“People who are in a committed relationship spend a lot of time together,” she said.
“How clear do I have to be that I’ve uncommitted myself?” I asked, irritated with the conversation.
She was quiet for a few seconds. A completely un-Abigail behavior. “You can’t do that.”
“Excuse me?” I said.
“I said you can’t do that. I’m pregnant.”
“It’s not possible.” The chance of me impregnating her was next to nil.
“Don’t be dumb. Of course it’s possible and I am,” Abigail hissed. “So if you want to ever see your son or daughter, you had better hightail it back to New York.”
I disconnected the call. I didn’t know what games Abigail was playing, but I wasn’t going to play along. I had barely slipped the phone into my pocket when it rang again. I smiled when Charlotte’s number flashed on the screen.
“Hey,” I answered with a smile, my sour mood forgotten.
“Hi.” The background was noisy and I imagined her in the kitchen looking cute with her hair tucked into a chef’s top hat.
“I’m going to be late coming home,” she said, sounding rushed. “We’ve just gotten a booking for a large group for dinner. I’m sorry Alex.”
“What are you apologizing for?” I asked her. “Kayden and I are cool. When he wakes up and eats his snack, we’ll go out for a game of soccer. Then dinner and a bath. We’re good. So quit worrying.”
She sighed. “I owe you big time. Have to go. Give Kayden a big, noisy kiss from me.”
“I will,” I said and disconnected the call.
For the next hour or so, I used my cell phone as a hotspot and responded to the messages that my secretary had marked for my attention. My father may have been right when he said I was suffering from burn out.
I couldn’t bring myself to care about the legal world that I’d left behind. What I cared about at that moment was how Kayden and I would occupy ourselves in the afternoon.
My life now revolved around Kayden and Charlotte and the small town they called home. I knew that when Mrs. Horace came back and resumed her duties as Kayden’s nanny, I would need to figure out my life.
I loved the predictability of my days with Kayden. He woke up from his nap energized and ready for more play. After a snack, we took a walk around Mrs. Horace’s extensive property. Her place was wooded, secluded and surrounded by acres and acres of land. It was gorgeous.
The walk exhausted Kayden and after a bath, we settled down on the couch to read story books. I acted them out for him and got rewarded with giggles and shrieks.
An hour later Kayden was fed and ready for bed. I held him in my lap as he drank his milk. Before the milk was done, he had grown heavier in my arms. It felt good to hold him and I delayed taking him to bed as long as possible. When I finally took him, it was eight and Charlotte was not back home yet.
I stretched out on the couch to wait and watched TV. I was as exhausted as Kayden had been and my eyelids struggled to stay open. Just for a minute, I said to myself and gave in to the pull of sleep.
Charlotte
“Thanks for the ride,” I said to Hannah as she brought her car to a stop in front of my house.
“You’re welcome and sorry for keeping you so late. I hope your sitter isn’t mad,” she said, her voice filled with concern.
“It’s fine. See you on Monday.” I got out and stood waving until she left.
It was about nine and I knew Kayden was already asleep. It was the first time that he had ever fallen asleep without me there to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight.
The anxiety I expected to feel was not there and Alex was the reason. He was great with kids and he and Kayden had taken to each other, as if they instinctively knew how connected they really were.
I opened the door slowly to keep the noise down in case Kayden was not completely asleep. Deep snoring filled the air and I stifled a giggle at the sight of Alex deep asleep on the couch.
I tiptoed past him to Kayden’s bedroom. Unlike his dad, he was sleeping quietly for once. After dropping my handbag in my bedroom, I padded back to the living room but paused to peer into the kitchen. It was spotlessly clean as was the rest of the house.
Alex’s mouth was slightly parted and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. I sunk to the floor and stared at him. His face was so close that his warm breath fanned my face. My chest swelled with love and other emotions that I could not define.