Chapter 5

CHAPTER

FIVE

E verly Young folded the young man she loved like a son into her arms the moment he opened his apartment door. “Oh, I love you,” she murmured as Harry’s arms came around her too. He gripped her with an urgency she couldn’t name but that soared through her with the speed of hummingbird wings.

She didn’t like it, because it signaled his desperation, his fear, his utter need to have a mother and a father in his life. “You made it,” he finally said as he stepped back. “Where’s Dad?” He looked past her, but Trace had not made it upstairs yet.

“He got a phone call right when we arrived,” Ev said. “He’s been texting and calling around since he spoke to you a couple of days ago.” She’d left him with their baby, but Keri and Clay stood at her knee. “He’ll be up in a minute with Avery. ”

She did her best to put a smile on her face, but it drooped almost instantly. “Go on, guys. Give Harry a hug.” The love for her kids shone through on her face as Harry dropped into a crouch and pulled both Keri and Clay into his chest.

“Look at you guys.” His smile appeared much easier than Ev’s, but she knew he was hurting too. “I swear you’ve gotten bigger since I left.”

“You’ve only been gone for a few days,” Keri said as she giggled. She loved her older brother, because Harry was an excellent playmate. He took good care of the kids when Ev and Trace went out, and he gave them almost anything they wanted.

Ev had to tell them no sometimes, so they definitely loved Harry and never protested when date night rolled around.

Behind her, she heard Trace’s voice as he came up to the second floor, and he rounded the corner with his phone still at his ear and their baby in the carrier. “I have to go,” he said. “Let me know, would you?”

He wore a fierce, overprotective look in his eyes, and that only made Ev love him more. He’d been protecting and taking care of her for almost a decade now, and his Papa Bear streak extended to all four of his children—including Harry.

“Son,” he said, setting the baby on the ground and moving into Harry as the younger man rose to his feet. They stood almost the same height. Harry worked out religiously, and could probably best his father in anything physical. But as Ev watched, Harry wept into his daddy’s chest, and that made her weep.

Ev picked up the baby carrier and said, “Let’s go in, guys. Keri, go inside the apartment.” The kids did what she asked, and Ev followed them. Everything felt so heavy, and while she’d needed this getaway, it suddenly didn’t feel like it would be a fun weekend in Nashville. It felt like she’d have the same problems and troubles here, but she’d be sitting on Harry’s couch instead of hers.

She wanted to be happy, and Ev could pretend with smiles and scrambled eggs in the morning and getting her kids to school on time. But she just wanted to hold Avery all day long, while reruns of her favorite shows played on the TV, and she ate an entire bowl of caramel popcorn.

In fact, she’d done that several times—more times than she could actually count—in the past couple of months since her baby girl had been born. At first, she’d reasoned that it was the winter weather. The fact that it didn’t get light until eight o’clock in the morning and the sun set by four-fifteen.

But as time went on, Ev knew it was more. Every thought weighed so much. Every action took so much effort. And she didn’t care to do much of anything, when before, she’d run her own dance studio, put on town dances, and participated in as many of the Young Family activities and sub-families as she could.

“All right,” Trace said as he and Harry entered the apartment and closed the door behind them. “Who’s hungry? ”

They’d been fed on the plane, and eating was just one more thing Ev had to force herself to do.

“Daddy, I want those onion rings you told me about,” Clay said as he climbed up on the couch.

Trace grinned and laughed, then picked up his son. “The big giant ones?”

“That place closed,” Harry said, which drew everyone’s attention. He looked between Trace and Clay. “The onion rings we used to get when I’d tour with you? They were at The Fry Palace. They closed over the summer.”

“Why would they close?” Trace looked truly befuddled. “Now what are we gonna do?” He glanced at Ev. “What do you feel like, sweets?”

“Anything,” she said, because she didn’t want to make the decision for all six of them. She didn’t even want to make it for herself.

“We can order Thai,” Harry said. “I know you like that, Ev.”

“We’re not ordering in,” Trace said firmly. “It’s time to go out, Harry.” He set Clay on his feet. “And I’ve got three meetings tomorrow with possible assistants. Maybe a fourth, but I’m waiting to hear if he’s available.”

Trace clapped his hands together and looked around at everyone. “Does the Thai place have tables?”

“Yes,” Harry said, but it was a clipped, short word, almost a bark.

“Great,” Trace said easily. “We’ll go there. Ev?” He turned his smile on her, and how he could be so positive and shoulder so much, she’d never understand. Just being here made her feel like shutting down, but she managed to nod.

“Daddy, what’s Thai?” Clay asked, and Ev let him handle that while she got Avery out of her carseat.

“I’ve got to take care of Avery for a few minutes,” she said. “Then we’ll be ready.” She loved this little girl with her whole heart, and she smiled at the infant as she prepared to change her diaper and make her a bottle.

“Can I feed her?” Keri asked.

“Of course, baby.” Ev smiled at her and once Avery was changed, she gave the baby to Keri on the couch. “I’ll get her bottle. Stay on the couch, remember?”

Harry had started to ask about the assistants, why he would need one, what he could have them do, and who the ones were that Trace had arranged to meet. Ev didn’t pay much attention, because Trace would handle this, and Ev just wanted to be the emotional support for both Harry and her husband.

She could barely keep her head above water, but if she didn’t have to handle too many details, she could link her arm through Trace’s and shore him up when necessary. So she’d feed the baby, and they’d take Harry to dinner—which would be a big step for him after sequestering himself in his apartment for almost a week.

And she’d be right at his side, supporting him and loving him until he got his confidence back.