15 - Jessica

Jessica

The calendar never left my hand. With the boiling frustration I have been holding back, I'm afraid I might accidentally rip it apart. I told Chloe I like it so much that I want to hold it all day. It was a lie and I felt bad for lying. But it was the only way I can spare the calendar from getting horrific makeovers – as if the state it is in right now is not bad enough.

Cade came by to pick up his kids and wife. I'm pretty sure it was a relief that I've seen in his eyes when he didn't see the triplets racing toward him. Thank God, they're probably still making paper airplanes in the playroom.

No hyperactive kids. Just a sweet wife who threw her arms around his neck and kissed him in the front door.

I felt like a creep for a full minute when I stood in the hallway, watching the whole interaction between the two.

I watched when Kathie opened the door and squealed like a teenage girl at the sight of her husband. I watched Cade's poker face melted into a soft, little smile. I stood there in the hallway like an idiot, waiting for their little bubble to pop and finally take notice of me.

Cade looks over her shoulder, blue eyes acknowledging that there was someone else in their bubble. "Hi, Jess. I brought you donuts."

Just like that, I no longer feel like a creep. "You did?"

"Yes. I hope you're hungry." He showed me a box of donuts.

My face must've shown the appreciation because I heard him say, "you're welcome."

"I'll go get the kids ready." Kathie peck on his cheek and left.

Cade handed over the box, his gaze dropping to the calendar I hold against my chest. "What's going on with that?"

I took the box. "I just love this calendar. You want a donut?"

His lips twitched. "Sure."

"Let's get this into the kitchen before the kids see. They've had enough sugar."

He trailed behind me. "How's everything?"

I laid the box on the counter and opened it greedily. "Everything's fine. Everybody's keeping their hands to themselves."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm." I gestured him to join me in stuffing my face with donuts – everything either strawberry-frosted, strawberry-glazed, and strawberry-filled. "God, I love your dedication to strawberries. You should make your own strawberry farm."

"I hope you don't mind. The donut place always gives me my usual." He picked up a strawberry-glazed donut and took a graceful bite. Back when I didn't know him well, I would've never pegged him as someone with a ginormous sweet tooth.

"Oh, no worries. This is one of the things that don't surprise me anymore."

"So, everything good then? Nothing 'not-good' in particular?" He takes another delicate bite.

I propped my hand on my waist, somehow getting the sense of where this conversation was heading. "I won't try to get into your brother's pants."

He choked but recovered quickly. "Wasn't the 'particular' I was thinking." He adjusted his glasses as they have slipped a little from when he coughed.

I scrunched my nose. "Sorry. I thought that's what you meant. That's all everybody's worried about. Anyways, it's out there. You have my word. I'm not 'boning' your brother."

He choked again. This time it took him a minute to recover. He walked toward the fridge, finding water glasses with ease. By the time he wasn't coughing anymore, we heard thunderous little footsteps coming straight to the kitchen.

The triplets came barreling toward Cade. I smiled, recalling something in my childhood that might resemble the same thing. Coming up empty-handed, I turned away.

Matthew appeared in the doorway. I forgot all about the reminiscing and put myself face to face to the problem I'm holding close to my chest. His gaze flitted to the calendar then scooted back to my face, confusion on his face.

Then I gave him a we-have-a-problem look to answer his silent question. Not sure if he understood it though because he was still confused. Ice built up in the pit of my stomach. It never had the chance to melt even after Kathie and her family left. As we waved them goodbye from the porch, I took a quick glance at Matthew who had a grinning Miles in his arms.

After seeing their car disappear around the bend, Matthew laid him back to his feet. Our godchild rushed back inside the house because it was time for his favorite cartoon show.

Matthew turned to me, concern in his eyes. "Jessica, is everything all right?"

I gulped down the lump forming in my throat. "We have, um, a situation." I slowly showed him the calendar.

I expected horror or anything close to Fuck-What-the-hell-happened-to-the-stupid-calendar? expression. There was none of it. Not even a little. There's only calmness. "I'm sorry, Jessica. I should've been watching Chloe. We can work it out."

My jaw dropped. Out of surprise and out of fascination. It might have been the first in a really long while that I hear a man claim responsibility for a mistake. Hell, it wasn't even his mistake in the first place. He was preoccupied with Kyle, Coby, and Miles. Besides, I know from experience that juggling the three of them together is hard labor.

I was about to say something but his phone rings. He took his out of his pocket and looked at me. "It's Audrey."

I bit down my lip. "Oh, crap. Don't tell her anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we can work this out." Hearing the words coming out of my mouth felt weird. I sound... mature and responsible.

Matthew regarded me for a second more and then nodded. He answers the phone, answering Audrey's question honestly. And then he had to take the phone to Miles, so we headed back inside. While Miles was talking to his parents, we stood by the doorway, hoping the other knows how to figure this out.

"What do you think? Do you remember which your tasks are?" I asked.

He leans against the doorframe. "No. I don't think I remember?"

I look down at the calendar and sighed. "We're a mess at parenting."

He chuckled.

My eyes snapped back to his face.

Matthew was far from troubled. Plus, this is the first time I heard him made that sound. Mostly it was just silence between us. Well, until now.

"It's our first time so, we mustn't be hard on ourselves." He shrugs.

I rested my back against the doorframe. "What do we do?"

He slid a hand in his pocket, his brows slightly creasing with thought. "We can do the tasks together."

I gaped.

"But only if you're comfortable with it," he continues.

"Are you sure about that?" My chest thudded.

Matthew nods. "Yes. I mean, isn't that what co-parenting means?"

I felt like a jerk for not thinking the same thing. That I relied on the separated tasks we had on a calendar, hoping it will keep us miles from each other and completely disregarding the meaning of co-parenting.

"Oh. Yeah. Are you sure about this though?" I chewed on my lip nervously.

"Sure. It can't be that bad. We've let this awkwardness linger long enough."

I nod. "Okay."

I stared at him, intrigued by his sense of dependability. That after all our awkwardness he resorted to doing things together.

And as I look down at the calendar, the first thing that we'll be doing together is wrapping a gift for Miles' friend whose birthday is in three days. Audrey ordered personalized ballet shoes for said friend and will arrive tomorrow. If I'm not mistaken, this is the girl Miles had been crushing so hard on.

Hi, lovelies! Happy reading. And give this chapter some love. Love you!