Page 46 of Monochrome Without You
“Why?” Connie frowns, the usual smoothness of her forehead now lined with confusion.
I shrug like it’s no big deal, even though it is. “I may have slept with Corbin. And then went on a date with Trey.”
Connie’s mouth drops open. For a second, she just stares at me in stunned silence. Then, laughter bursts out of her, full and unfiltered.
“Oh, Jules,” she says between giggles. “Yeah, we need a girls’ night. Tomorrow. No arguments.”
I exhale, shaking my head at myself. “You’re right. We definitely need a girls’ night.”
“Sarge can close for us.” Connie tips her head toward the register, where my brother is currently deep in conversation with a customer.
“Absolutely,” I agree, already feeling a little lighter.
The day drags on after that, even though we’re busier than usual. The cold weather pushes people inside, craving warmth and caffeine, and the steady stream of customers should make the hours fly by. But as two-thirty approaches and another wave files in, I glance at the clock and realize I’m running out of time. If I leave now, I’ll make it to Tate’s school in time, but that means leaving Sarge and Connie to handle a full house alone.
I hesitate for only a second before pulling out my phone and calling Corbin.
Predictably, he answers on the first ring.
“Everything okay?” His voice is deep, steady, familiar. I hate that my heart stutters the moment he speaks.
“I’m slammed here—”
Before I can even finish, he cuts in. “I got it. I’ll grab Tate and drop him off to you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “I’m heading out now. We’ll see you in thirty.”
A slow breath leaves my lips. “Corbin… thank you.”
“We’re a team, Jules,” he says, like it’s that simple. “I’ve always got your back.”
The call ends, but I stay there for a moment, phone still in my hand, pressing a palm lightly to my chest.
The few times I haven’t been able to pick up Tate—whether it was work, an emergency, or a last-minute meeting—Corbin has always been there. No hesitation. No resentment. Just… there.
I glance around the coffee shop, feeling the warmth of everything I’ve built. The handpicked plants in the window. The painted tables, the shelves lined with bags of beans I sourced myself.
If Corbin was different—if he hated me, if he was angry with me—would I have been able to do this? Could I have built a life like this for Tate and me?
I never really thought about it before now. How so much of what I’ve accomplished was because Corbin never made me feel like I had to do it alone.
A low groan pulls me from my thoughts.
“Oh, girl.” Connie leans against the counter, arms crossed, shaking her head. “You got itbadfor your baby daddy. No wonder you’ve been so damn tense.”
***
Thirty minutes later, the door swings open, and Tate barrels inside, his backpack bouncing wildly against his back as he heads straight for me. His energy is a force all on its own, uncontained, unfiltered joy.
I barely have time to brace myself before his little arms wrap tightly around my waist, knocking me slightly off balance as I rock back on my heels.
“Mom!” he screeches, hugging me tighter. “Dad said we can go to the park! Do you want to come with us?”
The words barely register before my eyes lift past him, drawn—like they always are—to Corbin.
The late afternoon sun has finally broken through the gray clouds, and as he steps inside, the light catches him just right, wrapping around him like something out of a dream. My heartdoes something strange—stumbles over itself, flips on end, beats faster, louder, and yet somehow slower and steadier all at once.
