Page 76 of Live Like There's No Tomorrow
Missy caught his eye and raised an eyebrow. As always, she was looking out for him. Once the family had gone in, she got to her feet. “I think we should form an orderly line,” she said with a grin. “Some of us are okay to hang out all night and wait our turn, but I know some of you want to get home. If we’re allowed to go in twos, I say Ben and Charlie should go first.”
Everyone murmured their agreement, and Ben shot Missy a grateful look. Charlotte smiled at him. “What would we do without her?”
Ben shook his head. He had no idea. When Kenzie, Gabe, and Renée came out, Doc Morgan ushered them in. Michael beamed at them. “He might have come early, but he was an easy delivery.”
Megan laughed. “Speak for yourself, Dr. Morgan. I’m the one who did all the hard work.” Ben and Charlotte laughed with her as they peeped at the baby.
Charlotte’s hand came up to cover her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” asked Megan.
Charlotte nodded. “Sorry, yes I am. He’s just so beautiful, Megan; he’s a little miracle.”
Ben had to blink away tears of his own. “Congratulations guys,” was all he could manage to say. Michael grasped his shoulder as he made for the door. “Thanks for being here, it means the world and I know it can’t be easy for you.”
Ben smiled at him and took hold of Charlotte’s hand as they made their way out. He walked straight past the waiting room where the others were still sitting. He raised his hand at Pete who gave him a curious look. “Goodnight, guys,” he called as they hurried down the corridor and out into the cool night air. Once they were in the parking lot, he stopped and hugged Charlie to his chest. They didn’t speak; they didn’t need to. They just stood that way for a long time, clinging to each other and to what might have been.
Eventually Charlotte lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “That could have been us, Ben.”
Ben closed his eyes. He’d been thinking the same thing. He shook his head sadly.
“It still could be. I hope it will be, one day.”
Ben opened his eyes and looked deep into hers. What he saw there surprised him. He saw a deep longing he’d never thought she would feel. “You do?”
She nodded. “I do. I’ll never forget, I’ll always love the little one we lost, but I hope that someday we’ll be able to try again. I used to say back then that we’d be great parents in our thirties. We’re in our thirties now, Ben.”
He drew in a deep breath. “We are. It’s a lot to take in. I feel as though we’re facing our loss again all these years later, we had to do that before we could come back together. It sure as hell isn’t made any easier by watching our friends bring their little ones into the world. And now we get to think about whether we want to, whether we can try again ourselves.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bought it up now. I just … Seeing first Emma and now Megan with their little ones, it makes me want what I’ve always wanted.”
“I want it too, but this time I want us to do things in the right order. I want us to get married and find a house and then start our family.”
Her eyes shone as she looked up at him. “That’s what I want, Ben. I think we’ve proved to each other that this is it now. We’re back together. We’re meant to be together. Now we just need to get on with our life.”
“You’re right, well almost, there is one thing we need to deal with before we can make our new start.”
“What’s that?” She looked worried.
“Our parents.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “It’s nothing to do with them. It’s none of their business.”
“Part of me feels that way too, but it is their business. They are our business. They’re our family and we need to make things right.”
“You’re right, but honestly I don’t even want to think about that tonight. Can we just go home and we’ll figure it out tomorrow?”
“Gladly. I don’t want to face it either, but you know we have to.”
~ ~ ~
The next morning Charlotte took her coffee to sit out on the deck while Ben was in the shower. She’d only been back a few weeks, and yet so much had happened. She and Ben were back together, planning a new future. That was the most important thing that had happened. They’d helped both Emma and Megan welcome their new babies into the world, and in doing so had finally been able to grieve together. She’d made a start on her new career, and Ben had started living his career in a new way. She smiled. She was still amazed at how much time he was spending with her. It wasn’t as though he was neglecting the resort, he still put in a huge amount of work, but he was ready to walk away at the end of the day, and ready to stay away with her when they wanted to. This morning was one of those times. She knew most of the gang would be at the Boathouse for breakfast this morning. They’d want to talk about the new baby, and maybe even set up a time for a redo of Gabe and Renée’s bachelorette parties. She didn’t feel any need to join them, and she knew Ben didn’t either.
She knew he wanted to talk about their parents. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to that, but she knew it had to be done. He was right; they were family. And if she and Ben were finally going to become family, they’d have to make their peace with those around them.
She looked up with a smile as Ben came out to join her. She ran her gaze over him, he was such a good-looking guy.
He smiled. “When you look at me like that I get the feeling we’re not going to get much talking done.”
