Chapter 70
Colby
I look down at Gracie Louise Faraday cradled in my arms and my heart melts the way it always does when I behold her singular loveliness.
“Does she look any closer to falling asleep?” Kat whispers, sounding exhausted. She’s sprawled on her couch in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, her head thrown back like she’s waiting for a dude with palm fronds and grapes to arrive. Meanwhile, I’m circling Kat’s cavernous living room, my colicky three-month-old niece in my arms, trying to coax her to sleep so her ragged and weary mother won’t have a nervous breakdown.
“I don’t think she’s gonna fall asleep,” I say. “She’s still fussing. How would I know if she’s getting closer to falling asleep?”
“Her eyelids start to flutter and then she forces them open like a drowsy truck driver. Is she doing that?”
“No. She’s staring at me like I’ve got four heads. Are you sure she needs sleep? Maybe she’s hungry.”
“No, she just ate a ton right before you got here. And before that, she was awake for a long time. She just fights sleep. She’s just like me. She never wants to miss the party.”
We both chuckle.
“It’s amazing how much she looks like you, Kat,” I say, staring down at Gracie’s cranky little face. “For the first two months, I could see some Faraday in there, but, now, she’s pure, unadulterated Katherine Ulla Morgan. Ah, there she goes. Her eyelids are fluttering.”
“Thank you, Baby Jesus.”
I bounce Gracie with a little more enthusiasm until, finally, her eyelids flutter closed and stay that way. “And... scene.”
“Yay,” Kat says softly. “You’re my knight in shining armor, Cheese. When she gets super colicky like that, Josh usually takes over so I won’t lose my mind. He’s the Gracie-whisperer.”
“Where is he, again?”
“Colorado with Jonas. They’re looking at some more gyms to buy. He’ll be home tomorrow night.” She motions to a chair. “Take off a load. It’s been a while since we’ve chatted one-on-one. I want to hear about all the things.”
I sit in an armchair, cradling my sleeping niece in my arms. “How do you not sit here all day long and just watch her sleep? She’s mesmerizing.”
“I do, actually.” Kat laughs. “Half my day is spent sitting here, staring at her. That and videotaping her every gurgle.”
We both stare at Gracie for a long moment.
“Now I see why Mom loves us the way she does,” Kat says. “I always assumed Mom loves all of us the way we love her, but now I see it’s totally different from this side. My love for Gracie is literally everything.”
I smile at my sister. I thought it’d be weird to see my sister as a mother. Indeed, I had my doubts she’d take to it, to be honest. But now that Gracie’s here, it’s plain to see motherhood is the most natural thing in the world for my big-hearted little sister.
“So enough about my sweet little baby,” Kat says. “Tell me about you. What’s new?”
“Nothing much,” I say. “Just living the dream.” I’m not being sarcastic about that, by the way. Living with Lydia and the kids has been a dream come true. Best four months of my life. I give Kat a brief rundown of the small but happy goings-on in my life. I tell her Lydia’s finally gained enough seniority at work to no longer work weekends, which has been great for the kids. I tell her about Beatrice’s new infatuation with dinosaurs. Theo’s band. Izzy’s latest dance recital.
“And how’s Ralph handling his new digs?” Kat asks. “Does he love having three constant playmates or does he feel like he needs doggie therapy?”
“Ralph feels like he died and went to doggie heaven.”
“And work’s going well?” Kitty asks.
“Better than ever,” I say.
It’s the truth. I finally went back to work almost three months ago, permanently assigned to the main firehouse near Lydia’s place, rather than my old stomping grounds closer to my condo—which makes perfect sense, seeing as how I live at Lydia’s place now. “Oh, the sale of my condo went through last week,” I say. “And I made a mint on it.”
“Awesome,” Kat says. “I’m thrilled at how everything has worked out for you.”
“I’m thrilled, too.”
Honestly, I pinch myself every day about the way things have worked out for me. I thought becoming the co-head-of-household for a family of five would make me rich metaphorically but poor literally. And I was fully willing to make that tradeoff, by the way. But the reality of the situation couldn’t be further from that. These days, I’m rich in all ways a man can be. Thanks to the sale of my condo, I no longer have a monthly mortgage payment and I was able to pay off my truck with some of the proceeds of the sale. Which means the two major financial obligations of my life evaporated overnight. And then stayed that way. Because, glory be, much to my surprise, it turned out Lydia owns both her house and car outright, completely free and clear, thanks to Darren’s life insurance and death benefits. So that means there’s no rent or mortgage payment for me to help with at Lydia’s place, even if I wanted to do it.
At the end of the day, even factoring in the kids’ expenses—their clothes and toys and guitar and dance lessons and princess dresses and whatnot—there’s still way more money sitting in my bank account at the end of each month these days than there ever was when I was a single firefighter going after the American Dream on my own. In short, everything about my life in every single way, physically, romantically, professionally, sexually, financially, emotionally, spiritually... it’s all awesome. And that’s what I tell my sister, in essence. That I couldn’t be happier, top to bottom, in every conceivable way.
Kat beams a huge smile at me. “So does that mean you’ve stopped having nightmares about that thing?”
“Which thing?”
“The thing where the guy tried to shoot you in the head and wound up getting his own head blown off right in front of you.”
“Oh, that.”
As it turned out, Lydia was right as rain: there was no way to keep news of that incident from my family. That same day, the local news covered the story, naming me as a “hero” and mentioning I was the same guy who’d raced into that burning house to save a baby earlier this year. So, of course, some friend of my mother’s saw the news story and called my mom and that was that. The cat was out of the bag. Of course, Mom was pissed I hadn’t told her about the incident myself, but I blamed it on the concussion and all was forgiven.
“I haven’t had a nightmare about that in a while,” I say. “I only got nightmares about that for the first few weeks. Hardly even a blip.” I look down at Gracie in my arms and the anxiety I’m suddenly feeling about that horrible, awful day evaporates into thin air.
“You look so natural holding her,” Kat says. “Do you think you and Lydia will add to your brood?”
I stare at Gracie’s long eyelashes. Her rosebud lips. Her fat little cheeks. “Yeah, I hope so. If I get my way, we’ll add two. Bring my brood to five kids, just like the Morgans.”
Kat’s face lights up. “Aw, Colby. That’d be amazing.”
“Living with Lydia and the kids, baby fever has been hitting me like a ton of bricks lately. I’m worse than Rum Cake these days.”
“Impossible.”
“It’s true.”
“That’s hard to believe. Ryan’s pretty baby-crazed.”
I laugh. “Okay, so maybe Rum Cake and I are tied. All I know is Bea and Izzy have been calling me Daddy lately and it’s flipped some primal switch inside me. I want more.”
“Is Lydia okay with the girls calling you Daddy?”
“Yeah. Bea called me Daddy one day, out of the blue, and I was like, ‘No, no,’ and then Lydia goes, ‘It’s okay. You are her daddy. She’s got two daddies. The one who made her and the one who’s raising her.’”
“Wow. I just got a chill.”
“I know, right? It gave me chills when Lydia said it. She’s so amazing.”
“Theo doesn’t call you Daddy?”
“No, he calls me Colby. And that feels right with him. But you should hear the way he says it. It’s like he’s saying Superman.”
Kat sighs. “Oh my gosh. That boy slays me.”
“Me, too. He’s my boy.”
“Does Lydia know you want a couple babies?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been begging her to get her IUD taken out. I’m ready. We’re not spring chickens.”
“What did Lydia say about having babies?”
“‘Put a ring on it and then we’ll talk.’”
We both laugh.
“So I assume you’re going to put a ring on it, then?” Kat asks.
“Fuck yes. That’s why I dropped by unannounced on you, actually. I picked up the ring an hour ago and I wanted to get your expert female opinion on it.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Kat says brightly. She sits up and puts out her hand. “Gimme.”
“Hang on. Just remember I’ve never picked out an engagement ring before. For me, it’s not about doing it ‘right.’ I just went with my heart. If it’s not, you know, perfect cut or clarity or whatever I’m supposed to—”
“Colby.” Kat rolls her eyes. “Just give me the bling.”
“I’m nervous.”
“Why the heck didn’t you take Mom ring shopping with you if you’re so nervous about it? She helped both Josh and Ryan pick out the absolute perfect rings.”
“I know. No shade to anyone else, I just wanted to do it myself. But now that I’ve done it myself, I’m scared to death I screwed the pooch.”
Kat laughs. “Oh my God. Just show me the damned ring, Cheese Ball.”
My stomach clenching with nerves, I shift Gracie in my arms and pull out the ring box from my pocket. “Just remember I had a much more limited budget than Josh, obviously, but also Ryan. Ryan’s been killing it lately.”
“Dude. Stop being a wanker and show me the ring.”
I place the box in my sister’s palm and she eagerly opens it.
“It’s perfect,” Kat gushes and I let out the longest exhale of my life.
“Really?”
“Really. Colby, you couldn’t have picked anything better for Lydia. It’s absolutely her.”
I rake my hand through my hair. “Thank God. I know absolutely nothing about diamonds, but I saw it and it screamed Lydia to me so I just went with it.”
“She’s going to lose her mind. Honestly, I’m shocked at the size of the diamond. How big is that?”
“Just over two carats.”
“What? Holy Hope Diamond, Batman!”
I laugh. “Dude, don’t patronize me. Your ring looks like it burped my ring out after eating chili-cheese fries.”
Kat giggles and glances down at the Rock of Gibraltar on her hand. “We can’t compare my ring and Lydia’s. Mine isn’t within the realm of civilized society. Joshua William Faraday doesn’t do normal.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
“Seriously, though, Mr. Firefighter, how were you able to get Lydia a rock like that? It’s gorgeous.”
“The sale of my condo. I’m putting most of the proceeds into a college fund for the kids, but I figured it would be justifiable to use a little off the top for two splurges: paying off my truck and getting Lydia the kind of engagement ring she deserves. She never had one with Darren. She found out she was pregnant when they were about to graduate college and they got hitched a couple weeks later down at city hall. I wanted her to get the full-on fairytale this time around.”
Kat looks at me adoringly. “Oh, Colby. You’re the sweetest man who ever lived, you know that?” She touches her chest. “You physically hurt my heart with your sweetness, Colby Morgan.”
“I’m not all that sweet. Lydia’s just worth it.”
“By the way, I feel like I should tell you something, even though it’s a huge secret and I’m not allowed to tell anyone yet. You don’t need to put a dime aside for the kids’ education. Josh is going to cover all their college expenses.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
She nods. “That’s what he said.”
“Josh said he’s going to cover Theo’s and Izzy’s and Bea’s college educations?”
“Well, no. Not specifically like that. But when we found out about Baby Rum Cake baking in the oven last week, Josh said our baby gift to them will be paying for their kid’s college education. Every dime. Tuition. Living expenses. The whole nine yards.”
“What?”
“And then he picked up his phone right then and there and called his lawyer or whoever and repeated the same thing to him. And that was that. The thing is already funded, apparently. But that’s Josh for you. He says something and then he does it. He said by the time Baby Rum Cake is ready for college, his or her trust fund will have well over three hundred thousand bucks in it.”
“What the...? Oh my God, Kat. But what does that have to do with my three kids?”
“When Josh was on the phone with his lawyer or whoever, I heard him say he wants to do the exact same thing for ‘all his nieces and nephews, no matter how many kids the Morgan family eventually spits out.’ Those were his exact words. But don’t tell anyone yet. Josh wants it to be a surprise. But, yep, he’s already got some trust fund he’s started and he’s just going to keep adding money and names to it with each new kid that’s born, however many that is.”
My stomach clenches. “Each new kid ‘born’ doesn’t mean Lydia’s kids, Kumquat. Think about it. Josh planning a trust fund for Baby Rum Cake doesn’t mean he’s planning the same thing for Lydia’s kids, too. They’re totally different scenarios.”
“Why? We all know you think of those kids as your own. For crying out loud, they call Mom ‘Gramma Lou.’”
“I know, but let’s just be real: Josh probably thinks step kids are different than blood relations. Lots of people think that way.”
“Not Josh. And you know how I know? Because he told the lawyer to add Coco to the list, too. Just because he thought she was so cute in Maui and he wants to make sure she has all the opportunities in the world. That’s what he said. So if he’s doing that for Julie’s stepdaughter, why wouldn’t he do that for Lydia’s kids when you marry Lydia?”
“Holy fucking shit.”
“By the way, Josh came up with this whole idea all by himself. I haven’t pressured or cajoled or even politely asked him to do it. He said every single kid in our family will never need to worry about paying for their education or living expenses while they’re in school, no matter where they go or how many degrees they want. He’ll just keep adding money to the trust fund, no matter how much is required.”
I rub my face, completely flabbergasted. “That’s... oh my God.”
“That’s Josh.”
I feel disoriented for a minute, but finally say, “Honestly, I don’t know if I could accept a gift that big for the kids. That’d be close to a million bucks earmarked for them. That’s a lot of money.”
Kat shrugs. “To normal people, yes. But not to Josh. If it makes you feel any better about it, that’s funny money to my hubsters. I mean, it’s a hugely generous gift, I know. But a million bucks to Josh isn’t the same as it is to us. You know that diamond necklace he bought me?”
I nod, even though I don’t remember a diamond necklace.
“A million bucks.”
“Jesus.”
“You know those earrings Uncle William gave me from his deceased wife’s collection? The ones I wore at the wedding?”
I nod, even though, to be honest, I didn’t notice Kat’s earrings at her wedding.
“Three-quarters of a million bucks. Oh, and did I ever tell you I’ve got a million bucks just sitting in the bank with my name on it, thanks to Josh? It’s just sitting there, lah-de-dah, but he’s so generous all the time, I don’t have any use for it. I literally have no need for a million bucks. Honestly, at some point soon, I’m just going to divide it up and give it to all of you.”
“Okay, enough,” I say. “I’m freaking out. This is unbelievable.”
Kat laughs. “I know. It’s insane, isn’t it? I never talk about Josh’s wealth, but he recently told me his personal assets will cross the billion-dollar mark in about a year.”
“Billion? Buh? With a B?”
“Billion. In a year’s time, I’m going to be a billionaire’s wife. And Josh is only turning thirty-one next week! Ha! It’s totally insane.”
“I had no idea,” I mutter, still in shock. “I thought Josh was rich, but I didn’t... Jesus.”
“You know the craziest part? He didn’t make me sign a pre-nup! Ha! He just said, ‘My money is yours, babe. Do whatever you want. Please don’t fuck me over.’”
“What the fuck? What man in his right mind would say that—especially to you.”
“Hey.”
We both guffaw.
“Kat, I’m so mind-fucked right now.”
“Don’t be. Just be happy. And let Josh be happy. He doesn’t have any family besides Jonas and his uncle. Literally. There are no other Faradays besides those three. Well, and now Sarah and Gracie and me. But that’s it. We’re a tribe of six at present. And Jonas and their uncle both have the same amount of money as Josh, if not more. So, really, who the hell would Josh spend his hundreds and hundreds of millions on, if not his new family he adores? He already gives truckloads to charity. Like, more money than you can possibly imagine. So let the man spend his oodles of money the way he wants to do it. He’s already talking about taking the entire extended Morgan family on another big trip. Probably in a year or so when Gracie can walk. Next time to Bali.”
“Bali? Oh my God. Kat, stop.”
Kat cocks her head. “Or, wait, maybe it was Bora Bora? I dunno. Whatever. Somewhere good that starts with a B. Bermuda? Belize? I can’t remember.”
I shake my head and sigh. “Well, shit, now I feel like a total cheapskate.”
“What? Why?”
“All I got Josh for his birthday next week was a coffee mug.”
We both burst out laughing.
“Mom’s getting Josh some crazy-expensive bottle of rare tequila. Chip in on that.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“So, any idea how you’re going to propose, Cheese Head?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a couple ideas. I’m still mulling it over, though. Do you have any brilliant ideas for me? Something heartfelt but simple.”
Kat twists her mouth, considering. “Well, for Josh’s birthday next week, he’s arranged a romantic dinner for two-and-a-half here at the house. A chef, waiter, flowers, musicians. Basically, he’s turning our dining room into a five-star restaurant.”
“Wow. Sounds amazing.”
“Yeah. Amaaaazing. But fuck that shit.”
I laugh.
“Josh thinks he wants a quiet birthday dinner at home with his two girls, but I know him better than he knows himself. After being cooped up for three solid months in Babyville, he’s dying for an adrenaline rush, even if he doesn’t realize it. So I’ve cooked up a little surprise for my beautiful adrenaline junkie. Which means, of course, unbeknownst to my darling husband, that quiet dinner he’s already arranged and paid for will go to waste unless I can pawn it off on someone who might appreciate it. So what do you think? Why don’t I send the five-star restaurant to your place? Seems like the perfect ambience for a marriage proposal to me.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I’ll take that off your hands, for sure. But I don’t think I’ll propose to Lydia that way. My gut tells me my proposal should be a family affair.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. Okay, well, either way, the dinner is yours.” She pulls out her phone and taps out a text. “Okay. I just texted The Mighty T-Rod about it. She’ll coordinate.”
“Thanks.”
“Just don’t ask Mom to be your babysitter that night. She’s coming here to watch Little G for me when I kidnap Josh.”
As if on cue, Gracie stirs in my arms and I look down to find her big blue eyes staring serenely up at me.
“Hello, Little G,” I coo softly. “Got yourself a little power nap, did ya?” My niece smiles at me and my heart melts. “Man, she looks exactly like you did when Mom and Dad brought you home from the hospital, Kitty Kat. Have I ever told you about that day?”
“Many times. But tell me again.”
“I held you in my arms the way I’m holding this little angel right now and I fell deeply and totally in love with you. And right then and there, I swore to myself I’d always protect my little kumquat, no matter what.” I look up from Gracie’s face and the expression of pure love on Kat’s face brings a lump to my throat.
“I love you, Colby.”
“I love you, too, Kumquat.”
“And I’m so happy for you. Lydia’s your perfect match. The minute I laid eyes on her in the bathroom at the hospital, I knew she was perfect for you.”
I throw my head back and hoot with scornful laughter. “You’re so full of shit! Oh my God.”
Kat giggles. “Okay, yes, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“You think?”
“But in all seriousness, I saw Lydia and thought she was exactly your type. Is that better?”
“Still bullshit.”
“No. Now, granted, you were lying in the ICU down the hall on a breathing machine and Lydia mentioned she had three kids so I wasn’t in the mindset to play matchmaker for the two of you at that particular moment. I think I assumed she was married at the time, actually. But, regardless, I did think, ‘Wow, this woman is exactly Colby’s type.’”
“Bullshit. Revisionist history.”
“No. It’s one hundred percent true. You think I don’t know your type? Colby, we all know your type. For like three straight years in high school, you’d stop whatever you were doing and stare over my shoulder any time I watched a Beyoncé video.”
I laugh. “No comment.”
Gracie begins fussing in my arms. “Someone’s hungry,” I say, handing my niece back to Kat. “Thanks for the vote of confidence on Lydia’s ring. I appreciate it.” I get up. “I’ll see you Sunday at Mom and Dad’s for Dax’s going-away party.”
“I’ll see you then.”
I kiss my sister on top of her head, kiss Gracie on her fat little cheek, and race gleefully out the door, the ring box burning a hole in my pocket.