Page 86 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
Reed choked on his coffee. "Mathematically impossible?"
"I did the math," Charlie said proudly. "If everyone needs ten minutes, and we all have to get ready at the same time, that's fifty minutes for one bathroom. It doesn't work."
"She's got a point," Jonah said, ruffling her hair.
"Second," Charlie continued, consulting her list, "Kit needs an art studio. A real one, with good light and space for big canvases."
"Charlie…" I started, but she held up a small hand.
"Third, we need a big kitchen so Micah doesn't have to do the sideways dance around everyone when he's cooking."
"The sideways dance?" Micah asked, amused.
Charlie demonstrated, wiggling sideways with her arms pressed to her sides. "Like this! You do it every morning!"
"Fourth," she went on, "we need a workshop space for Reed so his tools aren't scattered all over my room."
"Hey, that's only temporary!" Reed protested.
"And fifth," Charlie finished triumphantly, "we need a really, really good nest room. With space for everyone and soft things and maybe a fireplace."
The adults exchanged glances over her head. Leave it to a seven-year-old to cut through all our complicated feelings and get straight to the practical necessities.
"That's a very thorough list," I said carefully. "But sweetie, houses like that cost a lot of money."
"So?" Charlie looked genuinely confused. "We have three dads with jobs. And you're gonna sell your art for lots of money. And I have seventeen dollars saved up."
"Seventeen dollars, huh?" Reed said seriously. "That's a solid contribution to the house fund."
"I know, right? I've been saving for months."
Jonah was looking at his phone, scrolling through something with a frown. "Actually, Charlie might be onto something. I've been looking at the market here, and if we combine our resources..."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean, I've got equity in this house, plus business savings. Reed's been banking his income for years because he's got nowhere to spend it in this tiny town. And Micah's got the bakery building and a solid customer base."
"Together, we could probably afford something really nice," Micah said thoughtfully. "Something with space for everyone to breathe."
"But I still can't contribute anything to a down payment," I said, the anxiety creeping back in.
"Kit." Jonah's voice was patient but firm. "You contributed Charlie's happiness. You contributed our pack bond. You contributed a future none of us thought we'd ever have. If you want to talk about down payments, that's the only one that actually matters."
Charlie nodded sagely. "Plus, when you sell your paintings for a million dollars, you can pay us back."
"A million dollars?" I laughed despite myself.
"At least," Charlie said seriously. "Your art is really good. Mrs. Carrington said so, and she knows about expensive things."
"Well, if Mrs. Carrington said so," Reed said with mock solemnity.
"She did! She said Kit's portrait of Mr. Carrington made him look 'distinguished' instead of 'like a grumpy old goat.'"
"High praise indeed," Micah murmured.
I looked around at my family. Because that's what they were, what we all were. And I felt something loosen in my chest. The fear that had been living there since Marcus, the constant anxiety about being a burden, about not being enough.
"You really want to do this?" I asked quietly. "Buy a house together?"
