Harmony’s eyes flickered back from the precipice of broken into the realm of hope. “Will you help me with the music?”
“I don’t know much about music, but I bet we can figure something out.” He held his hand to hers.
Harmony took it. “Yay,” she whispered.
April’s heart seemed to shrink and grow at the same time.
“Yay,” she echoed.
Chapter Thirty
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.”
—Brene Brown
April
“Jack?” April called to him as she took the steps two at a time. Then she paused, inhaled deeply, and moved slower down the stairs.
The Calm Mom did not need to take the steps two at a time. The Calm Mom would arrive in her kitchen with an abundance of serenity.
Oh, who was she kidding? She squeed and hurried.
It’d now been a full week that Jack had been staying with April and her kids. A full week of help. A full week of Jack. And today was Ethan Greene day. Ethan Greenein her houseday.
Livestream with Ethan Greene day, to be exact.
Oh, for sure, the livestream still set her teeth on edge. But her kids were safely spending the day with their auntie Simone, so there was no risk of underage cussing or potty training mishaps. And Kitty had accepted her banishment, after a promise she could come meet Ethan once they were done.
That left only Mayonnaise as their wild card.
Mayonnaise was not a wild card. She was a sleepy, Jack-infatuated, basset hound card. One that could be easily put away in a room with a lock.
April would make it through the livestream—her first since that-which-shall-never-be-mentioned-again. Jack assured her that once she experienced a live that went well, she’d relax aboutPractical Parenting.
Honestly, though, the out-of-control shaking and buzz rolling through her wasn’t anxious energy over all the things that could go wrong. And the nerves didn’t come from Ethan-freaking-Greene coming to her house to make a kid-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free mac and not-so-cheese.
The nerves were aftershocks from the,ahem, earlier activities with Jack once the kids had gone with their honorary aunt.
He’d made an attempt at de-stressing her.
Good news: it worked.
“You getting all of that out of your system now?” Jack asked from the bottom of the steps with a sly grin, because he’d been present earlier and knew precisely what they’d done for and to each other.
Her Ethan infatuation had become something of a running joke between them. Which was good, because it took the focus and subsequent ache away from Jack’s impending departure.
He wanted to stay—she’d gotten the message. But Jack needed to leave so she could prove to herself that the change was because of her, not because of him. The training wheels had to come off for her to prove she could do this herself.
She didn’t let her emotions take hold on this, because that’s not what it was about. He would leave after thePractical Parentingappearance. They’d already discussed it. The plan was solidly in place.
She liked the plan. Appreciated the plan. Had committed herself to the plan.
“I’ve been practicing my it’s-gross-but-I’m-going-to-pretend-it’s-not face.” She manipulated her expression into the one she’d practiced in the mirror.
Jack smirked. He shook his head.
She bit her lower lip. “You don’t like it?”
