Chance Encounter - Jerry Cole Page 0,37

still in a play.

Chapter Fifteen

Gray

It felt like time started to fly by. Hayden and I both worked a lot, and the girls were busy being mothers. They each had a few months off work to adjust and bond with Ava, and they were all loving it. Ava loved her moms. It seemed easier that she wouldn’t remember her past life in some ways.

I came out to the living room one morning to see Hayden reading something on his phone. He looked shocked as I paused, taking him in.

“Are you okay?” I asked as he blinked at me.

“I came across an article about the accident in the paper. We never looked into it further once Ava got here.” I nodded, wondering where this was going. “The social worker mentioned that a guy hit them and died.” I tilted my head at him. “The guy was Ryan. He was Ava’s father and ran a red light.”

“Fuck. He killed her?” I asked as his eyes filled with tears. “He was with you when she got pregnant, right?”

“It would seem so. Not that I’m surprised. He is-was an asshole. He was never there for Ava, to begin with.” I could tell that Hayden was working through this as he spoke. The tears weren’t personal as much as they were for Ava and the mom that would never know her.

“That was a strange circle to bring us here. Are you okay?” I asked, stepping forward to stroke his cheek.

“I don’t know. He won’t hurt us again. He can’t get to Ava. That’s all good. I just can’t imagine the two of them in that car, seeing their fate.”

I kissed him. “They likely didn’t know what was happening. Those things happen quickly.” He hugged me to him.

“I hope so. He was drunk on top of everything else.”

“Asshole,” I murmured as we held each other. “Let’s not mention this to the girls. They don’t need to know how much Ryan was involved with things. When it comes time to talk to Ava about her real parents, they can make up something vague.”

“I hate keeping secrets from Becca, but I agree with this. They need to move forward.” He stroked my hair, and we fell silent for a moment. “He can’t hurt us again.”

Once we finished coffee, Hayden asked if I wanted to go for a hike. He had the day off. I made a habit of doing my stuff when he was at work, so we’d have time together. “We can grab some food before or after.”

“That sounds perfect.” We showered and dressed for the outdoors, walking into the foyer to see three girls coming downstairs. Becca had the stroller, Mari was carrying the baby, and all three beamed at us.

“Where are you boys headed?” Becca asked as I reached out for Ava. This baby was special to me, giggling as I tickled her.

“We’re taking the three of you to breakfast to start if you’ll have us. After that, we’re taking Ava hiking for the first time.” Hayden grinned as they laughed.

“I’m all for breakfast. The hike would probably suck since she can’t even walk yet.” Mari laughed as she watched me with her daughter.

“Fine. I can push Ava in the stroller. We’ll get one of those rugged ones. How about it, Ava?” I asked as she laughed harder.

“She’ll have so much fun when that time comes.” Becca mused as Hayden made the way to the door to open it. I leaned into Gram’s house to see if she needed anything while we were out, and her only request was to see the baby.

“I remember when she used to love us,” I mused as everyone laughed. We headed to the diner since it was loud and busy, knowing that Ava would settle in more. Once we were armed with coffee and a highchair, we caught up on their week.

Ava was doing great and growing fast at eight and a half months old. She had a healthy appetite and ate nearly anything they tried. She was getting around more and more, using the edge of anything to try to pull herself up. We spent time with her a few times a week, but I still thought she looked bigger every time we saw her.

Becca started work back in two weeks, while Mari started in three. They were going to arrange their schedules so someone could be home with Ava. The girls were also going to take a date night each week and keep their relationship strong.

“That’s a good