Page 46 of Six of Hearts
“Your mother was a wonderful woman. She was smart, and kind, and funny, and she looked a lot like both of you.”
“She was a twin too?” Theo asked.
Noah smiled.
“Kind of. You got your looks from her, which is why you’re both so cute.” He wiggled his fingers along their torsos, tickling them as he did so.
“But sometimes, when two grownups stop loving each other, they start being really bad to one another. Your mummy and I, we weren’t getting along anymore, so she left because she loved you so much that she didn’t want you to have to deal with the hard stuff.” Oliver started to cry, and I could even see a few tears welling up in Noah’s eyes. Theo remained sober, but sombre. It wasn’t a fun topic for any of them.
“But the last thing she told me is that she wanted me to tell you both every single day that she loved you so much, and I haven’t done that because I was mad at her, so I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Daddy,” Theo said, grabbing Noah’s face sweetly and giving him a calm peck on the cheek. “
We have a great Daddy, so we’re okay.”
Even I couldn’t hold back my emotions. Being a single parent was hard; I had no idea how all of the guys did it, with or without a nanny.
Oliver sniffled in.
“Do you think we’ll ever have a mummy again, Daddy?”
“It may take a little time…” Noah looked up and his eyes locked in mine immediately. I wasn’t sure if he knew I was there the whole time, or if it was just something he sensed.
My body fizzled as I took in the desperate, forlorn expression on Noah’s face. We were crossing a bridge that neither of us had realised we’d gotten to.
“…but I’m sure you will get another mummy again soon.”
Liam
The house was quiet except for the soft hum of the dishwasher and the occasional creak of the old floors. Chloe had gone down easy tonight, exhausted from her dance practice, and Aria had stayed to help me clean up after dinner.
"You didn't have to do all this," I said, watching her dry the last of the wine glasses.
"You're off the clock.”
Aria smiled at me over her shoulder.
"I know. I wanted to."
There was something different about tonight.
Maybe it was the wine, or the way the kitchen light caught in her hair, or the fact that we'd spent the last two hours just talking—really talking—about everything and nothing.
About Chloe's progress in ballet, about my ex-wife, about Aria's dreams before she became a nanny.
She set the glass down and turned to face me, leaning against the counter. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything," I replied.
"Do you ever regret it? The arrangement with the guys, I mean. Sharing everything."
I thought about it for a moment.
"Before you? No, never. It made sense. We all wanted the same things—to be good fathers, to have help, to not be alone." I stepped closer to her. "But now?"
"Now?" she echoed, her voice softer.
"Now I find myself wanting you all to myself sometimes." The confession came out easier than I expected.
