by Wendy Smith
I look at Xander. “My boy.”
Xander’s eyes fill with emotion and he flings his arms around me. This is it. This is the emotional connection he needed for my relationship with his mother to be okay.
I wrap my arms around him, and do what I hope a father would—give him the comfort he needs.
“I … I don’t know what to say.” Gary stands there, his eyes wide.
“Thank you so much. His mother and I are so grateful.”
I don’t care what it takes to help this guy out. I’ll do anything after what he’s done.
“Is he going to be okay?”
I swallow hard. “I’m not sure. His mum is with him now, and we’re waiting to hear.”
“Can I sit with you?”
I gesture toward the seat. “Sure.”
He takes a seat a short distance from me, but I close my eyes and focus on Xander beside me.
I’m here for them, Scott. I always will be.
“Mr Emerson? Mrs Cooper asked for you and Xander.”
The nurse stands in front of us, and I look up.
“Thank you.”
Xander and I rise from our seats, and he takes a deep breath.
“Come on, mate. Let’s go and see your brother.”
I turn to Gary. “I’ll text you. Go home and get some rest.”
He nods. “Please. I’d like to make sure the boy’s going to be okay.”
“Sure thing.” I reach down and grip his shoulder before turning back.
We follow the nurse down the corridor until we reach a room. She opens the door for us, and I follow Xander through, nearly stopping in my tracks when I see Braden lying motionless in his hospital bed, Chloe’s hand clamped around his.
It breaks my heart, but the ECG machine beeps rhythmically beside them, and I’m more than grateful to hear the sound.
“Chloe,” I whisper.
She looks up and smiles. “Hey.”
“Mum?” Xander steps forward. “Is he okay?”
Chloe nods. “He has to have surgery shortly to relieve some pressure, and they think he’ll be fine. But we have to see what happens when he wakes up.”
“Are you okay?” My eyes are on her as Xander makes his way to the other side of the bed. I walk over to Chloe and grip her shoulder.
“No.” She leans her head on my hand. “But I’m better now you and Xander are here. Braden needs all of us.”
“I’m sorry.”
The nurse opens the door, and I move to hold it while she brings in two more chairs.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” she says.
“Thank you.”
She leaves us, and I hand one chair to Xander on the other side of the bed before carrying mine to sit next to Chloe.
“I guess our secret’s out.” She leans against me, and I kiss her temple.
“Xander and I talked about it in the waiting room. We’re cool.”
She pulls back, her eyes searching mine. “I’m glad. We need to talk.”
I take her hand in mine and squeeze. “We do. But that can wait for now.”
Her lower lip wobbles, and I press my forehead to hers. “When this is over and Braden’s back home, we’ll work it all out, Chlo.”
“I hope so.”
When I pull back, tears spill down her cheeks. I’d move heaven and earth to stop her from going through this, and I pull her into my arms and just hold her while she cries.
“Mum?” Xander rounds the bed.
She raises her head to look at him. “I’m okay. Just scared.”
“I’m sorry we lied to you. You seem like you’ve had a lot on your mind, and we didn’t want to worry you more.”
Chloe turns and brushes his hair off his face. “I always worry. We’ll talk about this later, but right now we need to focus on your brother. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He leans over and hugs her. “I’m just really sorry.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
The door opens, and the nurse enters “It’s time for us to take Braden for his surgery. You’re welcome to stay in here or wait in the waiting room. There’s a kitchen just down the corridor to your left with coffee and tea if you need it.”
I force a small smile. “Appreciate it.”
Two more nurses appear and we all move back to give them space to work, and then we’re left in an empty room and all there is to do is wait.
But we’ll wait as a family, because that’s what we are now.
Twenty-Nine
Chloe
I never got the chance to say goodbye to Scott.
I kissed him before he went to work that morning, and that’s the last time I ever saw him.
My relief when they wheeled Braden back into the room alive was overwhelming. And now he’s lying in the hospital bed, and I feel so useless.
My heart is in my throat as his chest rises and falls while we wait for him to wake up. It takes me back to when he was born, a little early, and the smaller of the two boys. Xander was younger by three minutes, and louder.
Braden was always the quiet, gentler one.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose him. It doesn’t bear thinking about. But the thought nags at me the whole time I watch over him.
“Coffee.”
I look up to see Hunter standing over me with a cupholder, and a couple of paper bags in his other hand. Xander arrives right behind him with his own drink and food.
“Thank you.”
He hands me a takeaway cup, and I take a sip and smile.
“Caramel syrup?”
“Xander tipped me off that you had a sweet tooth now. I guess there’s still a lot we have to learn about each other.”
I take another sip. “Sometimes. I have to be in the mood for it, but this is a good time.”
He holds up the bags. “I also got a sweet pastry and a savoury one for you to choose from. You need to eat.”
“The savoury one would be nice. I appreciate you taking care of me.”
Hunter leans over and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Taking care of you is my job now.”
I smile. “You’re so good at it.”
Across the room, Xander makes a sound that resembles a cat coughing up a fur ball.
“You know, when I said we were okay with you two, that didn’t mean you had to do that in front of us.”
“Do what?” Hunter laughs.
“That lovey-dovey shit.”
“You’re going to have to get used to it.”
Xander rolls his eyes. “It’s not fair.”
I laugh, placing my hand on Hunter’s chest. “All we need now is for Braden to wake up and we’ll all be happy.”
“I’m going out to get some fresh air and give you two some alone time.” Xander stands, tosses his empty chip packet into the bin, and leaves the room.
I stare at the door momentarily as it closes behind him, my heart swelling at his teenage chivalry.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Hunter asks.
“He’ll be fine as long as Braden is.”
“M … Mum?” Braden’s voice is croaky, but it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
I push myself out of the chair and stand beside the bed. “I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“You were in an accident, and you got a head injury. The doctor operated to relieve pressure, and we’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”
“Xander!” The ECG beeps quicker as Braden tries to sit up, his breathing elevated. “Is … is Xander okay?”
I lay my palm on his chest and gently coax him back down. “He’s fine. He just stepped out to get some fresh air.
He closes his eyes for a second and sucks in a few deep breaths. “What about Lincoln?”
I swallow hard.
“Mum? What happened to Lincoln?”
I bite my bottom lip. “He didn’t make it.”
“What?”
“Honey, Lincoln died. I’m so sorry.”
The door opens. “I was halfway out, and I had a feeling I should … Braden!” Hope floods Xander’s expression, and he walks toward the bed. Hunter meets him part way and offers him his arms.
I have tears of my own as the man I love becomes my child’s father in that moment.
He loves all of us.
He was right. I had to find myself before we became a family, but as of this moment, that’s what we are.
“Don’t be angry with us, Mum. Please,” Braden whispers.
“I’m not going to pretend I’m happy about you not calling me instead of getting in that car, but given that I could have lost both of you, I don’t even know what to do as far as punishment goes. I’ll just be glad to have you home.” I kiss his cheek.
“All I could think about was this is how Dad died,” Xander says. “What do we do now?”
“Braden gets better and comes home, and we move on with our lives. I’ll get you both those driving lessons you want and we’ll do this properly.”
“I can teach them to drive,” Hunter says.
He looks at me with so much love, even Braden’s eyes widen as he looks between us.
“Mum and Hunter are together,” Xander says.
Braden’s whole face lights up. “Awesome.”
“You’re happy about it?”
He nods. “I already told you I approve.”
“You did?” Hunter asks.
“After you took care of Mum that night …” His eyes widen again. “Eww.”
Hunter laughs. “Nothing happened that night.”
“Good because eww.”
I laugh, rolling my eyes at my son.
Everything’s as it should be.
Thirty
Hunter
It’s been a long night.
I haven’t paid much attention to the time, but lunch being brought in for Braden is a sign that we’ve been here all night.
Chloe looks dead on her feet, and Xander’s no different.
“Why don’t we go home and let Braden get some sleep?” I say.
Braden smiles. “Promise?”
“I don’t know …” Chloe starts.
“I’ll carry you out of here if I have to.”
Braden cocks an eyebrow. “Please. No foreplay in my hospital room.”
“Eww.” Xander laughs.
“I just want to make sure your mother gets a good sleep. She needs it.”
Braden nods. “You do have bags under your eyes, Mum.”
“Thanks.” Chloe laughs.
“Seriously, Mum, go. Come back tomorrow.”
Xander takes a step forward. “I found your phone beside the car. The screen’s smashed, but it’s still working.”
Xander hands Braden his phone.
Braden groans. “Mum …”
“We’ll get it fixed when you get out of hospital. In the meantime, have a good sleep.” Chloe leans over to press a kiss to his forehead.
“By the way. I’ve been texting that girl you like. She’s really keen to nurse you back to health.” Xander waggles his eyebrows.
“You what?” Braden’s expression drops.
“She sent you a text about an hour ago, so I replied. Sounds like word has spread about the crash.”
I look at Chloe. “Do they often pretend to be one another?”
She shakes her head and laughs. “They haven’t for a long time.”
“Thank God for that because I’m pretty sure I know which is which, but I don’t think it’d take too much to fool me.”
“We wouldn’t do that to you, Hunter,” Xander says, exchanging a grin with his brother.
“Whatever.” I ruffle his hair.
Chloe tugs on my sleeve and I turn to see the look of utter adoration written all over her face. “Let’s go home.”
Home.
I’ll need to swing by Scott’s grave sometime and apologise for moving into his dream home, because that’s what I plan to do, but I’m not going to apologise for loving Chloe.
I’d still love to see him once more and renew our friendship. Instead, I’ll make sure his family becomes mine and I’ll take care of them all.
“See you tomorrow, Braden. Good luck with the girl,” I say.
He looks up, a dazed expression on his face. “She likes me.”
Chloe’s eyes widen.
“Let’s just deal with this tomorrow.” I grab Chloe’s hand. “Catch you later, Braden. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, Hunter.”
He catches me off guard, flashing a smile that looks so much like his dad it hits me square in the chest.
“Anyway, we are going to let you have some sleep,” Chloe says.
It’s the weirdest feeling as we walk out, and I catch one last glimpse of Braden before we’re out in the corridor.
I’m just so relieved he’s safe.
Xander walks a little ahead of us, while I loop my arm around Chloe’s waist and we make our way out of the hospital and toward the car.
“Thank you for staying with us,” she says.
“There’s nowhere else I want to be.” I lean over and press a kiss into her hair.
The cool breeze that greets us outside is refreshing after being inside the hospital for so long, and I take a deep breath.
Chloe leans against me for support. She must be exhausted.
“I’ll pay for the parking,” she says.
“I’ve got it. Just get in the car.”
She shakes her head and smiles. “You’re so bossy.”
“You should be used to it by now.”
I peck her on the lips while Xander rolls his eyes again. Turning toward him, I throw him the car keys and point.
“The car’s right over there. Go and unlock it, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
He grumbles something about PDAs.
Chloe furrows her brow. “What’s a PDA?”
He rolls his eyes as if his mother belongs with the dinosaurs. “Public Display of Affection.”
“Oh.” She laughs.
I shake my head and stick my credit card in the machine to pay.
It’s time to go home.
Chloe lets out a big sigh as we walk into the kitchen.
It must be a relief to be home, even though Braden’s still back in the hospital. But in a few days, he’ll be able to join us, and I’m sure she’ll feel whole again.
“Take a seat, Chlo. I’ll cook something up for us.”
“Can we make steak and potatoes like you did that other time?” Xander asks.
I smile. He’s nowhere near as dark and sulky as he was when we first met. I hope this means he really has accepted my relationship with his mother. “Sure thing. Want to help?”
He nods.
“Get the steak out of the freezer while I make sure your mum’s off her feet.”
I follow her into the living room and peek over my shoulder to make sure Xander can’t see.
“I can find my way to the couch myself,” Chloe says.
Reaching for her arm, I turn her to face me.
Her eyes widen. “Hunter—”
I claim her mouth, tasting her coconut lip gloss and losing myself as I wrap my arms around her waist. She laughs against my lips, and I let go of a sigh when I let her up for air.
“I’ve missed that.”
“You must have. I haven’t brushed my teeth since yesterday morning.” She grins.
“You still taste like you.”
Chloe reaches up to stroke my beard. “I’ve missed you.”
“I haven’t forgotten what you told me in the car. It’s been kind of hard not to address it.” I look down at her stomach. “I’m guessing the boys don’t know yet?”
She shakes her head. “No one does. And I’m so sorry to tell you that way.”
“Don’t apologise. It doesn’t mean anything less ‘cause of the way you told me.”
Her tired smile warms my heart.
“I hope you’re okay with it.”
“Okay with it? That’s a question I should be asking you seeing as we weren’t together when you found out.”
She shrugs. “The timing could have been better, but I did always want more children.”
“Then there’s nothing more to talk about.” I reach for her hands and entwine our fingers. “As long as you really are ready for this.”
“It’s all I want.”
I kiss her again. “Me too. Take a seat and I’ll bring you some food when it’s ready.”
She flops on the couch and closes her eyes.
It takes a moment for me to turn around because all I want to do is look at her. This wasn’t how I saw our reunion happen, but this is it. I’ll feel better when Braden’s home, but this is my family now.
“Hunter,” Xander calls. “I just put the steak in the microwave to defrost.”
I grimace. Not my favourite way to do things, but he’s hungry. And, as if on cue, my stomach rumbles.
“Okay, kid, let’s get this done. Want to peel the potatoes? I’ll find the garlic and onions to go with them.”
We work quietly and quickly, side by side. Xander’s good at following instructions, and before long the kitchen’s full of the scent and sizzles of the food cooking.
He’s so much like his dad, but once he opens up it’s a sight to behold.
“Look at this.” Chloe walks up behind me and grips my shoulder.
I shake the frying pan. “We’re nearly done. Hope you’re hungry. I think Xander’s plan was to feed an army.”
“I’m starved,” Xander says.
“You’ll have to do this again when Braden’s home. He’ll be annoyed at missing out.” Chloe presses a kiss to my bicep before sitting at the table. “But it makes me happy to see the two of you working together.”
Xander and I fill three plates and he places some food in front of his mother before sitting beside her. I sit on the other side.
Before I even have time to catch my breath, he starts shovelling the potatoes into his mouth. “These are so good.”
“Well, now you know how to make them too, so you can cook for us.”
He grins. “Sounds good.”
I look over at Chloe. Sure enough, she’s picking at her plate. “What about you?”
