“Of course.”
Looking out at the yard, Hunter smiled. “Haley’s great with Eli. We can’t wait to ask her to babysit. It’s been a huge relief to find an actual babysitter we can trust who isn’t related to us.”
“And what’s wrong with having your family watch your kid?”
“For starters, it means we can go and hang out with all of you for a couples’ night without worrying about who’s going to stay with Eli. And now that Dad’s looking to start…dating again, it would be nice to take that off his plate.”
“Again, it makes sense. You want me to talk to Haley about possibly helping with Eli at the wedding?”
“Well, he’s going to be a big part of it so I’m not sure it’s necessary.”
“I’ll put it out there as a just in case sort of thing, okay?”
Nodding, Hunter slouched down slightly in his seat. “You want to know something crazy?”
“Sure.”
“Violet and I talked about all of this—like what would happen if she got pregnant sooner rather than later.”
“So, this wasn’t an accident, huh?”
“Let’s just say we’ve been known to be a bit forgetful.”
It wasn’t an image Kyle wanted to focus on so he simply nodded.
“Anyway, the night that we...you know...forgot, the whole time we were talking about it, I found I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t panicking, I wasn’t freaking out, all I felt was a sense of peace that if this happened, it would be great. I’ve always wanted Eli to have a sibling, and the thought of creating a new life with Violet is just icing on the cake.”
“I really am happy for you, Hunt. Like seriously happy for you.”
“And who knows, maybe we’ll be celebrating with you soon.”
He let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. “Sydney and I are uber-careful. The last thing she needs is to get pregnant right now.”
“I wasn’t talking about the pregnant part, doofus. I meant a wedding. It seems to me like the two of you are serious and practically inseparable, so...am I wrong in thinking this is going in that direction?”
“I never thought I’d even be considering it,” he said carefully. “And I want to talk about it with her—more than anything—but there is just so much going on and there never seems to be the right time to bring it up.”
“Why? What else is going on? I thought Haley was settled in with school, the house is done, and Sydney’s got a job. What else is there?”
Groaning, Kyle’s head fell back. “Where do I even begin?”
“Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
“Jake showed up at the house a few weeks ago unexpectedly and sort of...caught me with my pants down, so to speak.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. So I nearly lost my job. If Sydney hadn’t intervened, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Okay, but that was a few weeks ago. What does that have to do with right now?”
“It messed with me. I mean, here I am trying to get a promotion at work and I do something like this. Jake’s been giving me all the shitty jobs now that I’m done with Sydney’s place and it feels like I got demoted.”
“Ah.”
“Then Mia’s been really busy with promo stuff because of this movie deal and it’s meant a lot of extra work for Syd. She’s feeling overwhelmed and she’s making herself crazy trying to keep up.”
“O-kay…”
“And then you got Haley. Yes, she’s doing well in school and she seems to be adjusting, but they started family counseling and it’s been an emotional roller coaster for them both. Personally, I think it’s great that they’re going, but at the same time, they both seem to be crying a lot more again. Like how it was when I first started working there and probably as much as that first month or so after the accident.”
“That’s normal, Kyle. It’s part of the healing process. Do you remember what it was like for us when Mom died?”
He nodded. “I do, and like I said, I get it. But it’s hard watching them both hurt so damn much.” Pausing, he decided to voice what had been bothering him the most. “I’m afraid the therapist is going to tell Sydney that I’m not helping and that she should break up with me.”
“Dude, that’s crazy. Come on, why would you even think that?”
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to make plans with them—either for all three of us to go out or just me and Syd—and I’m getting the brush off. Like...a lot. All of a sudden, I’m feeling like I’m not so sure things are going to work out.”
“Man, I’m sorry. That’s got to be rough. But you know you’re going to have to talk to Sydney about this. It’s not going to be comfortable, but you can’t keep putting it off. Otherwise things won’t work out.”
“I know.” He let out a long breath. “Maybe when I bring them home tonight I’ll be able to broach the subject.”
“Can I offer you a bit of advice?”
He nodded.
“Don’t do what I did. I put off talking to Violet and then thought it was a good idea to confront her at Dean’s wedding with all my insecurities and demands.”
With a smirk, Kyle said, “I remember.”
“Good. Then learn from my mistake. Trust me.”
“I will. I swear.”
“Good. Now help me figure out how to quickly add more space to this house. We’re not prepared to move, but a small addition is essential before the baby’s due.”
They stood and Eli came running over and jumped into Hunter’s arms. Haley wasn’t far behind, looking a little tired.
“You’re looking a little beat, Hales,” Kyle said, reaching out and wrapping an arm around her. “You gonna make it through dinner without falling asleep?”
“Ha, ha,” she mocked. “You’re so funny.”
“Yeah, we all tell him that about his looks,” Hunter chimed in, making Haley laugh. “But seriously, Haley, thanks for running around with this little guy. I know how exhausting he can be and especially after a day like you’ve had.”
Kyle looked and saw her blush.
“Violet and I were blown away by all your sets. You did a great job and you should be proud of yourself.”
Her blush deepened and she murmured a “thanks” before excusing herself to go inside to get something to drink.
Once she was out of earshot, Kyle shook his head. “I seriously adore her, but…I wish she were young like Eli.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know…like maybe this all wouldn’t be so hard on her, and maybe it would make things easier for Sydney and me.”
“Dude, you did not just say that,” Hunter said with a hint of disgust. “Are you seriously being pissy because you can’t spend the night over there?”
“Oh, please. Don’t go acting all sanctimonious with me. You know you struggled with the same damn thing when you and Violet started dating. You were pissy because you didn’t feel right letting her sleepover when Eli was home, so don’t act like it’s just me being a jerk.”