“Hi, Auntie Ellie,” I say, looping my arm through hers and leaning my head on her shoulder. Jack nods and makes his leave, but pauses for one final look at my perfect girl before quietly gathering his things and heading out.
“He might steal her from you if you’re not careful,” Ellie chuckles. “I think he’s more infatuated with her than you are.”
“Not a chance in the world,” I scoff, poking her ribcage with my elbow. “But he really has been above and beyond. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“You’d be just fine, mama,” she says. “But I’m glad you’re not alone. Even though you’re not doing a very convincing job of showing me he’s not replacing me.”
“How many times do I have to tell you he could never replace you?” I croon. “It’s not his fault you have a husband to care for and can’t move in here.”
“I am two seconds away from sending Jack to shack up with Griffin so we can have an all girls house.”
“That would go over like a lead balloon,” I snort. “I think Griffin would go into physical withdrawals if you were gone for more than one night.”
“Maybe it would be good for him then,” she counters. “Codependency and all that.”
“Oh hush,” I say. “He’s not codependent, he’s just disgustingly in love with you.”
“Don’t I know it,” she sighs happily. “I still can’t believe we ended up together after everything.”
“Eleanor Hart, you know damn well he would have waited for you forever.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she says sheepishly.
“I miss having that,” I say softly, sadness creeping up unexpectedly, as it tends to do. “I miss being loved that deeply.”
“I know, my love,” she says sadly. “You’re loved beyond measure, but I know it’s not the same. Maybe you’ll have that again someday.”
I shake my head in reply. There’s never been anyone for me but Aaron, and now there will never be anyone for me but Erin. And that’s okay.
“I don’t think so,” I say. “But that’s okay. I have this little bundle of love, and that’s enough for me.”
A strange look passes over her face, like she wants to argue with me, but she doesn’t speak again. Instead, she lays her head on top of mine, and before long we're just three girls napping soundly in the comfort of each other’s presence.
Chapter 37
Jack
Four Weeks
"There you go, Little One," I say softly, laying Erin on my bare chest and leaning back into the glider chair. "Doesn't that feel so much better?"
When I got out of the shower a half hour ago, I found Abby in the nursery staring at a drawer of baby clothes and on the verge of falling asleep standing up.
"She spit up on her clothes," she said groggily. "And she needs a diaper change. And probably some lotion."
"I can do that, pretty girl," I said, coaxing her out of the room. "Why don't you go lay down for a bit?"
"I need to shower," she groaned, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes. "And eat. And do laundry."
"You can't do any of that if you're too sleepy to even pick out cute baby clothes," I said, softly gripping her shoulders and stooping down to her eye-level. "You know what I can do while you sleep? Change her clothes. And her diaper. And make sure her perfect baby skin stays hydrated. And do laundry."
"Don't you dare," she argued half-heartedly, eyes drooping shut as she climbed into bed. "I can do it. I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes and then I'll do it."
"Whatever you say, pretty girl," I whispered, knowing full well that she was fast asleep before I even got my words out.
Is it outrageous to say that my life has been completely, permanently altered by this little girl? Everything I thought I wanted seems so hollow and underwhelming compared to the feeling I get when I look at Erin. It feels ridiculous to say, but it feels like all my future plans have unraveled before I even had a chance to plan them. I don't know what I thought those plans would be exactly, but whatever they were is irrelevant now. Any plan that doesn't involve this baby and her mama is inconceivable.
That's insane, Jack. You can't plan the rest of your life around a baby who isn't even yours.
