. He must be really good. He didn’t fall, even carrying all of you.” I know he doesn’t mean anything, but damn, kid… multiple daggers to the heart.
I lean down, kissing him on the forehead. “He’s a very good skier. Sleep tight, bud. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” he says, grabbing his book from his nightstand.
It looks like he’s already over halfway through it, and he barely started it last night. I swear, I spend half my paycheck on books for this kid.
I pause with my hand on the doorknob when he says, “Mom?”
“Yes?”
“You know what I wish?”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I wish… I wish we were a family with Oliver’s family. Like a big group. Like Dad is with Riley, Uncle Finn, and Uncle Theo.”
I stand there frozen because I have no fucking clue how to respond to that. He just put a voice to my greatest wish—one I couldn’t even let myself think about until this very moment.
“That would be really special,” I tell him, emotion clogging my throat.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Abby
“Is it time yet?”Mav asks from the opposite side of the couch.
I tried to distract him by watching one of his weird documentaries with him, but it doesn’t seem to be working.
Since I got the call from Cole last night that Riley was in labor, Mav has been asking me every ten minutes if the baby is here yet and if it’s time to go to the hospital.
His eagerness is one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen, even if his endless questions are kind of driving me up the wall. He is going to be the best big brother.
“Not yet, bud.”
“Are you sure Riley’s okay? This is taking so long.”
I love how much he loves Riley. She’s never tried to replace me, but she has still become an unshakable presence in my son’s life.
I feel blessed that he has so many people who love him so much. A mom couldn’t ask for anything more for their kid.
“Labor just takes a while sometimes, but your dad said she’s doing just fine. It shouldn’t be long now.” Cole texted about an hour ago, saying Riley was finally at nine centimeters.
“Did it take a long time when you had me?”
“Eighteen hours,” I tell him with a smile. It was rough, but thank goodness for epidurals.
“Wow,” he says. His eyes fly wide. “Did Dad freak out then, too?”
He overheard the call last night. Cole was indeed freaking out a little.
