“Unbelievable.” She laughed, firing off a response before smiling proudly at me.
“What did you say to him?”
She handed me the phone and Leo’s response popped in while I read.
Liv:Yes, I napped a lot. I was growing an entire human and so is your wife. You want some free pregnancy advice,hockey boy? Love your wife about fifteen percent less than you are right now or you’re going to earn yourself a lot of sleepless nights on the couch.
Leo:She would never make me sleep on the couch. But she just saw your response and told me I have to leave you alone now. Thanks for answering.
I laughed and handed the phone back to Liv. “Yeah, sorry. I should have given him a fake number.”
“Yes, you should have,” she said with a shake of her head as we walked into the cool evening air. “So, tomorrow morning. Do you want to just meet at your moms’ when I drop off Kaylee?”
“Sure,” I said.
“And what exactly did you tell them about this?”
“That I’m going to the bridal shower with you since it turned into a Jack and Jill and you didn’t want to go alone.”
“Thanks,” she said, “For not making me look ridiculous by sharing my stupid lie.”
“You’re not ridiculous, Liv. I’m looking forward to spending a few hours with you outside of work. It’s been a long week.”
She took a deep breath. “It has. I’ve missed you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “I’ve missed you too. Even though I saw you for more than forty hours because of our impromptu sleepover at Kayden’s.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved my shoulder playfully. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“I texted Kayden this morning about meeting Kaylee. We agreed that he would come over to my place for dinner on Wednesday after work.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a stab of disappointment that they were doing this without me.Of course they are. They’re a family, and my role in all of this remains entirely unclear.If push came to shove, I’d step out of their way to see the three of them happy anyway.
“Are you okay with not being there?” Liv asked and I wondered if the disappointment showed on my face.
I took her hand. “Of course, Liv. I want the three of you to do what you need to do to make this work for all of you. I will be involved as little or as much as you want.”
“I want you involved, Jace. I want this to work for you too. I’m not trying to change your role in Kaylee’s life. I just think it might be easier for Kayden if he gets to meet her one-on-one. If you’re there…”
“I get it,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t want to hurt him either and seeing her with me will remind him that she and I are a lot further along in our relationship than they are.”
“Exactly,” Liv said. She wrapped her arms around my neck as we stopped at her car. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Always,” I said. “Honestly, I’m relieved you explained it. I’m terrified of being edged out of her life. And yours.”
“Never, Jace.” She squeezed me tighter. “Kaylee and I need you, and more importantly, we want you.”
“Thanks, Liv. I need you both too.” I let her go and took a step back. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Yes,” she said as she opened her car door. “Don’t forget, you’re probably going to be exposed to fortune telling or Tarot cards.”
I laughed. “I can handle it. Maybe I’ll receive good news about what my future holds.”
Olivia chuckled and climbed into the car. “I’m sure your future is very promising, Jace.”
Pretty sure my future includes me being in love with two people at the same time and hoping there’s a way to have them both forever. Seems like a long shot.
