Page 39 of Beside the Rolling Waves
But he knew Becky. She hadn’t let her guard down at all. Even though they talked about it in the NICU, sitting there, and she understood there was probably a pride thing, she still just was that private of a person. He probably shouldn’t needle her about it being pride. Maybe it was, a little bit anyway, but he understood that some people just needed some privacy. That having people around was too much.
“All right. It doesn’t seem fair that you have to run out to do the grocery shopping and then also go to meet with the funeral director.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to be stuck here with the babies all day?” she asked, a little smile turning one corner of her lips up but also concern in her eyes. She really didn’t want him to have to do anything that made him uncomfortable.
This whole situation was uncomfortable. She was way too late for the party if she was trying to keep him from feeling uncomfortable. But he understood. She was trying to ease his burden. That was something that came naturally to Becky. Even though she was also naturally bossy.
“No. I’m happy to stay here with the babies all day. I’m a little nervous, but I have your cell phone number, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
She gave him a tight smile. “We also need to set up a doctor’s appointment in two weeks. They said they were going to do that at the hospital, but they never did.”
“I think they were kind of discombobulated because we’re not the normal family.”
“That’s a good point. I agree. They did seem at times to be stymied about what to do with us.”
That was probably part of the reason that it took them so long to discharge them. Unless hospitals just were naturally incompetent when it came to paperwork.
“I agree. But we’re through that now. I’m happy to watch the kids, if you’re happy to do the shopping and the meeting.”
“I am. I…might be able to get the funeral director to come here. He had mentioned possibly meeting at the hospital, but I didn’t want to meet him there.” Her voice trailed off a bit, and he thought he understood. Planning her sister’s funeral was going to take more strength than she had at the hospital.
“That’s a good idea. You want me to call and see if he will?”
“Yeah. Could you do that while I’m shopping?”
“As long as the babies aren’t crying.”
“All right. We have that taken care of then,” she said, seeming pleased that she could at least check something off her list.
He wanted to talk to her about why he had not talked to her for five years. Why he had turned away from her. She seemed to put it aside, although there was still some kind of barrier between them. And she had enough on her plate. So, he just sat and allowed her to talk about stuff that he figured would work itself out anyway.
“All right. We probably should make a schedule. I assume you have work to do and you need to be gone for most of the day?”
“What about your horses?” Suddenly he realized that she hadn’t left the hospital once to drive back to Raspberry Ridge to take care of them at all. “Do you have someone taking care of them indefinitely?”
She opened her mouth and took a breath as though she were going to speak, and then she closed it. And then she looked at the notebook as she said, “Yes. They’re taken care of.”
That was a weird response. He narrowed his eyes at that.
“You didn’t tell me about your business. How much time do you need during the day? Twelve hours?”
“So you would just watch the kids for twelve hours during the day, and then we split the night shift?”
He wasn’t sure what she was going to do, and he realized he was avoiding her question. For some reason, he didn’t want her to know that he had sold his business. He didn’t want her to see the sacrifice. To understand that he had given up everything that was important to him for these babies. Maybe part of that reason was because he hadn’t been willing to give it up for her five years ago. Or even before that. He wanted to be successful when he finally came and asked her to marry him. And yet… Wasn’t giving it up now partly because he would be with her?
He didn’t recall thinking about that when he had decided to sell, but maybe that was in the back of his mind. The idea that he would be with Becky. And he had made enough money for now. He had pushed aside the people who were in his life, and most important to him, in order to focus on something that he realized now wasn’t necessary. He had more than enough money with which to live comfortably, why hadn’t he been happy? Content?
But she was going to find out sooner or later, and he didn’t want her to think he was hiding more things from her. He had enough bombshells to drop on her. Eventually.
“I sold my business. I had someone who I knew would buy if I mentioned I was selling, and I was right. I still have a few different things to hash out, but… I can be here full-time.”
Her mouth opened wide, and she blinked.
“What are you going to do to earn a living?” she asked, and her tone held shock and concern.
He smiled and laughed a little at her obvious concern for him.
“I sold my business,” he said again, and that time, he emphasized the word “sold.” “I have a lot of things I need to tell you, but you have a lot on your plate, and I didn’t want to add more to it. But for right now, let me just say that when I sold my business, I got rid of about seventy percent of the work that I have to do, which includes all the work that I need to do in the office. I can unload my office space, and I’m in the process of having my lawyer do just that. But the bottom line is, I’m set for life. I don’t have to worry about working, or money, again. I’m not going to be extravagantly wealthy, but I’m talking I have tens of millions in the bank and in various investments.”
