Page 105 of Cross Check Daddies
The cabin is tucked between palms and sea grass, its porch weather-worn and creaky, the scent of salt air so constant I swear I can taste it.
Daisy and Beau really meant it when they saidremote. There’s no reception unless I stand on a rock by the bluff. There’s no pressure, no expectations. Just quiet, broken only by Jackson’s laughter as he chases a lizard across the porch in his flip-flops.
Ivy practically shoved me into the car. Said if I didn’t take time off, she’d personally unplug the servers herself. And she wasn’t wrong.
The tabloids haven’t let up since the launch, every outlet wanting a soundbite. Photos of me at the hospital leaked.Headlines aboutsecret loversandmystery paternityare being printed by the hour.
So, I did the only thing that made sense.
I disappeared.
Not with the guys. Not after everything that happened.
They offered, of course. Cam wanted to drive. Tanner said we could ride out on his bike. Ace even texted twice to say he’d cleared the weekend if I needed him. Ivy offered to take more PTO and stay in Miami with me.
But I told them no.
Because I didn’t know what I needed.
Because I was tired of being touched gently, looked at like I might break, surrounded by so much love I couldn’t hear myself think. I didn’t want comfort. I wanted clarity. Space to breathe without choosing. Without explaining. Without being held together like I was already falling apart.
So, I packed a bag. Dropped off Buddy at a daycare. Buckled Jackson into the backseat and drove.
We’ve been here for three days, and my brain is finally starting to relax. I make pancakes without worrying about deadlines. I draw with Jackson on the sand. I nap in a hammock without guilt.
And just when I think I might finally, finally be alone?—
I hear tires crunching on gravel.
I freeze in the kitchen, spatula in hand, Jackson humming to himself at the table, drawing velociraptors in orange crayon. I step out onto the porch slowly.
The pickup is dust-coated and familiar. The passenger door swings open before the engine cuts off.
Cam hops out first. Then Tanner. Then Ace.
They came.
They came all the way out here.
My throat tightens.
Jackson’s face lights up. “Cam!”
He runs down the steps barefoot, launching himself at Cam, who catches him with practiced ease. “Hey, buddy.”
Tanner ruffles his curls. Ace gives me that half-smile that wrecks me.
I cross my arms, but I’m already grinning. “How did you even find this place?”
“Well, Daisy wouldn't budge, but we told Ivy we missed you,” Tanner says, pulling a cooler from the bed of the truck. “So, she gave us directions and told us to come check in on you.”
Ace adds, “We figured we’d set up camp nearby. Bring the grill. Stay out of your way unless you wanted us close.”
I thought I wanted space from them, but seeing them makes me realize just how much I actually need them here. Jackson sleeps by eight, and no matter how hard I try to sleep early, I stay up wondering what I am supposed to do next.
Wondering what the news of my pregnancy could mean for my co-parenting Jackson with Aaron.
It’s a lot.
