Page 132 of The Trouble with Flings

He nods, his eyes serious, but there’s no surprise in them.

“I can’t move too fast with her,” I admit.

“I think it’s a tad late for that.” He laughs.

I smile at his joke but sober up quickly. “She’s…had it rough. She’s cautious.”

“Well, based on the little I’ve seen, she knows she’s in good hands now.”

“I hope so. Any advice?”

“Yeah, I have a bit. A child is a huge responsibility, but a wife? She’s an even bigger one, because whether you realize it or not, women give up pieces of themselves in different ways than men do when they have children.”

“I plan on helping as much as she’ll let me.”

“I assumed you would, but I don’t mean it that way. I don’t really know how to explain this, but women can be so busy caring for the baby and, if you two are together, making sure she doesn’t let you down. And trust me, that has nothing to do with you making her feel like she could. She just might feel a little lost. Watch for it, okay? Go into this with your eyes open. And don’t make the mistakes I did and let responsibilities keep you from following your heart.”

“You mean because you gave up your dream of being an artist when you found out Mom was pregnant with Grant? Because I’m living my dream, Dad. You know that.”

“I do, but be careful, son. Don’t let work overshadow the rest of your life so much that you’re so busy juggling work and family, you start hearing only what Jennifer is saying and missing what she’s not.”

As I try to sort that out, the others migrate back to us, and I’m left wondering what my father missed with my mother. But I don’t need him to tell me in order to take his advice to heart, and I vow right then and there never to make that mistake with Jennifer.

I make my way over to her and slide my arm around her waist.

She turns into me, her hand finding my chest, and I press my lips to her forehead, the noise of the celebration fading into the background. I look down at her shining eyes, her smile soft, and say, “Doing okay, beautiful?”

“Ask me again in an hour,” she says. “Right now I’m hovering between overwhelmed and really, really happy.”

“I’ve got you, wild girl.” I tighten my arm around her. “I’ve always got you.”

“I know,” she says just above a whisper.

“Good, because I always will, and I can’t wait to do this with you.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Jennifer

By the time I leave my meeting with Erin on Tuesday, I’m already ten minutes late to meet Keira, Bellamy, Jules, and Daphne at the Bistro to discuss the gender reveal party. Apparently once you combine a worried mother and my inability to stop trying to help rebellious kids find their way, time ceases to exist.

Sun glints off the hood of Fitz’s Porsche as I drive toward the restaurant. He insisted I take his car today, since he had to go into the office for a few hours for a meeting anyway. I’m picking him up after I have lunch with the girls. I thought it would feel weird driving his car, but he makes everything feel right. When we got to the Silver House this morning, he asked me to come inside to meet some of the people he works with. I braced myself for awkward introductions, but everyone was warm and friendly. Part of me wondered if they were nice because Fitz is a Silver, but then they joked with him about how he’s had hearts in his eyes lately and how they thought the pictures of us on his desk were fake and I didn’t really exist.

It was nice seeing him interacting with his colleagues. He’s as genuine with them as he is with everyone else. Clearly the golden boy doesn’t abuse his crown.

My phone rings, and Mia’s name flashes on the screen. I glance at the GPS as I answer, surprised at how close I am to the restaurant. Everything is close here. Even driving across the island to Seaport didn’t take long. If the city were like this, I’d have so much more time in my days.

“Hey, sis.”

“Hi,” Mia says. “How are you?”

“Good. Really good, actually. I just met with Holden’s mom, and I’m on my way to meet Fitz’s sisters and some of the girls for lunch.”

“Look at you, getting involved and having a social life. How’d it go with his mom? Did you find out why he vandalized the bathroom stall?”

“It went well, and I have a pretty good idea about why he did it, but I’ll know more after I meet Holden. She’s going to try to set something up before I leave Friday. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Okay, and how are you holding up now that everyone knows about the baby? Is it overwhelming?”