Katie scowls her disapproval. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I know, sweetheart. But knowing you aren’t alone will help ease my mind. I’m not sure how long Owen and I will be gone, and I don’t want to worry about you,” I tell her genuinely. “Plus, I’m sure she’ll keep you plenty entertained.” Considering Everleigh never stops talking, Katie will be begging for boring alone time.
“Fine, but if you come home and I’m drunk on virgin margaritas, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
I snort, licking my lips. “Alright, deal.”
“Noah!” Owen strolls in. “Are we leaving soon? I’ve got my tool belt!”
He shows it off around his waist, and I smile. “Yeah, buddy. As soon as you eat breakfast, okay?”
I take over making the pancakes so Katie can hang out with Owen for a bit. Though I’ve enjoyed working on the house and making it perfect for her, I’m glad it’s almost done so I can go back to spending my free time with them.
After we eat, I kiss Katie goodbye, then press my lips against her stomach. It’s become my ritual anytime I leave.
“Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
Owen bounces in the back seat as he looks out the window toward the freshly painted house. “Whoa, what’s that?”
Grinning, I park on the street so the delivery driver has room to back into the driveway later when they bring the furniture. “It’s your early birthday gift.”
“A basketball hoop?”
I hop out of the truck, then walk around to open his door. “Yeah, I thought we could play together and invite Anthony over to play with us too. What do ya think?”
Owen crashes into me, hugging my waist and burrowing his head in my stomach. “I love it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, buddy. Wanna go check it out? There should be a basketball in the garage.”
“Heck yes!”
As he runs toward the house, I click the garage opener, and he grabs the ball. I meet him in the driveway as he bounces it around.
“You know how to play one-on-one?” I ask, knowing he played in a youth league earlier this year.
Owen shrugs, keeping his eyes focused on what he’s doing. “Kinda. What are the rules?”
“I’ll teach you,” I tell him, effortlessly swiping the ball from under him. “First one, don’t let the other person steal it from you.”
“Hey!”
I laugh, then dribble out of his reach before shooting it into the hoop. Owen runs after it, and I give him pointers as I try to block him from the basket.
“Now, pretend you’re going right but fake and go left instead,” I instruct.
He does what I say and actually gets around me to take his shot.
“Nice!” I cheer for him.
“Can we do that again?” The excitement in his voice has me grinning ear to ear.
“Sure.”
We set up the play again, but this time, the ball bounces off the rim and goes flying down the driveway. “I’ll get it!” he announces and takes off before I can stop him. Just as he runs toward it, I realize the delivery truck has arrived and is backing up into the driveway.
“Owen, wait!” I shout, but he doesn’t hear me over the truck’s beeping. There’s no way the driver can see him, and since Owen isn’t paying attention, I run toward him. “Owen, move!”
He finally turns around, and I grip his shirt, yanking him out of the way. “You tryin’ to get hurt?” Owen blinks as if he just noticed the truck. I pull him in for a tight hug and sigh. “You scared me. You could’ve been hit.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know.”
Inhaling a sharp breath, I try to calm my racing heart. “You gotta be more careful, okay?”
He nods and grabs the basketball, then we walk back to greet the driver and his colleague. Though the new furniture is finally here, we aren’t officially moving in until next weekend. Katie’s lease on the rental ends at the end of the month, which gives us more time to pack and clean before handing over the keys.
“Well, whatcha think?” I ask Owen once the couch is set up. “Think your mom will like it?”
“Oh yeah. She’s wanted a sectional forever!” he tells me dramatically.
I chuckle because he’s right. Though she was determined to stay within the budget, I splurged and ordered what she truly wanted, along with a coffee table, end tables, and a new dining room table. We’re moving the beds and dressers last, then each room will be complete.
“Are you excited this place is finally finished?”
“Yep! It’s nice and big, which means enough room for a dog!” Owen adds with a grin. He’s been asking about getting a pet, and we keep telling him maybe after we move since we’ll have our hands full with infants soon.
“Well, you aren’t wrong.” I flash him a wink.
As a surprise, Katie’s parents, Jerry, and Belinda purchased two cribs for the nursery. I was saving up to buy them when they told us they were ordered and on the way. Their bassinets will go into our bedroom, and once the twins grow out of them, they’ll move to the cribs. Today, Owen and I are putting them together.
“Do you think you’ll like being a dad?” Owen asks as we sit on the floor and look over the instructions.
“Yeah, most definitely. Though a little terrified,” I say honestly, chuckling. “But I know that being a dad is one of the greatest gifts in the world.”
Owen frowns, and before he speaks up, I already know it’s going to be about Gabe.
“I know how my dad died.”
Okay well, maybe not that.
Blinking, I try not to be too expressive as I wait for him to elaborate. As far as I know, Katie told him he got hurt, and that was it. We haven’t really discussed in detail what he knows.
“What do you mean?” I finally ask.
He fidgets for a moment before responding and looking up at me. “Anthony told me what his mom said.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I anticipate his next words.
“He said you punched him.”
And I’ve officially entered into panic mode as my chest tightens.
“Well…” I clear my throat, trying to buy some time. “We did have a fight that night.”
“Anthony said he hit his head, and it caused brain damage. That’s how he died. Is that true?” His voice is level and doesn’t sound angry, but I know I need to tread lightly. He’s asking me without his mom present, so it’s not like I can dodge the conversation and let her take over.
“Yes, that’s right.” The words barely come out, but I can’t lie to him. It was only a matter of time before he found out.
“Is that why you were in prison?”
I nod. “Yeah. Getting into a fight that caused his death was a crime, so I had to pay the price.”
“What were you fighting about?”
“Um, well…” I brush a hand through my hair, contemplating how to answer. “We were arguing about your mom. I thought he should be home with her because she was pregnant with you and having some issues. He had a lot to drink that night and didn’t agree. We ended up arguing and fighting when he wouldn’t listen.”