and I can’t help
but chuckle, too.
She looks so content, so blissed out. I love
seeing her like this. We’re quiet the rest of the way to her
apartment, thoughts of a future with the two of them by my side, of
them moving into my house with me, circling my brain endlessly.
These thoughts aren’t terrifying like I may have once thought them
to be, instead, they’re nothing short of exhilarating. I know Ava
is nowhere near ready for this discussion and I’m fine with that.
She knows better than I do what’s best for Harper, but this is a
conversation we will be having in the near future.
Once we pull up to Ava’s place, I walk
around and get a sleeping Harper out of the back seat. She wraps
her tiny arms around my neck and squeezes as she buries her little
nose in my chest. My heart melts. I carry her up the stairs and
follow Ava inside and down the hall to their room. Ava’s bed is in
the far corner under a window and Harper’s little toddler bed is up
against the back wall next to a chest of dressers. I know not many
people are as blessed as I am and have always been, but I want so
much more for these girls than them sharing a bedroom in a shitty
apartment.
I keep my thoughts to myself as I rock
Harper in my arms while Ava pulls out her pajamas. She takes her
from me and dresses her quickly before tucking her in tightly. Ava
gently kisses her head and then says a short, quiet prayer about
thanking God for their blessings and asking him to protect her
daughter and wake them both to another blessed day. This beautiful,
incredible woman, who has next to nothing as far as material things
go, is thanking God for her blessings. I can’t help feeling
completely humbled by the entire situation.
Ava sits down on my lap once we reach the
living room. She cups my face and kisses me softly on the lips.
“Today was amazing. Thank you.”
“ Thank you for letting me
meet her. I know that’s a big deal for you and I appreciate you
trusting me enough.” I kiss her again before rearranging her on my
lap so she’s lying down across the couch with her head on my lap.
“She really is great, Ava. Coolest kid I’ve met, that’s for
sure.”
“ So it really doesn’t
freak you out then?”
“ Really doesn’t freak me
out.”
Chapter Twelve
Ava
We’re on our way to Las Vegas. Declan hired
a full time nanny, which was totally unnecessary, but he disagreed.
He told me that he wants someone available that we can rely on
consistently, because Marla isn’t available all of the time. He
researched all night after meeting Harper and set up several
interviews for the following day. I had class in the morning but
when I got home he met me there and was prepared for the interviews
with files on each candidate.
It was the last girl we met with that had an
instant connection with all three of us, so he hired her and put
her on a nice little salary to be at our beck and call. She was
around Monday through Friday for the last four weeks getting to
know Harper and us. She went everywhere with us for those 35 days
and I felt much more comfortable leaving her for the weekend. I did
ask Marla to be around just in case, but I may have accidentally
forgotten to mention that to Declan.
“ You did book me my own
room, right, Dec?” Macie asks as we drive through the desert,
literally the desert.
We’ve been on a long, straight road for what
seems like forever. The road has dirt and tumble weeds on either
side of it, the occasional billboard advertising Vegas shows and
rare sightings of rest stops or a mom and pop restaurant.
“ Actually, I didn’t. I
just got a double queen room for you and Greyden.”
“ Declan! You promised me
you would get me my own room! I’m not staying in a room with him.
He’s going to be having sluts come in at all hours of the night,
and what if I found a guy I want to hook up with huh? What am I
supposed to do? Go to his room?”
“ NO!” Me, Greyden and
Declan all yell at her.
“ Macie,
but chuckle, too.
She looks so content, so blissed out. I love
seeing her like this. We’re quiet the rest of the way to her
apartment, thoughts of a future with the two of them by my side, of
them moving into my house with me, circling my brain endlessly.
These thoughts aren’t terrifying like I may have once thought them
to be, instead, they’re nothing short of exhilarating. I know Ava
is nowhere near ready for this discussion and I’m fine with that.
She knows better than I do what’s best for Harper, but this is a
conversation we will be having in the near future.
Once we pull up to Ava’s place, I walk
around and get a sleeping Harper out of the back seat. She wraps
her tiny arms around my neck and squeezes as she buries her little
nose in my chest. My heart melts. I carry her up the stairs and
follow Ava inside and down the hall to their room. Ava’s bed is in
the far corner under a window and Harper’s little toddler bed is up
against the back wall next to a chest of dressers. I know not many
people are as blessed as I am and have always been, but I want so
much more for these girls than them sharing a bedroom in a shitty
apartment.
I keep my thoughts to myself as I rock
Harper in my arms while Ava pulls out her pajamas. She takes her
from me and dresses her quickly before tucking her in tightly. Ava
gently kisses her head and then says a short, quiet prayer about
thanking God for their blessings and asking him to protect her
daughter and wake them both to another blessed day. This beautiful,
incredible woman, who has next to nothing as far as material things
go, is thanking God for her blessings. I can’t help feeling
completely humbled by the entire situation.
Ava sits down on my lap once we reach the
living room. She cups my face and kisses me softly on the lips.
“Today was amazing. Thank you.”
“ Thank you for letting me
meet her. I know that’s a big deal for you and I appreciate you
trusting me enough.” I kiss her again before rearranging her on my
lap so she’s lying down across the couch with her head on my lap.
“She really is great, Ava. Coolest kid I’ve met, that’s for
sure.”
“ So it really doesn’t
freak you out then?”
“ Really doesn’t freak me
out.”
Chapter Twelve
Ava
We’re on our way to Las Vegas. Declan hired
a full time nanny, which was totally unnecessary, but he disagreed.
He told me that he wants someone available that we can rely on
consistently, because Marla isn’t available all of the time. He
researched all night after meeting Harper and set up several
interviews for the following day. I had class in the morning but
when I got home he met me there and was prepared for the interviews
with files on each candidate.
It was the last girl we met with that had an
instant connection with all three of us, so he hired her and put
her on a nice little salary to be at our beck and call. She was
around Monday through Friday for the last four weeks getting to
know Harper and us. She went everywhere with us for those 35 days
and I felt much more comfortable leaving her for the weekend. I did
ask Marla to be around just in case, but I may have accidentally
forgotten to mention that to Declan.
“ You did book me my own
room, right, Dec?” Macie asks as we drive through the desert,
literally the desert.
We’ve been on a long, straight road for what
seems like forever. The road has dirt and tumble weeds on either
side of it, the occasional billboard advertising Vegas shows and
rare sightings of rest stops or a mom and pop restaurant.
“ Actually, I didn’t. I
just got a double queen room for you and Greyden.”
“ Declan! You promised me
you would get me my own room! I’m not staying in a room with him.
He’s going to be having sluts come in at all hours of the night,
and what if I found a guy I want to hook up with huh? What am I
supposed to do? Go to his room?”
“ NO!” Me, Greyden and
Declan all yell at her.
“ Macie,
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