Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“You admire me?”
“You have a dream, and you’re going for it. Fearless.”
“Oh, I’m scared shitless.” She waved a hose at me. “You have no idea. But nothing good ever came of sitting out life on the sidelines.”
She was scared and doing it anyway. My head spun, a wave of dizziness washing over me. I steadied myself on the bed right as Diesel burst into the room.
“Marissa! Maren’s water just broke.”
And just like that, my world shifted yet again. Ready or not, this baby was coming.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Magnus
I awoke to a text message from Eric.
Maren’s water broke. Labor is kicking up. Any chance you’re able to come help me distract the others?
I released a long sigh to the empty loft before replying.
I’m an excellent distraction. On my way.
Unsure what exactly one wore to become a grandparent for the first time, I quickly pulled on jeans, boots, and a thick sweatshirt in deference to the cold snap and snow on the ground. The dogs followed me over, frolicking in the snow. Eric greeted me at the back door as I toweled off the dogs and removed my boots.
“You made it.” Eric’s eyes were bright with gratitude and worry. I wanted to hug him in the worst way, tell him I was there for him as much or more than anyone else. “I helped Marissa set up the birthing tub in my bedroom. The other kids will be up soon. I need to think about breakfast—”
“Eric!” Diesel charged out of the primary bedroom. “Maren’s asking for you.”
“Go.” I waved Eric on. “I’ll handle breakfast and the other kids.”
“You okay?” I asked Diesel when he didn’t immediately follow Eric out of the kitchen. “Remember to breathe.”
“That’s Maren’s job.” Diesel frowned. Exhaustion creased his young face, and he wore the same T-shirt as the day before.
“No, it’s yours too.” I pulled him in for a fast hug. “You can’t support her if you’re not also taking care of you.”
As I said the words, I wondered yet again about the balance of supporting Eric while also protecting my heart. At the moment, the best way to do both was to hug Diesel again before sending him back to Maren and then start breakfast. Luckily, the fridge yielded bacon and eggs while the pantry had a box of pancake mix. As I slid a pan of bacon into the oven and readied the pancake batter, all three teens trooped into the kitchen.
“I don’t care if it’s not a snow day.” Wren glared, daring me to object. “I’m not going to school.”
“Me either.” John shook his head. “No way will I be able to concentrate.”
“I don’t have school anymore.” Rowan trailed behind them, clicking around on his phone. “And you’re in luck. Snow day. And hopefully, baby’s birthday.”
“All right. Here’s the plan.” I gestured at the three of them. “I’m going to make breakfast, and we’re going to stay out of the way. All of us.”
John and Rowan had pointed looks for Wren, who held up their hands.
“I need data for the chart I made to predict how labor is going.”
“Listen, I don’t know much about babies. Or medicine, for that matter.” I glanced toward the rear of the house as I continued on with my task of making bacon and pancakes. Eric was occupied, so Wren was stuck with me and my limited grasp of science. “That’s your dad and Marissa. But I do know there are some things in life you can’t predict.”
Like catching feelings for a single dad of four, but that was a revelation I wasn’t about to share.
“Or control.” John narrowed his eyes. “There’s so much we can’t control.”
“And that’s not always a bad thing,” I mused. Yesterday, I wanted to control Eric and the situation. Today, however, I had a mellower point of view. I couldn’t control Eric or his preferences about dating publicly, but I could control whether I let that be the end of us. “The baby will arrive on its own timetable, regardless of what the data or the moon or anything else says.”
“I just want Maren to be okay.” Wren’s voice was small and soft, and I was suddenly desperate for Eric to return. He’d know what to say. I surveyed the three teens, all of whom had lost so much, and none of whom would believe any nicely worded cliché either.
“I know. Me too.” I met Wren’s worried gaze before removing the finished bacon from the oven. “I’d like to tell you everything will be okay, but we don’t know that yet either.”
“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it.” Rowan clapped Wren on the shoulder. “Together. Like always.”
“Together,” John echoed, and the word rang in my brain as well. Together. That was the missing ingredient—I needed Eric to work together with me to come up with a plan for the future rather than me dictating or giving an ultimatum.