Prologue
Law
Caitlyn sat at the counter, feet up on the bottom rung of the high-backed barstool, her dark auburn hair up in a messy bun on the top of her head, a frown on her beautiful face. I was glad at least one of our children had inherited her hair; Marlie was the spitting image of her mother. She noticed me as I wandered closer, and her expression smoothed out.
“Hey. Kids asleep?”
I nodded and leaned against the counter opposite her. “Tristan and Marlie are down for the count. I told Harper she could have thirty more minutes with her book, but her eyes were drooping before I even made it downstairs. I have no doubt she’ll be out before her time’s up.” I noticed the half-full wine glass. I thought she’d been charting since she was staring at her laptop, but she’d never do that while drinking. I tapped the top of the screen. “What’s up?”
For a few seconds, she didn’t say anything. Then with one hand she picked up the wine, and with the other, she spun the laptop to face me. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing, and I skimmed through the email she had up on thescreen. My eyes nearly bugged out, and I went back to the top and read it through more carefully. When I was done, I looked up at her.
“How long have they been courting you?”
She shrugged one delicate shoulder, and her lips quirked up, just a hint, at the corner. Tristan did the same thing and I often wondered if he picked up the expression from her or if it was her genes coming through.
“A while. I didn’t think they were serious, but then…” She sipped the wine, then used the glass to gesture at the computer. “That.”
Thatwas an incredibly generous offer with a whole lot of benefits. To move across the country and be the head of cardiothoracic surgery at a prestigious hospital in Boston. I took a few seconds to really let that news absorb and to process my thoughts and feelings.
“First, let me just say I’m so proud of you. Head of the department? While being a thirty-seven-year-oldwoman? That doesn’t happen, and it’s amazing. You deserve it.”
Caitlyn chuckled, a little warmth coming back into her eyes. “Thank you.”
I winked at her. “How long have you been sitting on this?”
She squinted one eye. “A couple of days. I had to think about it.”
Of course she did. It was her dream, and I knew it. She’d worked so hard to get here, and the woman’s intelligence knew no bounds. It was one of the things that first drew me to her, when we met in that bar over a decade ago. She was gorgeous, sure, and that caught my eye. But she was so freaking smart, ambitious, and passionate, that I fell hard and fast. She was something of a prodigy in her specialty and I’d always been proud of that. But there was more at play now, so it wasn’t as easy to chase her dream.
“What do you want to do?”
Caitlyn was quiet for a long few minutes, and I let her be, not pushing for an answer. I knew her better than that. She was sorting out her words, trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say, and how to say it.
“I love our children,” she began, tone measured.
“I know that,” I assured her.
“But between the two of us, you’re the nurturing parent. And I’m the one that shows up at soccer games.”
I laughed softly. “You do more than that.”
Caitlyn tipped her head, acknowledging that. But I got what she meant. From the moment our oldest had been born, Caitlyn and I had fallen into a bit of role reversal. At least as far as traditional standards went. She was the breadwinner who was out of the house for most of the day, and I was the one who cared for the kids, cooked and cleaned, did doctor’s appointments and school drop off and pick up. I was the one the kids ran to when they needed comfort. Cait was the one they babbled their day to or showed off their cool new trick. We’d never been hung up on it, Cait and I, because it worked for us.
Children had never been something she wanted. Perhaps it was because her own parents weren’t that nurturing to begin with, that she never felt the desire to have her own kids. Harper had been a surprise, and after discussing all the options, Caitlyn had decided to keep the baby and we got married. Marlie had been planned three years later, and Tris another surprise three years after that.
I knew, deep in my soul, that she didn’t regret our kids. That she loved them and wanted the best for them, and that she wouldneverdo anything to hurt them. It was why we still lived in the same house even though we realized we had fallen out of love with each other, separated, and were in the process of getting a divorce. But she wasn’t the most maternal woman, andthis offer was too good to pass up. Even though she didn’t say the actual words, I understood that she would go and I would stay with the children.
“Law?”
“Yeah?”
“I want this.” She took a big breath and let it out slowly. “I want this so badly I can taste it. They want me to start in the new year, since my contract is up at the end of this one. And it means starting to take trips soon, to schmooze and meet and greet and get things rolling. Can we make this work?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Of course we can. The trips will get the kids used to Mom being gone for long stretches. We’ll plan vacations with us coming to see you. And our kiddos are resilient.”
Caitlyn reached out and snagged my hand, squeezing tightly. “Just like that, huh? You’re always so supportive, Law. It’s a gift.”
I smiled, flipped my hand over, and gripped her fingers. “We might be getting a divorce, Cait, but you’re still my best friend. Of course I support you. And this?” I pointed at the laptop with my free hand. “This is an opportunity you can’t pass up. I won’t let you. There’s plenty we need to figure out about how it’s going to work. But you make enough to fly us, and yourself, back and forth. The kids can video call you on their tablets. You won’t be living downstairs in the in-law suite anymore, but we’ll find our new normal. Chase your dreams, Dr. Caldwell.”
