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I poured myself a finger of good, Irish whiskey from the bar at the back of the room. It hit just right when I sipped it and closed my eyes to let it linger for a time before bringing it down in a slow swallow.
It was exactly what I needed.
Whiskey in hand, I reached for the stereo remote and turned on the huge surround-sound setup. I scanned through Spotify and settled on some jazz, a little lively Herbie Hancock to set the cocktail hour vibe.
I didn’t get through even one song before my phone buzzed and I realized I was still wearing a white coat from the hospital. I took the phone out as I shrugged off the coat, tossing it onto the back of the couch and checking the screen.
The number wasn’t in my contacts. I answered it anyway.
“Dr. McMurray.”
It was Sadie.
My stomach tensed at the sound of her voice. All I wanted was to be there with her and the babies.
“Sadie.” I cleared my throat. “What’s the craic? And how did you get my number?”
“Got it from Dad. They came in to see the kids.”
I scanned my memory, trying to think of when I’d given Jack my number. Whenever it had happened, it was a long time back.
Tension took hold. Had something happened? Had she cracked and told her mom and dad the truth?
“Of course.” I kept my voice calm. The last thing I wanted to do was make her anxious. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I thought I wanted some alone time, but I miss the babies already.”
I smiled. “That’s part of being a parent. There’s going to be plenty of times you’re going to feel upset when they are away from you.”
“Yeah. Exciting and scary all at the same time, you know?” I could sense she just wanted to talk.
“Parenthood summed up. Let me tell you this – you’ll never have another boring day in your life.”
“Good to hear.” Silence followed. “And I wanted to say thanks again.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. For being you, I guess. This is the weirdest, most surreal thing I’ve ever been through. And even though I know the circumstances aren’t ideal, it’s still really nice to know you’re there.”
It felt damn fine to hear.
“I am. No matter what happens, I’m here for you and the babes. We’re going to get through this, and I’m going to be by your side the whole time.”
“Thanks… I really needed to hear those words.”
“I mean them.” After I spoke, I looked around the room, unable to ignore how stupidly big and empty my house was. “Say…where are you staying these days?”
“Where am I staying? The little apartment over my parents’ garage.”
“How big is it?”
“Hmm, small. Six-hundred square feet, maybe?”
“You serious? You’re going to go back to that small of a place with twins?”
“I mean, it’s notthatbad. My parents’ house is right there, so it’s not like I’m stuck. But I guess that apartment’s going to feel a lot smaller with the twins there.”
“I’ve got an idea. My place is far too big for one man. If you want, you’re more than welcome to stay here with the twins.”
