Page 34 of Serendipity

Leah also pulls Boone aside and tells him about our other visitor. He says he’ll get in touch with her and sends her a text to see if she’s okay. Her reply was that she was just having a sad afternoon and hoped to see him but she was okay now. Boone didn’t seem convinced, but said that he would let it go until tomorrow and he’d get the real story.

That all settled, we decide to order pizza while the kids tell their war stories during paintball, Corbin Rae teasing the boys how she came out victorious and the boys rolling their eyes and claiming that she had to have cheated. Not sure how you cheat in paintball, but that’s the story they’re sticking with.

“Movie?” Brock asks. “You and Corbin Rae don’t have to leave until tomorrow, right? So we can hang a little longer?”

“Neither of us have a class until noon so we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Sweet.”

Brock runs through the options, everyone settling onDeadpool.It might not be the most appropriate movie to watch with the kids, but it makes all of us laugh.

Best part is that the kids don’t flinch when Leah and I sit close to each other or when she kisses me goodnight when I leave.

The only bad part is that I didn’t get the chance to tell her I’m in love with her.

But there’s time for that. When she’s ready.

Epilogue

LEAH

Three and a halfmonths later

“Come again?”I ask Boone who’s sitting on the edge of the chair across from where Stone and I are seated together on the couch.

“Are you really gonna make me say it again, Mom?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure my hearing has failed me because it sounded like you just told us that the girl who I’ve only met one time, when she was nervous on my doorstep, is three months pregnant.”

He nods his head which is now hanging.

Stone grips my hand and gives me a reassuring squeeze.

“Okay,” I breathe. “Okay. We can handle this. Have you talked? What’s the plan?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Her parents…” He stands up, frustrated, pulling on his hair to make it stand on end. “What the heck am I going to do, Mom? This wasn’t in my plan! She… she says she doesn’t want it but what am I going to do?” His voice cracks and he starts to break down. “Give my baby up for someone else to raise? How can I do that?”

Stone stands abruptly, pulling Boone into a hug and I almost burst out in tears when my son starts crying in Stone’s arms.

I didn’t think I could love that man any more than I already did but watching him comfort my son when he’s scared and hurting makes me fall in love with him even more.

“We’ll figure it out, okay? Your mom and I aren’t going anywhere and we’ll come up with a plan.”

I fiddle with the diamond ring on my left ring finger and join Stone and Boone, not wanting to pull Boone away from Stone, but needing to give him a hug all the same.

“Stone’s right. We’re here. We’ll figure it out.”

“I can’t just give my baby up, Mom. I can’t.”

“Okay, honey. I know. I understand.”

“No, Mom, you don’t,” he says, anger lacing his tone.

I glance at Stone who looks just as surprised as I know I do.

“Explain it to us, then,” Stone says gently.

“I can’t abandon my kid. It’s not his or her fault.”

---