“Yes,” he agreed. “All yours. Forever.”
The words settled into her heart, and she pulled him close and shut her eyes.
***
No one called before they got up.
Pauline deliberately took her time, lingering with Carlos in bed, taking a long shower while Carlos stayed with the phone, and then switching out and waiting for him to clean up. Still nothing.
Finally, it got late enough that it was time to go get the younger kids. Carlos pulled her into a close hug and said, “We’re going to be there for him no matter what happens.”
That was somehow better than an, It’ll be fine, because...maybe it wouldn’t be fine. It was hard for Pauline to believe an empty assurance like that. But—she knew that they would be there for Drew. No matter what happened.
She nodded gratefully. “No matter what,” she said.
“And remember—we have a lot of resources right now. Really, no matter what, as long as he’s on board with accepting our help, we can make sure he comes out okay, lands on his feet.”
“We,” Pauline repeated, marveling a little.
Carlos nodded. “Not just me. Us.” He hesitated a little. “We could even make it legal.”
It took her a second to realize what had just happened. She took a step back. “Carlos Gonzales, did you just propose to me?”
He looked a little shamefaced. “I did. I should’ve waited until I had a ring and an occasion—”
Pauline shook her head. “No. I want it, too. And what occasion could be better than talking about how we’re going to make the future as bright as it could be?”
She didn’t mention that Gary had done up a fancy proposal, out in a park at sunset with a ring he’d saved up for. At the time, she’d been overwhelmed with joy, but in retrospect, she could see that he’d put more effort into the proposal than he had into their relationship.
“Let’s get married,” she told him.
Carlos leaned in and kissed her, long and lingering. “Okay,” he whispered against her mouth as he pulled back. Then he grinned. “I promise I’ll get you a ring.”
“Nothing ostentatious,” Pauline said firmly.
Carlos nodded, solemn. “I swear.”
Pauline looked at the time. “Come on, we have to go get the kids.”
They went. And it struck her that she couldn’t ask for a better promise of commitment, than right now, when they were teetering on the brink of possibly the greatest commitment a person could make: children.
***
“Any news?” Stella asked quietly as they handed the kids over. “Eva hasn’t heard anything, and she’s going nuts.”
Pauline shook her head regretfully. “I promise we’ll let you know as soon as we learn anything.”
“Do you want to stay here? We could all make a slumber party out of it.”
Pauline hesitated. The idea had such an appeal. It seemed so...pack-like, all of them camping together on a living room floor. Finally, though, she shook her head. “I want to be where Drew can find me if anything happens.”
The idea was a little silly, maybe—what was going to happen? Anything that would happen would involve Drew being taken somewhere else, not finding his way home. But she could shake the idea that she needed to be there, just in case.
And Stella just nodded. “I understand.”
She hugged Pauline, then, and Pauline found her breath catching, tears prickling in her eyes, as she hugged back. When had she last had a close female friend? It felt like most of her friends had fallen away after the divorce—couples, all of them—and the rest had disappeared while Pauline was buried in the exhausting, depressing minutiae of caring for her dying parents.
Now, though...maybe now she could have something like this again. Friends. More than friends—a pack.