kneeling next to her body, as she quivers. “Ave, baby, what’s wrong?”
She doesn’t lift her head, but her answer is clear as day. “Whitney. I’m going to lose Whitney.”
I want to ask her what she’s talking about, what she means, but all I do is hold her until her cries turn hysterical. Her wails become labored, where she’s gasping for air. I hold her, circling her back with my hands, until her breathing levels out, and I lay her down on Ro’s side of the bed. She’s asleep, though I won’t leave her for long. But poor Ro is downstairs, unable to pull himself away from the party. Who knows what’s going through his mind.
I take the back staircase as before so as to not bring attention to myself or that I’ve been away from the party for an hour or even more. Stepping into the kitchen, Ro stands, popping more finger foods on a platter. He snaps his head up with my last step onto our wooden floors.
“There you are. I’ve been trying to get away for a while, but I’ve not been able to manage,” he explains, abandoning the food as he takes less than three long steps. He pulls my fingers into his. “Is it that bad?”
I turn my head to avoid unwanted ears. “Yeah, it’s not pretty. I think Whitney’s dad has proof that there’s something between us.” The immediate guilt floods me. “I’ve pushed her. You told me she’d come to us, and I wouldn’t wait. Now, I’m the reason she’ll lose her sister.”
His fingers connect with my cheek, and I abandoned the box of my costume an hour ago, as I tried to comfort Ave.
“She’s an adult and didn’t want to wait, either. So, it’s not on you. It’s an asshole, being an asshole.”
I’m the one to comfort him when he’s off the rails, but he’s the one doing it for me today. He pulls me close. “I have everything covered down here. This is the last tray I’m putting out. The cars are intermittent now, so I’ll be up as soon as the last guest leaves.”
My mind is still on Avery, and the utter mess she’ll be if the judge believes Whitney’s father is the best choice for custody. Ro tugs me back one last time. “Knox Glacier, you’re the best man I know.” He lands a peck on the bridge of my nose. “I love you, don’t ever forget it.”
It’s with the comfort of Ro’s love that I can climb the stairs and reassure our girl—though the guilt still eats away at me.
I have her tucked into my side, her sweet aroma filling our room. And like our hearts, she touches every part of our life. Little by little, we have more reminders of Ave in our house. Her bra from last weekend is hanging on our bathroom towel rack. Every time I step in and out, I’m reminded of the night we spent together. Her bath soap sits in our shower, and her body lotion rests on our sink.
The more she’s here, the more I know this is real, and I can almost touch our forever. I’m lost in thoughts of her growing our babies in her belly, putting her feminine touches in whatever house we choose, and forever being between the two of us.
The door opens slowly, the light from the hallway burning my eyes with the invasion of brightness. Ro closes the door quietly, shifting to my side of the bed. He sits on the edge, the mattress dipping at his presence.
His back is to me, and he turns his face to mine, and with the moon lending us natural light, I’m able to make out his profile.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Ro’s low velvety voice awakens every part of my body.
I don’t speak but pull him close to me, and to my surprise, he’s undressed. Not sure when this happened, but I don’t complain. We don’t have a lot of room, but he snuggles into the other side of me and the idea of both Ave and Ro on each side is my fantasy.
“How’s Ave?” he asks, and both of us face each other.
“She’s been restless but still asleep,” I whisper, and I run my hands down his torso. “I don’t know what she needs, to be honest. Does she want this, the three of us together, or should we just hold her all night?”
He takes in a long, crisp intake of air when my fingers dance over the