18. Nell

18

Nell

N ell felt nervous as she drove her new (to her) car over to Hugh’s house.

It would be the first time she went over there since his daughter arrived for the summer. They had seen each other a couple of times, just casual afternoons at the beach, and the girls had played well together. But their house, their space… that was different.

Mostly she had just given them time to settle in. This would be the first time that Daisy had to share her dad’s attention in their own home, and it had Nell’s stomach in knots.

Hugh’s heart being torn between islands complicated things, and she knew that blending families was rarely easy. It was one thing to risk her own heart, but bringing children into the mix was something else altogether.

If she didn’t love Hugh so deeply, or have such deep faith in him as a man and as a father, she wouldn’t risk it. But the dream of pulling together and becoming a real family? Well, that was just tempting enough for her to risk her heart… and theirs.

She told herself that it wouldn’t much matter to the kids if things didn’t work out. Everett was too young to know better, and Cassie was no more invested in Hugh or Daisy than she was in any other family that she knew. If Hugh did move away, it would be less of a change for Cassie than losing their neighbors or saying goodbye to a friend at Pualena Playschool.

And Nell intended to keep it that way. Until she was certain of Hugh’s intentions – until he was certain – they would proceed with caution. There would be no talk of living together. Even overnights were off the table for now.

She had created a place of safety for her children, and nothing was going to change that.

“Can I carry the game?” Cassie asked when Nell parked in front of Hugh’s place.

“Sure.”

“Sweet!” She twisted around in her seat and grabbed the board game they had picked out that morning.

It had been a splurge – a brand-new game instead of their usual transfer station finds. Nell wanted to bring something that the kids would be excited to do together. She wanted their presence in the house to be a source of excitement for Daisy rather than something to be endured.

“You’re here!”

Nell’s heart lifted when Daisy threw the door open with a smile. Hugh appeared behind her a moment later, grinning at Nell in a way that made her heart trip and stumble. There was no other man who could vault her defenses like he did.

“We brought you a game!” Cassie shouted. She ran up the front walk and tilted the cardboard box to show them the surfing turtle on the front.

“That’s so cool!”

“Want to open it?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

They disappeared into the kitchen as Nell walked inside. Everett fought to get down, and she let him. Hugh had baby-proofed the house before their first visit – just one of a thousand thoughtful gestures that had made her fall in love with him.

Everett set off after the girls, crawling at warp speed. He had taken a few more unassisted steps here and there, but crawling was still his preferred means of transportation.

Hugh closed the front door behind them and greeted her with a kiss.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“It was really good. We had a water fight at A Place of Refuge.”

He chuckled. “And the residents were okay with that?”

“We gave the moms the day off. Most of them went off to run errands, but a few stayed to play. We had a blast.”

“Your work paid off then.”

“Yeah, it did.” Nell had spent the better part of two weeks hunting for water guns at various transfer stations after finding a treasure trove of reusable water balloons. Even the most recalcitrant kids had been shrieking with laughter by the end of the day.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Come on through. I made fried chicken.”

“Look, Dad!” Daisy shouted. “We’ve got it set up!”

Nell scanned the table to make sure all of the pieces were there – and not on the floor where Everett might swallow them. She had steered Cassie towards that particular game partially because it didn’t have a crazy number of little pieces.

“Can we play now?” Cassie asked.

“Dinner first,” Hugh said.

“But Daaad,” Daisy whined.

“We’ve gotta eat the chicken while it’s hot and crispy!”

“Okay,” she said, dragging the word out.

Hugh winked at Nell over the kids’ heads, and she knew that his insistence on an early dinner was more driven by feeding her than by any concern for the food he had made.

Whatever barriers were left between them didn’t stand a chance if he kept this up.

They all made quick work of the fried chicken and white rice that Hugh had prepared, and then they played the new board game three times through. Everett passed out in his high chair, and by the time Nell had gone to put him down and come back, the girls were settled in front of a movie with a bowl of popcorn.

Hugh put an arm around her waist and pulled her into the hallway. When she turned to face him, he took her face in both hands and kissed her.

“I have big news,” he said when they came up for air.

“Hmm?” Nell’s head was spinning. She ran her thumb along the stubble on his jaw, still lost in the kiss.

“Daisy’s mom is moving to the mainland. She got a new job in Washington state.”

The news woke Nell up as quick as a splash of ice water.

What does that mean for us? The question felt too selfish to voice.

“What does that mean for Daisy?” she asked instead.

“Amy wants me to fly her there at the start of the school year, but I said no. I offered to fly her out for a visit as soon as they’re settled, but then I’m bringing her back here. She can go to Pualena Playschool full time, with you and Cassie.”

“That would be amazing. But the custody agreement…?”

“Her mother moving states opens the door for the custody arrangement to change.”

“What does Daisy want?”

“She wants to stay.”

“You’ve already talked to her about it?”

“I did. As soon as her mom told me she was moving. She’s always wanted to go to Pualena Playschool full time; there just wasn’t anything I could do to change the agreement.

“And now?”

“Now we’ve got a shot. I think I can do it.”

“Will her mother agree?”

“She’s pushing back, but maybe. Underneath it all, she wants what’s best for Daisy, and she was miserable in Honolulu, and Seattle would be even worse.”

“She’s an island girl.”

“Exactly. I’m not letting them take her away from the sunshine. She belongs here, with us.”

“Do you think a judge will agree?”

Hugh frowned. “I’ll take it to court if I have to, but I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement without getting a judge involved. Technically Daisy will be homeschooled, so she can visit her mom as long and as often as necessary to get her to agree. But she won’t have to endure winters up there or be stuck inside a public school classroom all day. Her mom will be working sixty hours a week at this new job, so she’s already halfway agreed. The details are a bit tangled, but we’ll get there. I told you, Nell. I’m not going anywhere.”

He leaned in and kissed her again.

“Life could be like this all the time,” he said, resting his forehead on hers. “All of us under one roof.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered.

He pulled back enough to look her in the eye. “Would you?”

“Of course I would.”

“Then I’ll make it happen.”