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“He’s sleeping,” he reminded me. “You gonna keep being this annoying?”
My head snapped toward him, ready to argue, but then I saw his grin. Lifting my hand, I smacked his shoulder and chuckled. “Shut up.”
I’d just turned to stare out the window when he spoke again. “How was your appointment?”
For a moment, I wondered how he knew I was in to see Kat, except that he had been there when she handed me the appointment card. “It was good. I don’t have to see her for a month now, at least not for that. She said she wants to stop by and see Wyatt, though.”
“Good,” he replied, and I had no idea which part he was referring to or maybe all of it.
We pulled into the driveway, and he put my Jeep in park before we both pushed open our doors and hopped out. I opened the back door and saw Wyatt was still fast asleep.
I glanced up at Race. “Do you think we should just sit out here until he wakes up?”
“Becs, he ate before we picked him up. I have a feeling he’s going to sleep for hours.”
I frowned. “I don’t want to wake him up.”
“I think he’ll be fine.” He gestured toward the townhouse. “Go unlock the door and shut off the alarm. I’ll get him.”
“Okay.” I nodded, but I hesitated, still unsure.
“Trust me,” he said.
Nodding, I unlocked the front door and had just turned off the alarm when Race walked through the open doorway. He carried Wyatt inside and put his carrier on the island counter. I took off the blanket covering him and looked at the thermostat. It was November, which meant it was a little chilly outside, so he was dressed warm, but he was still so small.
“Maybe I should turn up the heat.”
Race grinned and took my hand. “Okay, we need to talk.”
“Why?” I asked, but I followed him to the couch and sat down.
He laid our hands, still linked together, on his knee and watched me closely. “We were both there this morning when the doctor told us he’s fine. He’s healthy. And he’s a fucking Pierce, so he’s gonna do what he’s gonna do, and we’ll just follow his lead.”
I knew he was right. I just felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but the doctor had explained all first-time moms feel this way. He also recommended a book I could read to make me feel more at ease, but while he talked, all I could think about was my mom. She would’ve known what to do. She always did.
Race studied me. “What’s goin’ on inside your head?”
I rolled my lips, unsure of how much I wanted to admit, but Kat told me it would help to talk about it. About her. I never did because it hurt so much, but that was exactly why I was struggling now. “Just wish my mom was here.”
“She is.” He lifted his hand and wrapped it around my neck. “She already taught you everything you need to know.”
I smiled slowly. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You always know exactly what to say.”
He snorted. “Not always.” He ran his fingertips over the smooth silver bands around my fingers. “You wear these all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without them on.”
“They were my mom’s.” I swallowed hard when tears threatened. “It’s all I have left of her.” Lifting my hand, I ran it along my forehead and continued to stare at the rings I never took off. “The day she died, Bear asked me if I wanted anything, and the only thing that mattered to me were these rings. My dad gave them to her over the years.” I pointed at the silver one I wore on the ring finger of my right hand. “This one was her wedding band. She told me once that Dad wanted to buy her one with diamonds on it, but she didn’t want that. She didn’t like flashy jewelry. She wanted jewelry that meant something, so my dad actually had this made.” I pointed at what appeared to be swirling lines etched on the band. “You see these lines?”
“Yeah.”
“If you follow them, they’re actually two J’s that connect. John and Janet.” I exhaled heavily and pointed at the ring I wore on my middle finger. “This was the ring he bought for her when Jamie was born, and the two on my other hand were when Bear and I were born. The only color on them is the thin line around the middle that matches the color of each of our birthstones.” I nodded and sniffed. “She never took these off. And neither will I.” I looked up and wiped the tear from my cheek. “They had the perfect love story. They just got it, you know? They knew what it meant to have each other.” I glanced down at my rings again. “After my dad was killed, my mom just stopped living. It was like she had nothing without him and nothing left to live for.”
“She had you and Bear.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his. “It wasn’t the same for her. Can you imagine loving someone so much that you couldn’t stand to live in a world without them?” I shrugged. “I honestly believe if cancer hadn’t killed her, she would’ve died from heartbreak.” I sighed. “For a long time, I couldn’t understand that, and I was mad at her.”
