“Yes, you are,” I said. Regarding him from under my lashes, I gave him a slow, sensual lick. “Now I’m going to show you how much I appreciate it.”
Chapter 32Chloe
Idon’t know how it happened, but I’d found myself sitting at a crowded table in Debbie Hebert’s dining room with the entire family, eating lasagna and laughing.
Gus had looked adorably sweet and shy when he asked me to come to dinner at his mom’s. Although we’d agreed to wait a little longer before breaking the pregnancy news, he still wanted me there. So, lured into a state of compliance by all the orgasms and sweet gestures, not understanding just how crowded the place would be, I’d said yes.
Gus was fully committed. That was clear. He’d been fussing over me constantly, sharing interesting tidbits from the baby books and delivering snacks and water before I even realized I needed them.
Being taken care of like this was strange. My entire life, I’d been the caretaker, the one in charge. And while I still had a mountain of responsibilities, having him around made every task feel more manageable.
But day by day, he was growing restless. He wanted answers, plans, and commitments. And I was still too scared and confused to consider any of it.
Could I stay here forever? In Maine? The very place I’d vowed to leave behind forever? Or would we leave, together this time, and forge our path somewhere else?
Could we really do this long term? Every day, it became more clear that we would be effective co-parents, but I wasn’t sure I’d be capable of more. Especially once the stress of having a newborn kicked in.
So I was here, drinking water and chatting, while internally spiraling over all the speed bumps and milestones that lay ahead.
The one benefit of being here? Aside from getting to know Adele Gagnon, who was hilarious and took absolutely no shit, I’d had the chance to hold her baby. Thor, who was four months old, was the chubby, giggly baby of my dreams. I’d always considered myself a kid person, though I’d never been all that comfortable with babies. But this little guy? Making silly faces at him was turning out to be the highlight of my day.
“Cole,” Debbie said, her voice kind but firm. “Please put the phone down for family dinner.”
He gave her an exasperated look but obeyed. I wasn’t sure of the dynamic here. He wasn’t her son, yet he lived here with her? I made a mental note to ask Gus about it later.
“Sorry,” he said. “RiverFest is next weekend, and I’ve still got so much to do.”
“How can we help?” Finn asked.
“Yes,” Adele added. “Maternity leave is so boring. Give me a job to do.”
His face lit up. The dichotomy that was Cole Hebert was fascinating. He was by far the tallest and biggest of the six brothers—the kind of tall where he had to duck into the room—yet he had the sweetest, most earnest baby face.
I could see why Debbie and his brothers were eager to help him despite his history.
Quickly, he assigned various jobs to his family members. Most involved making calls to confirm things, but he’d asked Gus, with his electrician training, to check the sound system for the outdoor concert.
My heart swelled as I surveyed the group seated around the table. Maybe this was what my family would have been like if we hadn’t lost Mom.
Instead, my sibling relationships were either fractured, like in the case of my brothers, or hot and cold, like my sister. I longed to have this kind of closeness, a network of people I could depend on, who always had my back.
The thought of Celine, Cedric, and Calvin sitting around my father’s table brainstorming how to fix my problems made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
But the Heberts were working to repair the damage and loving each other as they went. It was hard not to be envious of their bond.
We were enjoying Debbie’s apple pie when Finn cleared his throat and asked for everyone’s attention.
“Okay, you guys,” he said. “Ready for the entertainment?”
Around the table, we all frowned in confusion.
“Merry,” he said.
His tween daughter got up, darted out of the room, and came back with a laptop in hand. She set it up on the sideboard, facing the table, and looked from us to it, then back again.
“Can everyone see?”
When we broke into murmurs and nods, she opened up a Zoom window.
“Uncle Owen, are you guys there?”
Owen and his fiancée, Lila, appeared on screen, waving at us from what looked like a very luxurious Boston condo.
“Enjoy,” Merry said, pressing play on a video.
We were all craning our necks and squinting at the screen. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing at first, but quickly, it became clear that it was Finn driving a pickup truck, towing what looked like a very old Airstream trailer behind it.
And then Adele came out of the house wearing Thor in a baby sling. She was all smiles as she approached the camper.
Merry increased the volume, and everyone around me gasped.
Finn dropped to one knee, gesturing to the Airstream, and then Adele was hauling him up to his feet and throwing her arms around her neck.
“She said yes,” Finn said, pumping his fist.
“He brought me a hunk of garbage to fix up,” Adele said with a roll of her eyes and a wide smile. “I had to say yes to the only man who would know I’d want a project more than a ring.”
