Cally leans forward. “What if we could help? I mean, we all see you almost every day, right? What do we remember about those days before the accident?”
Liz huffs. “She was hardly talking to me. I’m sure I don’t know anything of any use.”
Maggie chews on her bottom lip, thoughtful. “What was going on that week? I need a frame of reference for my memory.”
Cally taps on her phone and studies the screen.
Liz looks over her shoulder. “That would have been the week of Abby’s birthday,” she says, referring to our youngest sister. She straightens a little. “We had a party at Mom’s.”
Maggie nods and her face brightens. “You were there, Hanna. And something happened, because you were upset.”
“I remember that,” Liz says. “She took Abby aside after we sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ and when you two returned to the party, you both looked happier. Like you’d settled something.”
Next to Monday, Liz writes Abby’s party.
“What else do we remember?” Maggie says.
The girls look to each other, and after several beats of silence, I sigh. “It’s okay. I’ll figure it out.”
Cally yawns. “I’m so flipping tired. You guys mind if we call it a night?”
Liz raises a brow. “It’s seven thirty.”
Cally shrugs. “I’m pregnant.”
“So,” Maggie says, crossing her arms, “am I the only one who wants to know how that happened?”
“Yeah,” Liz says. “I thought Will couldn’t have kids. Weren’t you guys looking into adopting?”
Nix frowns. “Does someone want to fill me in?”
Cally’s cheeks turn pink. “William had a football injury in high school that made it highly unlikely he’d ever be able to father children.”
Nix inclines her chin. “Yes, but medically speaking, highly unlikely is not the same as impossible.”
Liz smirks. “Especially if you’re f**king like monkeys.”
Cally puts her hand on her stomach and smiles. “As it turns out.”
When the girls leave, I stare at the notes Liz left behind. My eyes skim over Abby’s party and land on all the blank spots. Something filled my time and my head during those days, and something led me to put on Max’s ring when I knew that would mean saying goodbye to Nate. Something. But what?
I’m climbing into bed when my phone vibrates on my bedside table.
Nate: Meet me at the park for lunch tomorrow. I promise I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to.
9
THE LEAVES crunch under my feet as I pace in front of the swings, waiting for Hanna to meet me.
I texted her the invitation last night, but she didn’t reply until this morning, and when she did, all it said was 1:30.
My watch says it’s twenty-five after, and my empty stomach is yelling at me about the breakfast I was too nervous to eat. Whether Hanna can understand it or not, today is a big day for me.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
I spin around at the sound of her voice, and for a moment, I can only stare at her. She’s in jeans and a pink T-shirt that says Coffee, Cakes, & Confections, and she looks so damn beautiful with the autumn sun shining on her skin that I want to break my second promise this week. I want to kiss her.
My gaze drops to her left hand and her bare ring finger.
“Who told you?” she asks.
“Asher.”
He found me out back late last night, after I’d put Collin to bed. He told me that they broke up and warned me to be careful. When I promised I wouldn’t hurt her, Asher grunted and said, “Maybe it’s not her I’m worried about.”
Hanna sighs. “This doesn’t change things between us. The babies are my priority right now. I don’t need any additional confusion in my life.”
And that’s pretty much what Maggie told me this morning. I don’t know much about fighting for women—it’s never been something I’ve wanted to do. But with Hanna, I know that fighting for her is going to mean equal parts patience and persistence. I’ll give her the space she needs.
“I know,” I say. “That’s not why I asked you here.”
“It isn’t?”
“Collin,” I call to my son. “Come meet my friend.”
Collin hops off his swing and runs over to us, his dark mop of hair falling in his face.
“Hi.” Hanna looks stunned. “You look so much like your daddy.”
“Hi!” Collin replies. “I’m Collin, and you’re very pretty.”
“I’m Hanna,” she says, dropping to her knees. “You’re charming like him too.”
Collin grins. He loves it when people tell him he’s like me in any way, so Hanna’s just outdone herself without knowing it.
“When I get big, I’m going to get a Hulk tattoo just like his, but he said I have to wait because it hurts a lot.”
Hanna nods. “That’s a good plan. Do you like the Hulk like your dad?”
“Of course,” he says. “Don’t you?”
Hanna smiles and stands. “I guess I don’t really know enough about the Hulk to feel one way or another about him.”
“We’ll teach you.” Collin looks up at me. “Won’t we, Daddy?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod. “If she wants us to.”
“She wants us to,” Collin says. “Don’t you?”
Liz huffs. “She was hardly talking to me. I’m sure I don’t know anything of any use.”
Maggie chews on her bottom lip, thoughtful. “What was going on that week? I need a frame of reference for my memory.”
Cally taps on her phone and studies the screen.
Liz looks over her shoulder. “That would have been the week of Abby’s birthday,” she says, referring to our youngest sister. She straightens a little. “We had a party at Mom’s.”
Maggie nods and her face brightens. “You were there, Hanna. And something happened, because you were upset.”
“I remember that,” Liz says. “She took Abby aside after we sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ and when you two returned to the party, you both looked happier. Like you’d settled something.”
Next to Monday, Liz writes Abby’s party.
“What else do we remember?” Maggie says.
The girls look to each other, and after several beats of silence, I sigh. “It’s okay. I’ll figure it out.”
Cally yawns. “I’m so flipping tired. You guys mind if we call it a night?”
Liz raises a brow. “It’s seven thirty.”
Cally shrugs. “I’m pregnant.”
“So,” Maggie says, crossing her arms, “am I the only one who wants to know how that happened?”
“Yeah,” Liz says. “I thought Will couldn’t have kids. Weren’t you guys looking into adopting?”
Nix frowns. “Does someone want to fill me in?”
Cally’s cheeks turn pink. “William had a football injury in high school that made it highly unlikely he’d ever be able to father children.”
Nix inclines her chin. “Yes, but medically speaking, highly unlikely is not the same as impossible.”
Liz smirks. “Especially if you’re f**king like monkeys.”
Cally puts her hand on her stomach and smiles. “As it turns out.”
When the girls leave, I stare at the notes Liz left behind. My eyes skim over Abby’s party and land on all the blank spots. Something filled my time and my head during those days, and something led me to put on Max’s ring when I knew that would mean saying goodbye to Nate. Something. But what?
I’m climbing into bed when my phone vibrates on my bedside table.
Nate: Meet me at the park for lunch tomorrow. I promise I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to.
9
THE LEAVES crunch under my feet as I pace in front of the swings, waiting for Hanna to meet me.
I texted her the invitation last night, but she didn’t reply until this morning, and when she did, all it said was 1:30.
My watch says it’s twenty-five after, and my empty stomach is yelling at me about the breakfast I was too nervous to eat. Whether Hanna can understand it or not, today is a big day for me.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
I spin around at the sound of her voice, and for a moment, I can only stare at her. She’s in jeans and a pink T-shirt that says Coffee, Cakes, & Confections, and she looks so damn beautiful with the autumn sun shining on her skin that I want to break my second promise this week. I want to kiss her.
My gaze drops to her left hand and her bare ring finger.
“Who told you?” she asks.
“Asher.”
He found me out back late last night, after I’d put Collin to bed. He told me that they broke up and warned me to be careful. When I promised I wouldn’t hurt her, Asher grunted and said, “Maybe it’s not her I’m worried about.”
Hanna sighs. “This doesn’t change things between us. The babies are my priority right now. I don’t need any additional confusion in my life.”
And that’s pretty much what Maggie told me this morning. I don’t know much about fighting for women—it’s never been something I’ve wanted to do. But with Hanna, I know that fighting for her is going to mean equal parts patience and persistence. I’ll give her the space she needs.
“I know,” I say. “That’s not why I asked you here.”
“It isn’t?”
“Collin,” I call to my son. “Come meet my friend.”
Collin hops off his swing and runs over to us, his dark mop of hair falling in his face.
“Hi.” Hanna looks stunned. “You look so much like your daddy.”
“Hi!” Collin replies. “I’m Collin, and you’re very pretty.”
“I’m Hanna,” she says, dropping to her knees. “You’re charming like him too.”
Collin grins. He loves it when people tell him he’s like me in any way, so Hanna’s just outdone herself without knowing it.
“When I get big, I’m going to get a Hulk tattoo just like his, but he said I have to wait because it hurts a lot.”
Hanna nods. “That’s a good plan. Do you like the Hulk like your dad?”
“Of course,” he says. “Don’t you?”
Hanna smiles and stands. “I guess I don’t really know enough about the Hulk to feel one way or another about him.”
“We’ll teach you.” Collin looks up at me. “Won’t we, Daddy?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod. “If she wants us to.”
“She wants us to,” Collin says. “Don’t you?”
