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She nods but remains silent.
“But once I do, I have no idea how he’ll react. He’ll probably lose his mind.”
She bites her lip and sits up straight again. “We never made it legal for a reason, Cat,” she reminds me. “I think you and I always knew this day would come.”
“No,” I counter. “You will always be her mother.”
She stands and rounds her desk, then drops into the chair beside me. “So will you. It’s different,yes.But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. The more people who love Chloe, the more she has in her corner, the better. That’s all we could ever want, right?” she asks, squeezing my hand.
How this woman manages to maintain her calm even in a situation like this is beyond me. This is why I chose her all those years ago. She’s fearless in a storm. Since the beginning, she’s had my back, and that gives me the strength to believe that we can make this work.
I nod, my throat growing thick.
“And for the record, you have that too. You have me. You have Soph and Dex. Your brothers, Chloe. And I think you know in your heart of hearts that you have Jay too.”
“I’m scared, Cyn. I’m scared to want it. To even believe that it could be possible,” I whisper.
“Well, buckle up, because whether you’re scared or not, it’s happening. You have to tell Jay the truth and trust that he’ll do the right thing.”
“And you’re okay with that? Him being a father to her? If that’s what he and Chloe want?”
She smiles wide and lets out a long breath. “God, yes. I stepped in when you needed me, and I’ll always do that. I love Chloe, and I love you. Always will. And I’ll always be a part of your lives. But if Jay wants to be a father, if Chloe wants to call him Dad and she wants to call you Mom, I’m 100 percent okay with it all. Like I’ve told you time and again, she’s already got two moms.She’s always had two moms. More parents are good. More love is good. Let her have that, baby.”
Tears well in my eyes. It appears that last night’s waterworks weren’t a one-time thing.
“I really appreciate you,” I whisper.
Cynthia has been like a mother to me for most of my adult life. If I can’t have my own mother, then this woman is the next best thing.
She smiles as she pulls me in for a hug. “I really appreciate you too. I’m glad you’ll have the weekend to talk to Jay. And I’m looking forward to spending some time in New York with Chloe. I think she is too.”
“Oh, she definitely is. She hasn’t stopped talking about how you’re taking her to Sienna Langfield’s shop.”
Sienna came on to the fashion scene last year. Her designs are absolutely flawless, and quite frankly, I’m jealous that Chloe and Cynthia are meeting her without me.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to that visit too. Maybe I’ll see if we can get a few of the designs from her spring collection in our Christmas preview.”
“Are you going to miss doing the Christmas edition?” I tease, needing a change in topic to ease the burn behind my eyes.
Cynthia gives a knowing smile. “I have a feeling the new editor and chief will do a wonderful job.”
“Oh yeah. When’s that announcement going to be made?”
“Just worry about this weekend. Everything will happen when it’s meant to.”
As I stand to leave, Chloe appears in the door with a Balenciaga scarf in her hand.
Cynthia tips her head back and huffs at the ceiling. “What is that?”
Chloe smiles. “Aunt Soph gave it to me. Dexter said the color works marvelously with my eyes.” She bats her lashes at us dramatically, sending us into a fit of girlish giggles.
“Oh my God. We’ve created a monster,” I tease.
“Can I have a snack before we leave?” Chloe asks.
“Yeah, I’ll find something in the staff room. Want to watch something on my computer until your mom is ready to go?” I ask.
“I’m wrapping things up. I shouldn’t be more than half an hour,” Cynthia says, making her way around her desk again. “Then we can get going.”
