Maybe Matt's Miracle(57)

Friday raises her hand. “I’ll babysit. I got nothing better to do.”

But Seth steps up. “I’ll watch them. No big deal.”

“You don’t have any plans?” Sky asks.

He shakes his head. “Nope.” He avoids her gaze. “Nothing at all.” Something is up with that, but I have no idea what. I’ll find out later.

“Then it’s settled,” Pete says. He leans back, a satisfied look on his face.

It’s far from settled. The farthest of the far from settled. But at least I’ll have Sky with me, which might make it bearable.





Skylar



Matt helps me and Seth as we unload the car and get the girls upstairs. I swear, there’s a lot more to being a parent than I ever imagined. There are toys and bags and clothes, and then the kids themselves. Matt has Joey over his shoulder, and Seth carries Mellie.

The girls fell asleep at Matt’s apartment, and we decided to scoop them up and bring them home instead of letting them wake up in a strange place. Between that and finding a place for Seth and Matt and me to all sleep, it was just too difficult. I kind of want to wake up in my own bed with Matt tomorrow morning—if he wants to stay over, that is. I haven’t asked him yet. But it’s what I want.

I know he feels funny about setting a bad example for Seth, but Seth is almost an adult. I think he’ll be fine with it.

We go inside, and Matt and Seth put the girls to bed and tuck them in tightly. I give them both a kiss because it’s becoming part of our nightly routine. Sometimes I still sneak into their room to watch them sleep, but I get to take part in the bedtime ritual, too. I like putting them to bed and hearing them talk to their mother when they think I’ve left the room. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

Matt and I walk out into the kitchen, and he gets a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I had a really good time tonight,” I tell him as I load the few dishes that are left from dinner.

“I did, too,” he says. “My family likes you.”

“Did you already know about Emily and Logan? You seemed surprised.”

He snorts. “I wouldn’t have thrown her over my shoulder if I had known.” He winces a little. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

“You’re happy for them, right?” I ask. I watch him closely because Matt usually wears his feelings on his face.

“Oh yeah,” he breathes. “Emily is pretty worried, though.”

“About what?”

“She has dyslexia,” he says. “Reading is hard for her.”

“I know what dyslexia is.”

“She’s afraid the baby will have it, too, if it gets her genes.” He shrugs his shoulders. “She’s just worried, like any new mom would be.”

“How do you think Logan will do with a baby?” I ask. I have always wondered how deaf people raise hearing children.

“He’s been taking care of Hayley her whole life,” he says. “He can do a lot more than people give him credit for.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant,” I start.

But he cuts me off with a smile. “I know. I get it.”

“Is she going to have to quit school?” I ask. I know Emily is in college at Julliard.

He shrugs. “I have no idea, but they’ll work it out. Sometimes I think she went to college just to prove she could succeed. And she has. She’s satisfied. All she wants to do is play music.”

“She should be playing huge venues with a voice like hers,” I say. It really was amazing.

He shakes his head. “She has no desire for fame. She just really loves music. And she loves my brother. So, I love her.”

I walk over and wrap my arms around his waist and then lay my head on his chest. My cheek rests over his heart. “My little family fits into your big family pretty nicely,” I say quietly.

“Yep.” He sets me back from him with his hands on my shoulders. “Were you worried about that?”

I shrug. “Maybe a little.”

“Talk to me,” he says.

“You guys are just so tight,” I admit. “I’m envious of your bond.”

“You’re part of our bond, now. You know that right?” he says. The hair on my arms stands up. “Just like Emily and Reagan. You’re part of the family.”

I nod against his chest. Seth walks into the kitchen and hitches his hip against the counter. “Would you mind if I have a friend over tomorrow night while I’m babysitting?” he asks. He doesn’t meet my gaze, and he avoids Matt’s, too. Hmm.

“Who’s the friend?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know yet. I was just thinking it would be fun to have someone over to talk to.”

“Talking?” Matt asks. “That’s what you’re planning to do?”

Seth’s face flushes. “Well, we might play Xbox or something, too.”

What would his mother do? “Why don’t you come back to me in the morning with the name of a person you want to have over, and we’ll discuss it?” I say. “Will that work?”

He scowls, but he nods. He sits down at the kitchen table and starts to flip through a magazine. Matt jams his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels. He raises his brows at me. Then he sits down across from Seth and flips open the newspaper until he finds the crossword section. He and Seth start to work it together. Seth laughs when Matt gets a word wrong. And Matt goads Seth incessantly about his penmanship. They look happy and comfy together, though, so I go into the bedroom to shower and get into my jammies.