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Their looks of uneasiness had gone straight to my heart. Still, they’d let me in, and I did my best to comfort them.
I didn’t know how long we sat together on the ground before West appeared. The relief in his eyes had been palpable. And seeing him hold the twins close had brought tears to my eyes. The three of them were everything I never knew I wanted, and I would probably lose them.
Because I wouldn’t be the reason West lost custody of his children.
I tried to leave, but West convinced me to be a part of their group hug, even asking me to stay.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say we should talk in private, but then he whispered for my ears only, “Don’t even try to say this is your fault. I’m fighting for us, Emmy. Please stay. I love you.”
At his words, a long-buried dream of finding someone to love me and be loved in return rushed forth. After so many years of thinking I’d never get that, never be so happy I felt I would burst, my knees went weak.
But the arms of West, Avery, and Wyatt kept me upright.
And I hugged them all the harder.
This was where I belonged.
It would take a leap of faith and a whole lot of stubbornness. Maybe even a little optimism. But this time, I wouldn’t run or hide or try to rationalize something away. I would fight with West because losing him was unimaginable.
So I whispered back, “I love you too.”
Then he surprised me by moving his head and kissing me, right in front of his kids.
Avery and Wyatt noticed and moved back. Avery cheered, which should’ve made me want to stop. But West hugged me tighter, kissed me for another few seconds, and then laid his forehead against mine. “Then we fight this together?”
I couldn’t stop smiling, even knowing the road ahead wouldn’t be easy. “Yes, together.”
I stepped back and glanced at Avery and Wyatt, who were both grinning. They rushed at me and hugged me.
Avery said, “Wyatt was right! He said Daddy loved Emmy. But I wish you would’ve told us sooner.”
I met Wyatt’s eyes, and he shrugged. “It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
I laughed. “Are you sure you’re only ten?”
Avery said, “We’ll be eleven soon.”
“So you will be. As for why we didn’t say anything sooner, your dad and I needed to be sure. That’s all. Sometimes people don’t fit together as well as they thought they would, and it’s hard when it doesn’t work out.”
Wyatt nodded. “Like with our mom.”
The way he said it so matter-of-factly broke my heart a little.
But I pushed the feeling aside and hugged each of them tighter against me.
I glanced at West, unsure of what to do next. He reached out a hand to cup my cheek a beat before speaking to his kids. “Let’s go home and get you two into bed. We can talk more about this in the morning.”
Avery asked, “Will you come over for breakfast, Emmy?”
Brushing some hair off Avery’s face, I nodded. “I can, yes.”
She leaned into my touch and yawned. “Maybe tomorrow you can also help us make another bedtime story.”
“We’ll see, Avery. We’ll see.”
Wyatt asked quietly, “We’ll be able to stay with you, Dad, right? I don’t want to live with Grandma and Grandpa. I like it here.”
West gripped his son’s shoulder and squeezed. “I won’t lie—it might be tough while I deal with your grandparents. But just know there’s no way I’m letting anyone take you from me. Ever. Do you believe me?”
