Page 12 of Secret Baby's Second Shot

“It’s for Ava,” I said quietly. “And I know you’d do anything for her.”

Her shoulders sagged slightly, and she stared at the table for a long moment. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”

“It’s the best option,” I said. “You know it is.”

Her eyes met mine, and I could see the battle she was waging with herself. Finally, she nodded. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Relief flooded through me, but I kept my expression neutral. “Thank you, Summer.”

“But,” she added quickly, holding up a hand, “there have to be rules.”

“Of course,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “This is strictly for Ava. Nothing personal, no flirting, no pretending we’re anything more than co-parents.”

“Done,” I said.

“And if this starts to feel wrong—if it gets out of control—I’m pulling the plug,” she said firmly.

“Understood,” I said.

She leaned back in her chair, her arms still crossed. “You better not make me regret this, Enzo.”

“You won’t,” I said.

A few hours later,we sat Ava down in the living room to explain the plan. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her stuffed bunny tucked under one arm.

“Mommy, what’s going on?” she asked, looking between us.

I crouched in front of her, keeping my tone light. “We wanted to talk to you about something really important, Ava.”

Her blue eyes widened slightly, and she hugged her bunny tighter. “Is it about my knee?”

“It is,” Summer said, sitting down beside her. “You know how Dr. Pearson is helping to make your knee all better?”

Ava nodded solemnly. “Uh-huh.”

“Well,” I said, smiling, “to make that happen, we need to show some very important people how strong and amazing our family is. And that means Mommy and I will be spending some extra time together.”

Ava tilted her head, clearly confused. “Like playing games together?”

“Sort of,” I said with a chuckle. “We’re going to be a team—a super team. That way, those important people will know we’re all working together to take care of you.”

Her brow furrowed, and she looked up at Summer. “Does that mean Dr. Pearson is going to live with us?”

Summer laughed softly, brushing a hand over Ava’s hair. “No, baby. It just means we’re going to do a few things together, like go to dinner and talk to people who can help us.”

Ava seemed to process this for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. As long as Bunny can come, too.”

“Bunny is definitely part of the team,” I said, holding out my hand for a high-five.

Ava giggled and slapped my hand. “Okay, then!”

Summer’s lips curved into a small smile as she watched Ava, but when her gaze shifted to me, I could see the tension still lingering.

This was only the beginning, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But for Ava, we’d make it work.

7

---