I give him the recap in as few words as possible.
“God, I’m sorry, Iris. Not what you wanted to hear.”
“I don’t want to hear any of this but finding out he took his ring off and went looking for it was a little tough to take. And that he said he was divorced.”
“It’s terrible.”
“I asked her where she’s been all this time, and she said she waited to hear from someone about a settlement for her son. When that never happened, she reached out to Steve through Mike’s company, and you know what he did. After the NTSB report was released, she asked Steve for an update and that’s when he brought the news about her and Carter to me.” I release a deep sigh. “I hate being part of something so sordid, but I keep reminding myself there’s an innocent child involved. He didn’t ask for any of this either.”
“How did you leave it with her?”
“She said she won’t sue me for child support if we can come to some sort of agreement that would give her son a piece of the insurance money.”
“Can you afford that?”
“I’m going to try to help her out. It’s not her fault Mike was a liar.”
“True. If I can help, I hope you’ll let me know.”
“I’m not taking your money, Gage.”
“If you need it, I have it, and I’m about to have a whole lot more. Don’t suffer in silence, Iris. If I can help, tell me so.”
“You’re very sweet, but I’m okay. I might have to take some of those endorsement offers I’m getting for my TikTok account. I hear there’s lots of money to be made in that space. I’ve resisted that because it would turn my hobby into a business that would require more energy than I can give it right now, but it’s good to know that’s an option.”
“It’s always good to have options, such as very close friends who are willing and able to help with anything you need.”
“Stop being so sweet. It’s annoying me.”
He laughs, as I hoped he would. I love when he laughs. I can picture the gorgeous dimples that appear when he’s truly amused. “I can’t wait to annoy you more after work.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Tyler said last night, and I can see how they’re getting attached to you. It’s just important to me that they not be hurt any more than they’ve already been.”
“I’d never hurt them. You have my word on that.”
“You could hurt them by deciding the insta-family isn’t what you really want after all.”
“That’s not going to happen. I love being with them, and I have since long before things changed between us. They’re great kids, and it’s not just about me being there for them. They fill some of the gaping void inside me where my girls used to be. I love their silly chatter and their excitement over the simplest things and how fun Saturday was. I’ve missed that kind of thing more than I realized. Not sure I’m explaining that well.”
“You are,” I say softly. “That’s lovely, but a few days ago, you were still saying you weren’t sure you wanted to be in a relationship.”
“I know, and I still have misgivings, but those have nothing to do with you or the kids. It’s more about my fear of something happening to you guys and having to go through that nightmare again.”
“We’re not going anywhere.”
“I’m counting on that.”
22
GAGE
Iris and I settle into a routine that includes dinners and weekends with the kids, outings with our widow friends and an occasional night to ourselves thanks to her parents. I sneak out of her bed at five a.m. every day and leave before the kids are up, so we don’t confuse them about where things stand between us before we’re ready to make the next move.
That move is coming. I can feel it, and I know she can, too.