“They had a kid young. Who you are in college is not always who you are later on in life,” I try to explain without starting our own argument.
“I know,” Charlotte resigns, looking at me oddly.
“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“The Alex I fell in love with, who had graduated college, is far different from the man I married.”
Silence falls over me. I would never want to return to being a coward who couldn’t stand up for himself nor fight for who he loved. The old me allowed others to dictate my life and future when it should have been me all along who made such important decisions.
“Look, Charlotte. You need to step away and not put yourself in the middle of them. They’re adults, and they’ve made a big decision to separate.”
Charlotte throws her hands in the air in frustration. “But don’t you see? They both wanted the same thing… another child. And look what’s happened? It’s torn them apart.”
“You said it yourself. Infertility can often drive couples apart.”
She wrings her hands, trying to come to terms with reality. “It never ceases to amaze me how every couple's journey is different. They tried to fall pregnant for years, and nothing, even after trying IVF multiple times. You only have to look at me, and I fall pregnant.”
A small smile settles on my lips. Then I grab her hand to kiss it. “I love you, but please stop stressing yourself out. Nikki is bringing Will and staying with our girls. Everything will work out.”
The truth is, I have no idea if it will all work out, but for now, I need Charlotte to focus on us. With a long-winded sigh, she continues to pack our suitcases while I make sure all our electronics and charges are packed securely. When she’s done, I take the suitcases downstairs.
“Bitches,” Rocky roars while walking inside the kitchen. Amelia and Ava’s eyes widen as he realizes they’re standing right there. “Damn. Sorry, girls.”
“You know, Uncle Rocky. You shouldn’t refer to a woman in such derogatory terms.”
Rocky scratches his head. “How old are you again?”
“Old enough to tell you you’re being chauvinistic—”
“Amelia, enough,” I gently scold her.
“But, Daddy, he’s being rude,” Amelia argues with her hands on her hips.
“Yeah, Daddy,” Ava agrees with her.
“Well, technically, I wasn’t referring to any woman. I was referring to Daddy.” Rocky snickers.
“Why would you call Daddy a bitch?” Ava asks.
The door opens again, but this time it’s Eric. I don’t think I’ve been this happy to see him, hoping his arrival distracts the girls.
“Hello, mates,” Eric greets with an awful Aussie accent. “Are you ready to have a shrimp on the barbie?”
“Uncle Rocky?” Ava pauses to examine Eric. “Is Uncle Eric a bitch?”
This time, I try to hold back my smile.
“Kid, you have no idea how much.” Rocky chuckles.
Charlotte walks in, dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater since the plane ride is fourteen hours long. I opted to wear jeans and a sweater, too, since it’s just our group on the private plane I hired. I’m lucky Charlotte didn’t argue, given I’ve wanted to buy a private plane for years. Of course, she insisted the money could be put to better use and gave me a long list of organizations needing financial aid.
So, the compromise is to hire one for long-haul flights.
“You guys are here,” she greets, then raises her brows. “Wait, where’s Tristan?”
Eric purses his lips. “About him, a last-minute job in Palm Springs. He can’t come.”
“Okay.” Charlotte nods with slight disappointment. “So, Adriana and Julian will meet us at the airport. All we’re waiting for is Kate to come to pick up the girls.”