46. Larkin

After work,I drove on the dirt roads out of town to Liv and Fletcher”s pretty white farmhouse. It was gorgeous with wide windows facing the countryside and a sprawling green lawn. The fenced-in backyard had a trampoline and a swing set and plenty of space to play.

When I pulled into the driveway behind Liv’s truck, I got out and breathed the fresh country air. I wondered if Knox and I would ever have a little farmhouse of our own, like we talked about on our date.

His laugh was enough to brighten even the darkest days. And the way he stood up for me to Seth, I’d never felt so protected and cared for. I wanted to run to him, hold on to him forever, but I knew it wasn’t fair to him either. He’d never been married, never had children. Before we took our relationship any further, I needed to know he was all in and that a future with me was really what he wanted.

I tried to clear my mind of all the angst I was feeling as I walked to the door and knocked. Through the front glass, I could see the older three kids playing in a blanket fort in the living room. Maya was crawling on her hands and knees into the fort with Emily and Leah riding on her back like a horse.

The sight brought a smile to my lips. They were having so much fun.

Liv approached holding Jackson on her hip, a bib around his neck. She swung the door open, saying, “Hey, girl, hey!”

I grinned at her, and Jackson reach his hands out, saying, “Mama!”

My mouth fell open as I reached for him. “What did you say?”

“Mama! Mama!”

Tears formed in my eyes as I held him close, his soft cheek brushing against mine. “Did you help him with that?” I asked Liv.

She grinned, nodding. “Em and Maya helped too. Come in. I made enough supper for everyone.”

I carried Jackson into her home, and Emily ran up to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Hi, Mommy!”

I grinned down, hugging her back with my free arm. “Did you have a good day?”

She nodded so quickly her pigtails bounced. “We did practice for school!”

Maya said, “You’ll love school. Grammy D teaches there, and it’s the best.”

With a smile, Liv said, “Okay, girls, go wash your hands. Maya, help Em and Leah, please.”

I smiled, going to join her at the island, where she had grilled cheeses cooking on a griddle and what looked like green beans heating in the microwave. “Has anyone told you that you’re Supermom?” I asked her.

She batted the spatula at me. “You came in at a good time. You missed the bath I had to give Jackson because Emily decided it would be fun to paint hearts on him with mud.”

Jackson said, “Emm, Emm.”

I let out a laugh, the image forming easily in my mind. “Have I said how thankful I am for all of this?” I asked her.

She tilted her head with a smile. “I’m happy to help. Your kids are the sweetest, really.”

I smiled, bouncing Jackson on my hip. He was playing with my ponytail, running his fingers through the strands.

“How are things with Knox?” she asked. “Fletch said they had lunch together today.”

I frowned, and her lips parted.

“Oh no, did something happen?”

I bit my lip, worried if I told her that our relationship might not work out, I’d lose babysitting too. “We’re…taking a pause right now. He didn’t do anything wrong. I just...” I took a breath and turned to check that Emily couldn’t hear, but the girls were all yelling their ABCs as they washed their hands in the bathroom. “I wanted to make sure he had time to think about what it meant to date a single mom before things got any more serious.”

Her eyes filled with compassion. But before she could say anything, I continued, “I know you’re babysitting partly as a favor to him, but if I need to pay more, I can find a way if you give me some time to catch up. The down payment on my place and all the fees to turn on utilities and getting things for the house really wiped me out, but I’m slowly building my way back up.”

Liv turned off the griddle and walked around the counter, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Babe, hear me out, okay?”

I nodded, my heart beating quickly.

Her brown eyes held mine as she said, “What happens between adults doesn’t affect how we treat the kids. Promise. No matter what happens with Knox, Fletch and I here for these babies, okay?”

I nearly let out a sob. It was exactly the kind of support I’d been hoping to get from Seth’s parents, but somehow, I’d found my own dream family in this tiny little town.

And maybe,a small voice said, maybeKnox was just like Liv and Fletcher.

Maybe he was telling the truth when he said those people in his phone had no bearing on how he or his family thought about my children and me. I really wished my hopeful heart would be right.