by Nikki Ash
I stand with Hazel in my arms, offering Cadence my hand. We say a quick goodbye before heading across the hall to pack.
“For such a tiny thing, she sure needs a lot,” I say as I carry in the final bag.
“Well, she needed the Pack ’n Play to have a safe place to sleep. Bottles, diapers, formula, clothes, blankets, toys.” Cadence stops and begins to laugh. “She does have a lot. I’ve never gone anywhere except to Thea’s or to visit Shelby for a few hours or to the doctor’s office. This is a first for me.”
“Well, we’re going to need to find a bigger place. She’s already overrunning your apartment, and when we have more, it’s going to get worse. Besides, there are only two bedrooms.”
“We? A bigger house?” she asks.
“Yeah, we’re doing this, right? You, me, and Hazel?” I study her hard and see the tears well in her eyes.
Slowly, she nods. “Y-Yes. We’re doing this.”
“Good. Now, let me figure out how to set this thing up in my room, and we’ll get her fed and changed and back into bed.”
“Let’s just set up the Pack ’n Play and try to lay her down. She might sleep a little longer.”
“Okay. Well, here goes nothing.”
“You watch her, and I’ll put it up.”
“I need to learn how to do it,” I tell her.
“It’s easy. It just pops open. Show me where to set it up.”
Picking up Hazel’s car seat which she’s snoozing in, I lead Cadence to my bedroom. “In the corner, maybe?”
“That should be fine.” Cadence wastes no time getting to work setting up the Pack ’n Play, and I watch, making sure I see how she does it. I don’t want to be the dad who never does a damn thing for his kid. We made her together. We’re going to take care of her together. That’s how my parents raised Thea and me, and that’s how I plan for us to raise Hazel.
Together.
“You want to try, or do you want me to?” Cadence points to our sleeping daughter.
“I’ll do it.” I set the seat on the bed and slowly unclasp the straps. Well, I try to. “What is this, some kind of torture device?” I ask Cadence, making her laugh.
“Let me show you.” She moves in close, and I step back, letting her do her thing. My hands rest on her hips. She’s standing in front of me, with me looking over her shoulder, watching her as she expertly unclasps the straps and lifts our sleeping daughter. Hazel’s little body stretches, but she doesn’t wake up, not even when Cadence lays her back down. “She’ll sleep for a few more hours.”
“Okay. Well, let’s make sure we have everything we might need unpacked for when she does, and we can lie down and try to get some sleep too.”
“Everything we should need is going to be in the diaper bag. I made sure it was well packed before we left.”
“Perfect. T-shirts are in the top drawer. I’m going to go lock up. Need anything?”
“No.” She shakes her head.
“I’ll be right back.” With a quick kiss to her lips, I leave my room to lock up the house. I find myself checking all the doors twice, and even the windows. I have two ladies to protect, and I take that shit seriously. Satisfied that the house is secure, I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and, in the dark, make my way to my room.
“Is this okay?” she asks, looking down at the old concert T-shirt of mine that’s covering what I know is the sexiest body I’ll ever lay eyes on.
“You’re perfect.” I place one of the bottles of water on the nightstand next to where she’s standing and walk around the bed, peeking in on Hazel before stripping down to my underwear. I take a drink of water and turn to Cadence. “Do we need to keep the lamp on for her?”
“No, she’ll be fine in the dark.”
“What about you?”
“You’re here to protect me, right?” she teases.
“Always.” I switch off the lamp and crawl under the covers. The bed dips when she does the same, and I waste no time moving over and pulling her into my arms. “Night, baby.”
“Night, Trevin.”
I’m exhausted from the drive and the two previous sleepless nights. With both of my girls here with me, though, it takes no amount of time for sleep to claim me.
Chapter Nine
Cadence
We’ve been at Trevin’s place in Lexington for four days, and the time has been nothing short of amazing. He’s had to go into the office each day while Hazel and I hang out at the house. He brought boxes home the first day and asked me if I minded helping him pack. That’s when it hits me that this is really happening. He’s moving back to Indianapolis. He’s going to be a constant in our lives.
“Honey, I’m home,” Trevin calls out. I don’t bother to hide my smile when he walks into the living room where Hazel and I are spread out on a blanket on the living room floor. “I missed you.” He settles on the other side of Hazel, leaning over her to kiss me, then dropping a kiss to her forehead. “What did my girls do today?”
“The kitchen is packed, and it wore us out, huh, Hazel?” I ask like my daughter is actually going to respond.
“Thank you for doing that. I know it’s a lot to ask of you when you’re also taking care of her.”
“It’s no problem. I did most of it while she was napping. How was work?”
“Well, we got it all figured out. I’ll be transferring to the Indy plant. I’m going to be the new assistant plant manager. It’s a small pay cut, but that’s okay. It gets me home with my family, and I love working for Riggins Enterprises. It’s the best of both worlds. Not to mention, Harold, the current plant manager, is talking about retiring next year. I had a meeting with Royce and Grant today, and they’ve assured me that the position is mine when that happens.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I know I sound like a broken record. I’ve asked him this same question every day since we’ve been here. This is all happening so fast. I just want to make sure this is truly what he wants.
“Positive. I was prepared to leave Riggins Enterprises all together. Luckily, I don’t have to. They’re a great company to work for, and they’ve been good to me. I get my girls, I get to move closer to my parents and my sister, and I get to keep working for them. I couldn’t think of a better scenario.”
There’s an ease in my shoulders, as though a weight has been lifted. “I know this is a lot for you, but I’m so grateful you’re going to be in her life.”
“It’s not just her, Cadence. It’s you too. I want a life with you. I want us to be a family.” He pauses, letting his words sink in. “I know we’ve not really talked about us, we’ve kept it all about me moving to be closer to Hazel, but, babe, it’s not just her I want to be closer to. It’s you too.”
Tears burn my eyes as they threaten to fall. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come, so instead, I give him a watery smile and nod. “O-kay.” I manage to push the words out after swallowing back the lump in my throat.
“Although I think we’re going to need a bigger place. I don’t see all of my stuff fitting in your small apartment.”
“You’re probably right,” I say with a smile.
“I’ll start looking for houses. We’ll need to research the schools and surroundings areas. It’s going to take us some time. Plus, we want it to be a convenient distance to both of our jobs.”
“You’re buying a house?” My heart stammers in my chest. Is this really happening? Every dream I’ve ever had for Hazel and me, to find him one day, is finally happening.
“No. We’re buying a house,” he corrects me. “It’s going to be our home, Cadence. All three of us.”
The words I love you burn on the tip of my tongue. It’s crazy to even think about saying that to him, but he gave me Hazel. He gave me the most incredible gift in this life and a night that I know I will never forget. He’s handing me my dreams—for me and my daughter—on a silver platter, and my heart is full. Each night after we put Hazel to bed, he makes love to me. I feel our connection in my bones, and he�
��s so tender, so gentle, it couldn’t be described as anything else.
“Since the kitchen is packed, how about we go out to eat?” he suggests.
“Order in?” I motion to my short shorts and an old T-shirt. “I’m not really dressed to go out.”
“Whatever you want.” He leans over and kisses me. His tongue slides past my lips as he deepens the kiss. I lean in too, wanting more of him, but tiny hands tugging at my hair have me pulling back and yelping in pain.
“No, no, sweet girl,” Trevin coos. “That hurts Mommy. We don’t pull hair,” he tells her. “You good?”
“I’m fine. Not the first time, and I’m sure not the last.” I tap Hazel’s nose with my index finger. “This one has an iron grip.”
“Any preference for dinner?”
“Nope. Surprise me. I’m going to take this little one and give her a bath.”
“I’m going to order, and I’ll be up to help.” He bends to give Hazel a kiss on her cheek, and then a little further pressing his lips to mine.
“All right, little lady. It’s time for your bath.” Before I can lift her off the floor, Trevin is on his feet and taking her with him.
“Did you grow today while Daddy was gone?” He lifts her into the air over his head, and she babbles like she always does when she’s the center of her daddy’s attention. He blows a raspberry on her belly, where her shirt has ridden up, and her tiny hands fist his hair, making him laugh. “All right, baby girl. We need to work on that,” he tells her with a smile. “Go to Momma so I can order us some food.” He kisses her cheek once more and places her in my arms. “I’ll be right there,” he says, kissing me too.
I stand still and watch him walk toward the kitchen. I can’t believe this is my life, that everything I ever dreamed of is coming true.
I have a family.
“We love Daddy, don’t we, Hazel?” I whisper to my daughter as I turn and head to the bathroom to give her a bath.
I’ve barely gotten her undressed when Trevin appears beside me. “I ordered Mexican. It will be here in about thirty minutes.”
“Perfect. That gives us enough time to get her bathed and into some pajamas.” I place her in the small bathtub that we had to buy because, of course, I forgot to pack it. Together we sit on the floor beside the tub that holds her baby tub and give our daughter a bath. This has become our routine. I tell him he doesn’t have to help, but he claims he doesn’t want to miss another moment of her life. I melt into a puddle every time he says things like that, which is pretty much any time he’s talking.
“Trev?”
“Yeah?” he asks, lifting Hazel from the tub and wrapping her in a towel.
“I’m glad it was you. I’m glad you were my first, and that this situation—” I motion between the three of us. “I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.”
His eyes soften. “Hazel, Mommy’s making Daddy soft.” My eyes dart to his crotch, and he is most definitely not soft. “In here.” He taps his free hand that’s not holding our daughter over his heart. “There will never be an issue with soft there.” He looks down at his crotch and back up to me. “Not where you’re concerned.” Those hazel eyes of his show me that he means what he says.
The doorbell rings, and he smirks. “That’s dinner.” He stands, our daughter wrapped up in a thick towel and heads to the door. “Oh, Cadence?”
“Y-Yeah?” I reply.
“You’re dessert.” With that, he leaves me kneeling next to the tub on the bathroom floor, aching for him. I love my daughter, but I can’t help but hope she goes to sleep with ease this evening. Her daddy promised me dessert.
Chapter Ten
Trevin
It’s been a month since I moved back home to Indy, and there has not been a single day that I’ve regretted my decision. I get to fall asleep with Cadence in my arms and wake up the same way. I get to hold my daughter, give her baths, and read her stories while her momma feeds her at night. I get to hold both of my girls in my arms, and there is nothing more in this world I could ask for.
Well, maybe one thing. A bigger house. This two-bedroom is cramped with the three of us. I have most of my things in storage. We’ve been looking at houses, but nothing has jumped out at us as being the one. Not to mention, we still have my house in Lexington on the market. As soon as we get that sold, we’ll have more flexibility with what we can purchase. I want a home. I want the big yard and plenty of space for our growing family. I want Hazel to feel settled, safe, and secure, just like Thea and I were as kids.
Not just Hazel, but Cadence too. There is a pain in my chest anytime I let myself think about how she grew up. I want her to have everything she’s missed out on, everything she’s ever dreamed of. I won’t stop until I do. That’s what you do when you love someone.
And I love her.
Not just because she’s the mother of my child, I love her spirit. I love coming home to her, and I love knowing that we’re a team. I could sit here for hours and list off items that make me love her and fall harder every day. However, I don’t need to. I know it’s her. It’s who she is as a person.
Raising my hand to knock on my sister’s door, it opens before I get the chance. “Hey,” Scott greets me. “You’re home early.”
“So are you.”
“Yeah.” He grins.
“What’s going on?”
He looks over his shoulder and pulls the door shut. “Nothing, I came home early, that’s all.”
“You do remember we’ve been best friends since kindergarten, right?”
“Fuck. You can’t tell her I told you,” he says. There’s a smile on his face, and he runs his hands through his hair. A sign he’s excited or nervous.
“Spill it.”
“We’re pregnant.” I swear I’ve only ever seen him smile like he is now when it comes to my baby sister.
“Congrats, man.” I give him a half hug.
“Thanks. We weren’t trying, but fuck, man, I’m stoked.”
“Spare me the details of how my nieces and nephews get here,” I joke.
“We need a bigger place.”
“I know that feeling. We’ve been looking,” I say as my phone rings. “Hello.”
“Mr. Hubbard, this is Alice from Lexington Realty. I wanted to let you know I sent an offer to your email. Full asking,” she says excitedly.
“Perfect. I’m picking up my daughter now. I’ll log in as soon as I can and sign it.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Alice.”
“Good news?”
“Yeah. I sold my place in Lexington. Full asking.”
“Congrats, man.”
“Thanks. I’m going to get Hazel, and you and my sister can celebrate. You want me to take Clint to our place?”
“Nah. I want him close.”
I nod because I know how he feels. No matter how much time I spend with my girls, it’s never enough. “If you change your mind, let me know.”
“Thanks, man.” He opens the door, and I follow him inside their apartment.
“Hey, you’re early,” Thea says from her spot on the couch. She has Hazel in her arms and Clint sitting next to her. Both kids are sound asleep.
“Looks like Aunt Thea has the magic touch.”
Her eyes flash to Scott. “Something like that.”
My sister is glowing, much like my best friend. “I’ll take her.” I gently lift Hazel from her lap and cuddle her in my arms, pulling in her baby scent. If you would have told me a year ago I’d be sniffing babies and finding comfort in that, I would have told you that you’ve lost your damn mind. Now? Now, it’s what I crave.
“Everything okay? You’re never home this early.”
“Yeah, it’s all good. Cadence works late tonight. I decided to come home and get this little one bathed and in her jammies and have dinner ready when she gets home. That way, we can have our family time before Hazel has to go to sleep.”
“Aww,” Thea says, her
eyes welling with tears. “I love the way you love them.”
“Nothing in life is worth doing halfway.” I wink at Thea, give Scott a nod, and gather Hazel’s things. “Thanks, sis.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey, we’re looking to move. We want you to keep watching her if you’re interested.”
“Definitely.”
“We’re looking too,” Scott adds.
I nod. “Well, maybe we should discuss locations. We can maybe buy in the same area for convenience.”
“Good schools are a must,” Thea says.
“We agree with that. Nothing has to be decided now. I just wanted you to know we’re looking but want you to continue to watch her. The thought of a stranger keeping her doesn’t sit well with me.”
“We feel the same way.”
“Thanks. We’ll see you in the morning.” I wave to them and head across the hall to our apartment. Since Hazel is still sleeping soundly, I pick up the living room, unload the dishwasher, and start a load of laundry. Thankfully this apartment complex offers a small closet in each unit for a laundry room. I’m just finishing tossing the first load into the dryer and starting a second when Hazel wakes up. We go through the routine of giving her a bottle and reading a couple of books. She’s so still in my arms as I read to her.
“It’s time to start on dinner,” I tell her. “We’re going to set you up in your swing while Daddy gets lasagna in the oven.” I chatter to Hazel the entire time I’m cooking, and she babbles right back. I love every second of my time with her.
“Now that that’s done, it’s time for you, Miss Stinky Butt, to get a bath.” I pick her up and fly her through the house like an airplane, and she laughs. Her little baby giggles are the best sound on this earth. Bath time is fun. The older she gets, the more splashing and playing she does.
I’m zipping up her pajamas when I hear Cadence’s keys in the front door. “Mommy’s home,” I tell Hazel, lifting her from the changing table into my arms.
“What’s going on?” Cadence asks.