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We were quiet for the rest of the drive to her father’s. I sensed Everly’s nerves kicking up with each mile we covered.
At her dad’s house, I parked out front. As we got out of the car, her father opened the door and stood on the porch.
“You’re here,” he said, holding his arms open for Everly.
She’d mentioned her mother wasn’t able to give out affection. I hoped her father made up for that.
I stood back with Wren, letting them have their moment. I felt a little emotional at the idea of ever leaving Wren. It just wasn’t something that was in my DNA.
Her father nodded toward me. “This is your fiancé?”
“Sorry,” Everly said as she stepped back. “This is Harrison and his daughter, Wren. This is my father, Bill.”
Her father shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m glad you were there for my girl when I wasn’t.”
“I’m just glad you’re here now.” An understanding passed between us. I’d taken care of Everly, and I’d continue to do so, but her father needed to step into his role too. She needed a parent, especially since she was most likely going to cut her mother loose.
His grip strong, he assured me, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Satisfied he understood, I released his hand.
He waved us in. “My kids are eager to meet you.”
Everly took a deep breath and reached for my hand. I could only hope this went well for her. I assumed her father wouldn’t have scheduled it if his children weren’t okay with it. Hopefully, they weren’t harboring any bad feelings or resentments. Everly was the victim in this situation.
Inside, Bill introduced me and Wren to his wife, Sarah, and then all of us to his kids, Kenneth and Andrea. They were seventeen and fifteen.
Kenneth reluctantly stuck around for a few minutes of small talk before asking to play video games in the basement. Bill gave him a look but let him go. I wasn’t concerned. I thought it was a good sign he wasn’t upset about Everly being here.
Andrea was more excited about having a sister. She sat next to Everly, asking her about makeup and the clothes she liked to wear. When Everly showed her the fairy-tale invitation she was working on, Andrea asked if she’d look at her artwork. Apparently, she did watercolors.
I followed Bill and Sarah into the kitchen, helping them set the table and get dinner ready. They were nice people and seemed genuinely pleased to have Everly in their lives. It was what I wanted for her.
We ate dinner together with promises to see them again soon. Everly exchanged phone numbers with Andrea, and I hoped they’d form a special bond.
On the way home, Wren asked, “Do you think I’ll have another sister or brother?”
“Are you eager for another one?” I asked her, thinking of Duncan.
“Everly would be a good mom,” Wren said wistfully.
Everly twisted in her seat to see her better. “Aw. Thank you, sweetheart. I want that more than anything.”
“You do?” It wasn’t something we’d discussed recently. She used to say she didn’t want kids because her mother was a poor example.
Everly shifted in her seat so she faced the front again. “I want to create my own family. Over the last few months, I realized that I’m not my mother, and I get to choose how I see the world, how I react to it, and how I go forward.”
“I’m so proud of you. You’re not your mother.” I reached over to hold her hand. I was so proud that she’d realized she wasn’t to blame for how she was raised. “You’ll be an amazing mother.”
Later, when Wren had her headphones over her ears, Everly asked, “Do you want more kids?”
I smiled at her. “I’d love to have more, and I know Wren will be the best big sister.”
“That’s good to know. But there’s something I’ve been wondering about. Would you have proposed so soon if it weren’t for the pressure of the custody case?”
“I’ve thought about that quite a bit, and logically, I’d say no. That we wouldn’t have moved in together as soon as we did, so the progression would have been slower. But then I thought, I would have said we couldn’t move in together until we were engaged. So, that would have moved up the timeline. I think our relationship would have played out the same way as soon as we realized what we had in each other. And don’t forget, there was no pressure when I proposed. Jackson had said to wait to file for custody. He hadn’t said anything about a ring since that first meeting.”
I looked over at Everly, whose eyes were soft. “I love that.”
