Page 102 of Chasing the Sun

“Can Chloe sleep in my room?”

He tipped back his head and laughed. “I don’t think so, sweetie. She’s going to keep sleeping in her bedroom for now.” But hopefully, not for long. He didn’t relish the idea of sneaking around in order to be with her. He and Chloe had decided that they could show some affection in front of Molly but they’d still be discreet about sleeping together. He didn’t want to traumatize his five-year-old if she found them in bed together.

“Any other questions?”

“Are you and Miss Chloe getting married?”

Whoa! Didn’t see that coming! “Um…well…I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about that yet.”

“If you do, can I be the flower girl?”

“Of course,” he said, tugging on her braid.

“If you get married, will I get a brother or sister?”

Where is all this coming from? “Just because people get married, it doesn’t mean they have babies, Mol.”

“But I want one.”

“Since when?” She’d never mentioned wanting a sibling before, and he wondered where she’d gotten the idea.

“Nana said it would be fun if I had a brother or sister to play with someday.”

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Nana said that, huh?”

“And Papa said if I had a brother, he would teach him how to fish since I don’t like touching worms.”

He chuckled at that. “Did Uncle Seb say something too?”

“No. He left with his girlfriend.”

“Ah. Well, Chloe and I haven’t talked about getting married or having babies, but I suppose those things could happen someday. So, you’re okay with this?” he said just to be sure.

“Mm-hmm. Can I go play now?”

She’d already hopped off the couch with Lucy still tucked in her arms.

“Yes, you may.”

After she ran off, he sat there and absorbed their conversation. He hadn’t expected Molly to give him a hard time about Chloe, but he also hadn’t expected her to be so exuberant. Maybe she’d missed having another female in the house more than he knew. Now that Chloe was staying, she might help fill the void. She’d certainly filled a void in him.

Victoria. He probably owed her a phone call. He certainly didn’t need her permission, but out of respect, he felt like he should tell her the news. Plus, she could help be on the lookout for any changes in Molly’s behavior and alert him to any problems. Even though they were no longer a couple, they were still a team when it came to parenting.

With Molly upstairs, he went into his office, shut the door, and called Victoria.

She answered on the second ring. “Bryce? Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Everything’s fine.”

She let out a loud breath. “Sorry, but ever since Molly’s accident…”

“I understand, but Molly’s fine.” Better than fine, actually.

“Did you call to talk about next weekend?”

“No. I called about something else.” He shifted in the chair, suddenly feeling uneasy. Up until now, he hadn’t shared anything about his love life with Victoria because there hadn’t been much to tell. This was big, though, and it impacted all of them.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice softening.