Page 88 of I Choose You
“I saw the future my parents wanted for me. For Dad, that was law school. Big-time lawyer that would join his firm. He would be able to tell everyone how proud of me he was.Mom’s vision was different. She was fine with law school, until I married, of course. Once a child or two came into the picture, I would shift to being a stay-at-home mom, raising the kids while my husband provided for his family.”
My brows quirked at her. “So, you compromised and got a history degree.” I nodded like that made perfect sense.
Her laugh was genuine, and I felt like I could breathe again.
“Well, I did go to law school. I just didn’t make it all the way through. I dropped out, much to my father’s disappointment. It was by far the most rebellious thing I had ever done. But I knew that law wasn’t the right fit for me. I went back to school a few years later to get my degree in history. I would be a terrible lawyer, and I think deep down, my father knows that too,” she laughed.
“So that was what you saw. What did you want?”
Jane had crawled away and was now exploring the living room. She would walk a couple of feet and fall. Pull herself up and do it again. Claire and I both had our eyes on her but left her to the small world of independence she had now that she could walk.
“I wanted it all, of course. A career of my own. A family that I loved and adored. A couple of kids that I could raise to be strong, independent people,” Claire said wistfully.
“You can, you know. Have all of it. If that’s still what you want.” I brushed her hair away from her face where it had fallen out of her clip.
“I always felt like, to be successful, I would need to choose. Be a high-powered career woman or a stay-at-home mom. Trying to have it all just meant doing multiple things badly instead of one thing great.”
“Not if you have the right person behind you, supportingyou.”
Claire’s eyes roamed my face, and then her soft, plump lips met mine. I closed my eyes and breathed her in, kissing her slowly one more time before I had to pull away and get my eyes on Jane.
Claire and I played with Jane and fed her the dinner that Wyatt had left us. Jane was lying across my lap, her blanky clutched in her little fist, eyes drifting closed when he and Maeve showed up a few hours later.
“Hey, sleepy girl.” Maeve pulled Jane to her.
“How’d your doctor’s appointment go?” Claire asked Maeve as we helped Wyatt pack up her things, which had somehow managed to get scattered throughout the living room.
I pulled Wyatt aside, my eyes trained on Claire as she talked to Maeve about her pregnancy.
“I need to convince Claire to stay,” I told him. “I can’t lose her. Wy, she’s it for me. I can’t lose her.”
“Alright, brother.” He nodded. “We’ll think of something. Although, for the record, I still think telling her that you’re in love with her should be step one.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t do that to her until I knew where her head was at. I had to come up with a way to show her that she could have everything she wanted right here. In Calla Bay. With me.
28
Claire
Main Street General Store was apparently not well stocked on party decorations. Or at least not for a one-year-old’s birthday party. Maeve had invited me to hang out for the day with her and Scarlett, getting the supplies for Jane’s upcoming first birthday.
Monday was scheduled to be opening day at the newly remodeled, historically accurate, absolutely stunning Delano Library. My time here was almost up, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.
“I think we’re going to need to travel outside of town if you want to have anything other than horrible party hat plates,” Scarlett said.
“Ugh. I know. I was going to just order them online like a normal person, but I kept forgetting, and now the party is next weekend, and I am so not prepared. Pregnancy brain is a real thing. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.” Maeve pointed at both of us one at a time.
“We’ll get it figured out. Don’t worry,” I told her.
“Jane deserves to have the best first birthday ever. She ismy favorite person in all the world—don’t tell Wyatt I said that—and I just want to show her how loved she is.” Tears welled in Maeve’s eyes. I rubbed my hands up and down her arms, trying to soothe her. Scarlett dropped the ugly paper plates and joined us, stroking her head.
“She does know. You should have seen her with Reid last weekend. She was crawling all over him. That man is crazy about your little girl,” I told her.
“Luke too. And we all know that she has Charlie wrapped around her finger. She has since the day he met her,” Scarlett laughed. “Plus, Jackson and Josie.”
I grabbed her hands, giving them a light squeeze. “Maeve, you have surrounded that beautiful little girl with so much love. Don’t you ever think otherwise. Her birthday will be spectacular because all of you will be there.”
“Are you going to be able to come?” Maeve asked me again. She had asked me a couple of times already, and I’d avoided committing. I wanted to be there and celebrate with the Wilders, but my contract was up as of Monday, and I didn’t know exactly what my next assignment was or when it would start.
