Page 37 of A Me and You Thing
I glance at her luggage. “I figured that out for myself.”
She raises her eyebrows at me. “A girl needs her... stuff.”
“Just how long are we talking about, Bree?”
I appreciate that she wants to help for a month or two. But it doesn’t solve my problems, it only postpones them.
“A year.”
“What?” I blurt. Okay, she just shocked me.
“I’ve taken a year’s leave of absence. I want to help raise Josie and Jordyn. I love them and I’ll love them the same way that Quinn did. No one you hire can do that. I want to do it for Quinn. Please let me. After that they’ll be old enough to fend for themselves and you can send them off to a good pre-school during the day. But right now, when they’re just babies, they need a stable home life. They’re traumatized. You and I both know it. They need me.” She takes a deep breath. “I need them.” She pauses again. “You need me.”
She’s right.
When her eyes well with tears, it’s my undoing. Quinn told me how much Bree wanted a family and that the odds of her having her own children were low.
I run my hands over my face. I’m too exhausted to figure out why this isn’t a good idea. It seems like the answer to all of my problems.
“All right, Bree.” My eyebrows furrow, but inside I feel utter relief. “Thank you. I can’t thank you enough. I had no idea what I was going to do. This solves everything.”
“I know.” She hands me all the junk that has accumulated in the guest room. “Now put this stuff away and let me get settled in. I have work to do.”
Chapter Twelve
Bree
ON MY FIRST morning, I arise early, ready for my first day with Josie and Jordyn.
I have absolutely no idea what to do.
I hear sounds coming from the nursery, a soft song Sawyer is singing. “Good morning to you, good morning to you.” I peek inside as the girls giggle at their dad. Sawyer is already up and dressed for the day. He’s changing diapers and putting the girls in play clothes. And here I thought I was up before anyone else, ready to jumpstart the day.
I guess the day starts a lot earlier than I expected. The girls are bright-eyed and cooing, flapping their arms and legs as if they can’t stop wiggling. Sawyer sets Josie down, gives her a kiss, ensures she has toys to play with, and picks up Jordyn.
“Mamamamamama,” Jordyn chants. Sawyer kisses her forehead and tells her Mama loves her. I hear the slight break in his voice, and my heart hurts.
If I close my eyes, I can still see Quinn in this room, holding her babies, loving on them. Every decorative detail in the room screams, “Quinn was here.” She was so excited as she prepared for her final masterpieces to enter the room.
Job well done, Quinn.
She should be here, not me. She loved her life so much. Sometimes I don’t know how we ended up in this position. It isn’t fair. Life never is, though.
“Morning,” Sawyer says with no expression whatsoever.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Making him move to his master bedroom was brutal. It was time though. He needs to face it, not hide from it.
He glances at me. “Tough night.”
“You survived.”
He shrugs and doesn’t verbally respond to my sarcasm. I know I need to keep myself in check. I believe Sawyer is fragile right now. I don’t think he’ll appreciate sass. Besides, I need to be a good example to the girls. Time to rein myself in a bit.
His frosty reception makes me wonder if he really wants me here. “Look, Sawyer, would you prefer that I leave your home? If you don’t want me here, please say so.” The decision to take a one-year leave of absence was easy, even if it seems extreme. Josie and Jordyn are more important to me than my career.
He lets out a deep breath, looking me directly in the eyes. “No, I need you. I really do. Please stay.”
Okay, then. I’m here to stay. That will be the last of any insecurity I allow myself to feel over the matter. He needs me. Done deal. His downcast demeanor has nothing to do with me invading his space. I should’ve known that.
