Was this one of those times she should act like an adult or not? Felicity would probably pop off some after-school-special message that would instantly and forever change Diana’s outlook on life into some happy rainbow-and-cupcakes-kitten thing. But Charity didn’t know how to do that. She didn’t know how to be a mom. The kid in her belly was getting a raw deal. She needed to start taking notes on Felicity’s parenting style.
“Is my dad still in there with Felicity?” Diana asked, nodding at the kitchen door. “What are your thoughts on that?”
Charity perked up then. This kid was smart.
“On what?” Honor asked, covering her eyes as Nick did some horrible exploding, stabbing thing to a group of virtual zombies and the screen went red. “Gross.”
“My dad. Your mom.” Diana waited.
Nick clicked a button on his controller, pausing the slaughter. “What about your dad and my mom?”
“I don’t know. I think, maybe, they should get together.” She shrugged. “You know, my dad’s as cool as a dad can be. And your mom is awesome.”
Nick stared at Diana like she’d sprouted another head. “Like dating?”
Honor giggled. “Nick, Mom has been alone for a long time,”
“I know that.” He leaned back against the couch. “Dad really screwed her over. I figured she’d stay single. Wouldn’t blame her if she did.”
“She’s way too young and pretty, Nick,” Diana argued. “Better she and my dad get together than some other loser.”
Charity’s heart broke a little bit for her nephew when she saw the look on his face. “Would that bother you?” she asked.
Nick glanced at the kitchen door.
“I like the idea,” Honor spoke up. “If Mom’s happy, I’m happy. Right, Nickie?” She nudged her brother.
Charity ruffled her nephew’s hair, feeling the need to soothe Nick’s ruffled feathers. “I’m pretty sure neither of them is thinking about dating—each other or anyone else.”
Diana sighed. “Which is sad. I mean, life is too fricking short to be alone and miserable all the time.”
Charity smiled at Diana. “That’s where you’re wrong. Neither one of them is alone. Your dad has you, and my sister has these two. And I’m pretty sure you guys make them very happy.”
Diana’s gaze fell from hers, her black-tipped fingers picking at the crocheted trim on the throw pillow in her lap. “Yeah. No. Not in my house. My dad hasn’t been happy since my mom died.” She shoved the pillow aside. “We ready?” she asked Nick.
Charity felt horrible. This was what happened when she tried to be all wise and maternal. She stuck her foot in it. Big time.
“Yeah.” Nick nudged a controller in her direction. “You can spawn in, be on my team.”
“Cool,” Diana said, smiling at him. “Let’s kick some zombie ass. Come on, Honor.”
“Fine.” She took another controller from Diana. “But this isn’t going to be pretty.”
“It’s a zombie-hunting game. It’s not supposed to be.” Nick sighed a long-suffering sigh that had Charity giggling.
But thirty minutes later, she’d reached her threshold for kill-shots and sniping and zombies running at the screen.
Everyone was occupied. Now was the time to do what she’d wanted to do since she found the nanny cam in Matt’s apartment. She didn’t know what she was looking for or why it mattered, but it did. Maybe she needed proof that Amber’s social media posts were a cover-up. Maybe she wanted to know Matt missed his real family—even a little. She carried her bag of sour-cream-and-onion chips into Felicity’s home office and stuck the nanny cam video card into the slot on Felicity’s computer.
Most of it was Jack napping.
Upside, she now knew Jack really loved his blue blanket with clouds and lambs all over it—Nick’s blanket. He held it in one hand and sucked on the thumb of his other hand. It was adorable. Poor little guy. It wasn’t his fault he was a home-wrecker.
She pressed fast forward. Other than napping, there were a few bits and pieces of diaper changes. Matt rocked his son, but she didn’t want to watch that. She remembered all too well the kind of father Matt had been to Honor and Nick—before he became a walking cliché.
She stopped the recording a few times, but nothing exciting happened. Until it did. Amber walked into the nursery. She was wearing to-die-for heels and a glamorous and perfectly tailored suit. She walked toward the crib and peered inside. Jack was screaming.
“He’s coming,” Amber said. “Daddy’s coming.” She reached in and patted the baby awkwardly. “Matt? What’s the holdup?”