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We finish the rest of our workout in amicable silence, him doing upper body, and me doing lower, so we stayed out of each other’s way.
“You want some coffee before you head out?” I ask once we put the weights away.
“Sure! And I haven’t met your wife yet, so you can introduce us.”
At my nervous expression, he claps my back with his hand. “Dude, don’t worry. I’ll keep the charm at a minimum. I’m not trying to make her fall in love with me.”
I shrug his hand off my back and roll my eyes. I’ll let him think that’s what was worrying me and not the fact that this will be the first time Bruce will see me and Amber together as a married couple—and he might be the most perceptive one in the bunch.
Bruce follows me through the garage and into the kitchen where Farrah is pulling a fresh batch of muffins out of the oven. How early did she wake up this morning? She’s still in her pink plaid pajama shorts and an oversized tee. Farrah’s long, dark hair is tossed up in a messy bun, which seems to be her new thing.
She smiles at me, and her eyes go round and wide when she notices Bruce trailing behind me. Probably because she didn’t realize anyone had joined me for my workout.
Amber comes down the stairs holding Nella and smiles at us. Thankfully, she changed into navy blue leggings and a floral top that flows around her as she walks.
“Do we have company?” she asks, pausing to give Nella a kiss on her head. Nella coos, in a better mood now that she’s been fed.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice coming out breathy from how pretty she looks. Calming down before talking to her about the texts was a good plan. I feel levelheaded now and realize Amber is trustworthy and wouldn’t do anything to put Nella at risk. I have no clue what Theo was talking about, but there has to be a reasonable explanation. “Amber, this is Bruce, our starting goalie.”
She smirks, raising her eyebrows and flicking her eyes to the man behind me. I turn to see what she’s looking at and I find Bruce, in a trance. I follow his line of sight to see he’s either staring at my sister, or the muffins she’s holding.
My sister is flustered, probably because a strange man is staring at her. I wave my hand in front of Bruce’s face, and he shakes his head. “Sorry, what?”
“I was just introducing you to my wife, Amber.”
He finally turns in her direction. His mouth widens in a grin as soon as he sees Nella. “Oh, my, she’s so cute. Can I hold her?”
“I hope you’re talking about the baby.”
He snorts a laugh. “Yes, of course. Although, you’re cute too, Amber.” He winks, and ambles over, holding both hands out to Nella. She kicks her feet and Amber lets him take her out of her hands.
Bruce looks natural with a baby, being an overgrown child himself. I can’t help but smile at the joy on his face as he cradles her, baby-talking and making faces until she smiles up at him.
Amber laughs at his antics. “It’s nice to meet you, Bruce.” Then she turns her attention to me. “Looks like we found a new babysitter.”
“I will absolutely babysit,” he says. Bruce walks with Nella back toward the kitchen—and my sister. “And what’s your name? I’m Bruce. Starting goalie for the D.C. Eagles.”
My sister rolls her lips, trying not to laugh.
“That’s my married sister, Farrah,” I respond for her.
He glances down at her hands, causing me to do the same…and that’s when I notice she’s not wearing her wedding ring. What the hell.
“Farrah,” he says, like he’s testing her name on his tongue.
I glare at him, but he’s not paying attention to me.
My mother chooses that moment to come down the stairs as well. She beams at Bruce and rushes toward him, pulling him and Nella into an embrace. “Bruce!”
“Mrs. Remington, long time no see! How ya doing, babe?”
I groan. “Would you leave my mom and sister alone?”
Mom waves me off. “I see you met my adorable granddaughter.”
My eyes move to Amber, wondering how she feels about my mom referring to Nella as her granddaughter. Her face is soft as she looks at my mom. For the first time since reading those texts earlier, my heart leaps with hope. Surely she wouldn’t want Theo’s mom in Nella’s life when she already has a doting grandmother.
And even if Theo or his mom do want to be in our lives, that’s okay, I tell myself. It’s just more people to love Nella.
