Page 128 of Love Notes & Lifelines
What must it have cost Stella to admit that to me? My throat attempts to close. I’m the one being selfish here, even if I hate everything about what she’s asking.
“Baby,” I say in hushed tones. The only sounds in the room are the girls playing in the corner. She drags her weary gaze to mine. “I will always give you what you need. Even if it pains me—even if I hate it.”
Hope blooms in the crinkles at her eyes.
“But,” I say. “I want to take care of you. If I’m giving on this, you agree to do it my way.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means it won’t be an all-or-nothing prenup, but I will give you one if that’s what you want.”
“I do.” She nods eagerly. “So what does that mean?” She turns to Elijah, who might as well be tossing popcorn in his mouth. “What’s the new timeline?” Her words are timid, and I know she’s overwhelmed.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “It’s just a lot. I’ll be fine—I promise.”
I glance around the room, at the people who make up our family. Tabby clenches her hands together under her chin. Leo leans against a doorframe wearing a smirk and resting one hand on Tabby’s shoulder. Lucía has tears in her eyes, and Elijah sits like the cat who got the cream while Daisie circles our legs waiting for her chance to trip one of us up.
And then there’s our girls.
Our girls.
“Well, here’s what we need to do,” I say. “You guys tell me what order to do them in.”
Tabby darts across the room to an end table and pulls out a notepad. She pauses, her face morphing into sadness and possibly confusion before holding it in the air and showcasing handwriting I recognize—Cally.
“‘Childhood dreams can be painted over, but the bones that make the memories will always hold our truth,’” Tabby reads.
She lifts her teary gaze from the page. “I wish she’d told me what was going on in her head. She was confused sometimes Beck, and desperate, but I have no idea where that desperation leads.”
I can’t speak. Instead, I motion for Elijah to pick up where I left off because my mind is a twirling firestorm of memories, and none of them make sense.
“Okay,” Elijah says. “I’ll take care of the attorney, filing of adoption papers, and Stella’s prenup.”
I hear the disapproval in his tone, but Stella places her arms around my waist, and my demeanor shifts. It calms, regulates, and settles enough for me to focus.
“We need to plan a rehearsal dinner and wedding,” Elijah continues. “The custody hearing is in two weeks, so ideally, we’ll get this done next weekend. Any objections?”
“Nothing too crazy,” Stella murmurs at my side.
Elijah catches her eye and softens his tone. “Nothing too crazy. We’ll go coastal chic, how’s that sound?”
“Oh,” Tabby cries. “That will go perfectly with her dress. We can totally do this. I’ll call Bella. She’s our local party planner.”
The muscles in my body draw tight. Bella Moonbeam lived up to her name in person with her long flowy dress and round John Lennon glasses. My thoughts must show on my face because Tabby rolls her eyes.
“You’re such a snob, Beck,” she chides. “But trust me, she’s got this.”
I chance a peek at Stella. We’re so in tune with each other that her gaze is already on me. She gives a shrug, and I love the laughter I find in her eyes, so I concede.
“Fine. Let’s do this.” Emmy appears at my side, so I bend down to pick her up.
“I gets to wear my pwetty dwess?”
“You know it,” I say, bopping her on the nose with my pointer finger. This little girl absorbs so much information.
She chews on her lip, so much like Stella.
