Page 36 of You Are Cordially Invited

Oh god, way to make me feel guilty. The whole avoiding my mother issue had blown over with a phone call and some unsightly grovelling on my part, although things still remained a little strained. But I had an inkling I was hardly going to win the prize for hands-off father of the year, myself. Helicopter parent had a nice ring to it.

“Everyone says you’re great parents.”

They do?

Reuben leaned sideways and kissed my cheek. “It’s mostly down to this one,” he said, causing me to shoot him a stunned look as he continued. “You understand I have to travel a fair bit, don’t you, Stella? That means Cam would be the primary parent, but we make it work as best we can.”

I punched his arm. “Quit that. You’re an amazing dad.” I faced Stella. “He’s the best.”

She laughed. “See, that’s what I was talking about. You’re there for each other. And yes, I get that you travel and also that this isn’t going to be easy for you with the paparazzi and stuff.”

“So you realise the media are likely at some point to get hold of this, and they might not be kind to you?”

She nodded. “Mum and my counsellor warned me, but you guys are still my first choice.”

“Makeup and all?” My words sounded light, but my expression was deadly serious because it had to be said. “This is who I am, Stella. I won’t be changing that for anyone, not even a baby.”

“I don’t want you to,” she answered, equally serious. “And Mum and Dad are fine with it.”

I glanced to Colleen and caught a genuine smile. Rob’s cheeks pinked, but he nodded.

Well, all righty then. One more box ticked.

I turned to Reuben and saw every one of my feelings reflected back. Worry. Confusion. Fear. Hope. And so many questions. This was miles away from the circumstances of Cory’s adoption, and Reuben looked as overwhelmed as me.

Colleen got to her feet and smoothed her dress. “Right. I think it’s time for a hot drink and some of that chocolate brownie Stella made this morning. Then you boys can tell us more about Cory andyourlife. You’re not the only ones making decisions today. What do you say?”

I was grateful for her matter-of-fact approach, and she was right. Reuben and I were under the spotlight too.

“I’ll help.” Reuben sent me a stealthy wink, got to his feet, and followed Colleen and Stella into the kitchen.

That left the extremely quiet Rob and me alone.

I was gonna kill Reuben.

* * *

“First thoughts?” I shuffled onto my hip so I could face Reuben in the driver’s seat, nerves jangling uncomfortably in my belly.

We’d pulled into a car park at Mission Bay just down the road from Stella and her parents. We’d left Cory with Geo, which meant as soon as we entered our front door, he’d want our attention. We needed to talk while things were fresh and we had the time.

Reuben killed the engine and dropped his window. The rush of cool evening air carried a fresh salt tang that always made me think of family holidays at the beach. Daylight thinned at the edge of the darkening sky, and only the soft lap of waves broke the silence.

Reuben stared out the window and I reached for his hand. “Talk to me.”

He put his back to the door, those defiant blond waves wafting forward in the breeze to lick at his face. He frowned and tucked them back behind his ears, looking so very... young, and my heart burst in my chest.

I’d always loved this soft, vulnerable side of Reuben from the first time we’d met. There was an innocence about him that was surprising, and so at odds with the tough upbringing he’d had. Reuben Taylor was a conundrum: athletic, focused and driven, a leader on the field and in his sport. But with Cory and me, he was this gentle, generous man, big-hearted and honest.

I was all too well aware that he’d give everything else away in a heartbeat for us. It was my job to make sure he didn’t need to.

“There’s a lot to take on faith.” Reuben lifted my knuckles to his lips. “We don’t know how Stella or her parents will feel after the baby’s actually born. Or maybe she’ll have problems with the pregnancy. Maybe they’ll change their minds. We could go through all the prep stuff and end up with nothing. And you and I aren’t made to keep our hearts on hold, baby. We’ll have committed to this little miracle long before, and it’s gonna hurt like crazy if it all falls through.”

“I know. I know.” My head fell back against the passenger window with a thunk. “Does it put you off?”

“Not a bit.” He cocked his head. “You?”

I took a second to think. “It probably should cos it’s a bit of a mess, but no. I keep thinking that we got Cory safely into our family, even with your dad doing his dick-headed best to stop it,andin the middle of the international rugby incident you caused by coming out with a potty mouthed queen on your arm, so I think we’ll manage just fine. Shit.” I gulped, eyes widening. “Does that mean we’re actually going to do this?”

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