-1-
New Year's Eve
Roxie continues mercilessly rocking the brightly colored device between Violet’s quivering thighs. Her small frame bucks and Maverick crawls over to swallow her keening pants of pleasure with a soft kiss.
“Good girl,” he purrs when she finally let's go. He pulls her spasming body into his lap and slips two fingers underneath the shimmery babydoll nightgown. He grins at the camera mounted floor level in front of their soft glam living room set. “She’s fucking soaked…What was that like 45 seconds?”
“Ev-e-ry-tiiiime,” Roxie croons with a devilish smile. She kneels directly in front of the camera lens, not so subtly adjusting her black sequin nipple covers. “Okay. Tell us your New Year’s Resolution in the chat right now and we’ll pick one person to win a free stimulator from Rotten Apple Toys…while our little pet is recovering let’s do another quick Q&A. Ask us something good.”
She shuffles on her knees to the iPad beneath the camera and tosses back her Hollywood bombshell waves before reading the chat window. “Ooh, a lot of you want to see Violet’s pussy contractions. That’s for my afterparty show, naughty boy. Tickets are still available. I’ll but the registration link in the chat….Oooh, okay, CyanTwist wants to know our favorite songs of the year—”
“We had the same fave song, girl!” Maverick exclaims and Roxie gives him an over exaggerated, fully arched ‘oh, really’ eyebrow.
Maverick points to the DJ stationed in the corner of the room and a remix of Old Town Road blasts through the sound system/
Leaving a satiated Violet sprawled on the plush carpet, Maverick stands, adjusts the camera to standing height and pulls Roxie to stand with him as the beat drops in the song.
“We’re taking a quick break, come back in five minutes with your drink of choice so we can bring in this fucking new year, babes!”
They dance as the song plays out, his arm wrapped close around her waist. Roxie bends forward, isolating her hips and letting her ass bounce against Maverick’s crotch until the song dies out and the livestream goes black.
The moment they are no longer streaming Roxie and Violet bolt towards the clothing rack in the corner to do an outfit change. Roxie’s two friends, who were helping her with wardrobe changes, chase after her with makeup brushes and false lashes.
Maverick
saunters over to the stacked Rubber Maid crates
that was their makeshift wet bar. He fills a gawdy plastic champagne flute
with Big O’s sour apple flavored sparkling
wine and crosses the room to where Haley sat curled under a Christmas blanket on a faded blue futon, scrolling
through Facebook.
“You good ?” Maverick adjusts the black compression shorts he’d been wearing all night. They molded to his muscled thighs and made his bulge generous and unavoidable.
Haley nods, setting aside his phone. “I think I’m ready to call it a night—”
“It’s almost midnight—”
“MAVERICK!,” Roxie snaps. She’d changed into a black corset and hot pink sequin mini skirt—her third outfit change of the night. “Stop flirting and tweet about my afterparty! I need more sign ups—”
“Rox, chill, you met your goal—”
“That was not my goal!” she shouts across the room. “I told you I wanted to go over that number. We already undersold this show so just do your fucking job, please. We all want big things this year, right, riiight ?"
“K, k. I got you, bitch,” Maverick grins slyly at Roxie. He leans across Haley and picks up his iPad from an end table.
“Don’t let me distract you. I'm just tired,” Haley says.
“Ignore her, she’s just being all extra because she wants to buy a Louis Vuitton luggage set for her vacation next month.” Maverick slides a finger under Haley’s chin while typing on the iPad with his other hand. “If you wanna bail you know where my room is. And for the love of god take the champagne. They sent us two cases and we gotta get rid of this nasty ass shit.”
Haley accepts the tacky light up plastic champagne flute and goes downstairs to the main part of the house. Besides the expertly decorated bonus room and 4th bedroom where they filmed, most of Maverick’s house reminded Haley of a very glamorous frat house.
Maverick had bought the piece of land on the edge of Laughlin, Nevada 10 years ago with his small severance from Virtue. He'd gone in with Roxie and Violet on a loan to build an unsuspecting colonial they’d deemed Cutie House and turned into their living and work space.
Haley slips into Maverick’s unmade, stuffed animal covered bed and pulls the covers around him. A 60 inch flat screen was propped on a large storage container waiting for Maverick to finally mount it. Haley always found his oversized television indulgent, since Luce wouldn't let him put one in their room.
He turns it to the ball drop, sets the champagne flute in front of him and takes a close cropped photo of the drink's bubbles.
He turns off his geotags and posts the image on Facebook with the caption:
I’ve officially reached too old to stay up past midnight club! Champagne is truly the love of my heart. 🥂 ....Oh and also my husband. Happy New Year, love you honey! 😆 👨❤️👨
He
posts it and within 30 seconds he not only
gets 13 likes but a crying laughing emoji and message wishing him 'all the love and light in
the new year' from Trish Matthews, Brixton Matthew's mother.
He ignores her comment and pointedly leaves long, cheerful responses to every other comment. It was petty and bitchy but he didn’t care.
Trish Matthews had sent him a long Facebook message the day after Nova was sent to detention. She'd apologized on behalf of her husband’s rash actions. And as angry as he was, he hated that Trish was apologizing for her husband behind his back. They'd always been friendly online and he’d eventually forgive her. But not today.
He was still trying to figure out what to do with himself.
Haley hadn’t even wanted to visit Nova this morning. He wasn’t ready to see his bright, vibrant son torn down by the system but Sara insisted they both go to the holiday visit.
They’d walked into the crowded Clark County Juvenile Detention visitation room to hear a man in a polo snapping at Nova to stop talking to a girl who was laughing with her parents.
“It’s Alissa’s birthday,” Nova explained when he sat down with them at their assigned table. He’d been holding a mini cupcake. “Her mom was saying if she’d been born 2 hours later she would have been the first baby born that year at the hospital and the hospital would pay all the bills. Did you know you had to pay to have a baby ? I know Alissa because she goes to the same school as Holland’s ex-girlfriend Keira. We’re re-reading Twilight together because it's the only book they have two of in the library but apparently this religious lady back in the day blacked out all the bad words and kissing.”
He’d been relieved to discover the juvenile detention was co-ed, Nova seemed to do better in those spaces and his ability to make new friends everywhere was still intact. But his content expression didn’t match up with the tearful voicemail messages Haley got nearly every night..
“That’s
great, baby. Do you feel good on the new meds ?,” Haley
had asked. They’d told him they were giving Nova a new anxiety medication but Haley knew enough to know they were trying to keep him mildly sedated instead of dealing with his actual needs.
“Yeah, I just get tired…and it’s hard because I can’t sleep when I want.” he turned to Sara. “And I try to be good but we have to do literally 100 worksheets as school. I’m not even joking! And I finish early because it’s stuff I know. I told the teacher when I was in school I was allowed to walk around if I had to but she said no. And I’m never allowed computer time. I met this boy named Sean today. He only has to come in weekends, do you think I could get that ? Because I was thinking and I only really get in trouble on weekends.”
“You just have to get to the end of January sweetheart,” Haley reminded him. When they'd left court he’d gone behind Sara’s back and called a lawyer who promptly told him Nova’s sentence was too short to fight.
They’d stayed for an hour and it had eased his heart some that Nova seemed unhurt, although he’d broken down in panicked sobs when they had to leave.
Sara had asked Haley to stop by the dry cleaners on his way to drop her off at Jean's. He’d been surprised to see her pick up a navy blue dress with a tasteful crystal pattern on the single shoulder strap. She’d explained matter-of-factly that she and Ivy, her best friend from New York, were going to the New Year’s Eve party at the country club with two men they’d met at a bar.
His 67-year-old mother-in-law, who has been a recluse shut in for nearly 30 years, somehow had more exciting New Year’s Eve plans than him.
With limited options he’d decided to go out and spend New Year’s Eve with Maverick at Cutie House—it was no pressure being around Maverick and he didn’t have to get dressed up. He’d put on a pair of mesh pink leopard yoga pants, one of Luce’s white undershirts and drove out.
In between the recording Maverick had been as attentive and flirtatious. Haley liked seeing behind the scenes of their show, it made him nostalgic for when he worked at Virtue. But he’d sensed they were trying to build a good energy for the new year countdown and he was sure he was bringing down the room.
After responding to all the comments on his Facebook post he falls asleep a minute before midnight, his phone in his hand.
---
“You and I need to have a talk, baby girl,” Maverick growls.
Haley opens his eyes to the divine sight of Maverick seated haughtily in the elaborate black leather chair crammed in the corner of his bedroom. He looked radiant with the morning sun reflecting off his bronzed cheekbones, messy dark hair and gray undershirt that showed of his muscular arms. He was talking into his work phone---an iPhone 11 Pro encased in a silicon bunny case and attached to a rainbow tripod.
Maverick’s sharply kohl-lined green eyes meet Haley’s and he puts a ring covered finger to his lips in a silent but authoritative hush gesture before turning back to the phone and talking.
“I have a naughty sub tied up in the corner over there and if I find out you're slacking you’ll get to join them. Now, if you don’t pick a major I’ll pick one for you. I hear you’re a smart girl and you know you can do anything. I know you know that. Now, sit up…Look at me…Show me your tongue…Close your mouth….Good girl. Happy New Year, I love you Jenna, you have amazing friends.Bye!”
Maverick gives the camera a peace sign, taps the phone and takes it off the tripod. He walks over to sit beside Haley on the bed.
“Good Morning. You’re sleep like the dead--” Maverick looks up suddenly and Haley see him panic the moment the word 'dead' leaves his mouth but he decides to push through the awkward moment.
“You could have kicked me out if you had a session.” He hated the idea of intruding on what someone thought was their private time.
“I wasn’t live. I’m on this thing called Cameo. People pay me to send short video messages. A lot of people give them as gifts and I got so fucking behind while I was planning that live show. I'm going to upload this if you need to get up.”
Haley stands and ambles towards the jack and jill bathroom in the hallway. Maverick had given Roxie the master bedroom with the en suite and he and Violet shared this one. Every surface, including the floor, was covered in a baskets of toiletries. He uses the toilet, brushes his teeth with the toothbrush he'd brought with him, showers and washes his face with the luxury sample items from the baskets.
When he pads back in the bedroom Maverick is back in the leather chair, this time wearing a black leather harness over his bare chest and making another Cameo. This one is filthier and when he finishes recording he gestures for Haley to come closer and then points to his lap. Haley straddles his lap and eagerly thrusts his tongue into Maverick’s mouth for a long, sensual kiss to the sound of Maverick’s phone pinging with e-mail notifications.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes,” Haley responds, his senses melting under Maverick’s gaze.
“Did you have a nice time in bed drinking champagne... the true love of your heart.”
He pulls back at hearing the words of his trite (but very popular) Facebook post parroted back to him. Maverick’s sharp badass Dom veneer cracks and he giggles. “Violet follows you on her vanilla account.”
“A lot of my coworkers and former patients follow me! I can’t exactly say 'spending New Year's Eve watching my boyfriend spank his submissive for their horny internet fans because my husband is in a mental hospital and my son is in jail!' ”
Maverick’s lips form a perfect teasing grin as he reaches to the end table to silence the relentless phone notifications. “Did you just call me your boyfriend ?”
“You know what I meant.”
“Do I ?”
Haley’s tone softens. “You know I love you…but I don’t have the emotional energy for another relationship right now. And not to mention Nova—”
“Babe. I’m
fucking with you,” Maverick says, bringing him in for a biting kiss. “I’m not
looking to settle down until I start making that fuck you money. It's already tough as shit in this business. I don't need a nagging partner—”
“Hey! I've never nagged!,” Haley exclaims. He was mildly offended but Maverick only seems amused.
“—Rox is always going on about being married by 40 but I don't think she gets it. From what I've seen of your marriage, hell your whole thing...that kind of commitment freaks me out...I don't know how you do it.”
Haley shrugs. “Everyone is on their own path.”
“What path are we on ? I mean I kind of thought we ended things, which I got, but then…you came here last night.”
Haley traces the lines on Maverick’s chest. “I know...I just needed to get out of the condo. Sara is staying with Jean while they work out some legal stuff and...I feel too guilty being home when my boys aren't.”
“Maybe Luce and Nova are where they need to be right now. Isn’t getting some time to yourself what you said you always wanted ? ”
“Turns out I don’t know how to be alone anymore,” Haley admits. “And this isn't some vacation. They got institutionalized because I dropped the ball. I still want you in my life, but they need me. We can still text and hang out but I really need to concentrate on taking care of them this year.”
“You do know you can’t do it all on your own ?”
“It might not be fair but it's my job and I'm the only one who can do it. All this shit only happened because I got busy planning the funerals—I—shit that sounded bad, I just meant—”
“I get it what you mean.”
Haley smiles against Maverick’s lips. He slides his hand up his chest until he can feel Maverick's steady heartbeat. “New topic...I don’t have to pick Luce up for three days...and I’ve maxed out on overtime.”
“And that concerns me how?”
Haley hooks his fingers around two of the notches in Maverick’s harness. “Play with me. No limits. Please, Maverick.”
“Hmmm.” Maverick shoves him to his knees to look down at him.No.You’ll kneel quietly just like this while I clean out my fucking inbox and work with my clients.Then you and I are going to have playtime…I’ll even tie you into a pretty packages and take pictures for hubby.”
---
-2-
Valentine’s Day
8 weeks Later
“Holy shit, Dad, what the fuck!” He startles at seeing Haley sitting cross legged in front of the door and nearly drops
the two iced coffee cups cradled in his hands.
“Nova Haley-Grace, you are not supposed to leave the house without permission—”
Nova innocently holds up a bright pink and red gift bag with two glittery kissing cartoon llamas on the front “I just went to give valentines out to the guys at the bus shelter before the cops came and I figured since I was over there I could catch my friends at the coffee shop before the morning rush. I left a note. Oh, oops, no I didn’t. I forgot. Sorry ?”
A week after he was released from detention Nova had somehow talked his way into a job doing grunt work at their local coffee shop. He's spent his entire first paycheck (the part he had left after Haley took a portion to got towards the broken window payment) in the Valentine’s Day aisle at Target. Luce had called his purchases nonsense but Nova was intent on giving out every single one of the hundreds of frivolous valentine’s cards and lollipops he’d purchased.
“You know the rules. You don’t leave this condo without permission.” Haley repeats firmly. He stands. “So, I either take $20 out of your checking account or no screens tonight.”
“But I bought you a red velvet iced coffee with mocha drizzle and extra whipped cream!,” Nova adds, shaking the two whip cream heavy cups in his hand.
“Nova."
Nova scoffs and walks into the condo. “You can take the money out.”
“And I hope both of those coffees are for me because you know you can’t have caffeine with your meds—”
He makes an annoyed whine. “But mine is decaf—”
“No. Not today. And I ironed a nicer shirt for you, we’re leaving in 15 minutes. You need to eat something.”
Nova drags his feet to the kitchen and Haley takes his iced coffee back to his bedroom where Luce was still asleep. Haley crawls into the bed, straddles his body and kisses him until he groans awake.
He was on
a new sleeping pill for insomnia and his day didn’t start until well in the afternoon
but it made Haley nervous when he slept too soundly. A psych stay hadn't cured him, but they'd made it through and he was atleast making the effort to get out of bed everyday.
“Luce, don’t forget Nova is coming to work with me today for his job shadow project. I'll bring him back home at lunchtime for school.”He leans close and whispers in his ear. “And I put your Valentine’s Day gift in the private folder in the camera roll in your phone...”
Luce turns to him, his blue eyes cloudy and red with sleep. He mumbles something he can’t understand
Haley had been sitting on the pictures Maverick had taken of him on New Year's for
weeks, unsure when would be a good time to show Luce. Learning that Nova was in detention had almost undone his work in the hospital but they'd made it through with twice a week couple's counseling--counseling that Luce hated. It was more of a therapy session for Haley that he got to witness. They'd been going through the motions waiting for Nova to get out of detention and now that he was out, all their conversations revolved around keeping him out of trouble.
“I’ll call you at dinner time and I’ll see you tomorrow morning when I get off. I love you. Okay ? Luce ?”
“Love you,” he responds groggily and falls back to sleep the minute his head falls back on the pillow.
Haley adds some sparkly heart stickers to his ID holder, puts in a pair of bow and arrow earrings and checks himself in the vanity mirror. He takes two pills out of the new fingerprint safe before walking to the kitchen.
Sara held a lollipop from one of Nova’s valentines in her mouth while
she made her black coffee. Nova was leaning against the counter next to her in
a crisp black polo and starched gray chinos, filling her in on the romantic storylines he was going to give his Sims characters later tonight.
“Nova, we need to go, you’re going to be late!” Haley hands him his two pills and watches his son swallow them with a glass of tap water with a grimace. “Open.”
Nova bends slightly so Haley can look into his mouth to see he’d swallowed the pills.
After reminding Sara of Luce's medication schedule, he herds Nova out of the condo. Their exit is impeded by tall vase of
stargazer lilies outside the door that hadn't been there moments earlier.
Nova eagerly picks up the crystal vase and looks at the card attached. He turns back into the condo grinning. “These are for you Ms. Sara!”
Sara takes the flowers and, after reading the card, puts them next to the bouquet of roses she’d gotten last night. Nova eyes the flowers adoringly. “Are those from the same person who gave you the roses?”
“No,” she says simply and goes back to her
coffee. Sara went out occasionally, sometimes even overnight, but none of them had ever been brave enough to ask for details.
Haley lets Nova control the radio on their ride to the hospital and they end up singing along to song that was as catchy as it was dirty. It was harmless and silly but Haley was sure he’d get his parent card revoked if anyone heard them.
“Hi! Happy Valentine’s Day,” Nova greets the receptionist and Billy—who he’d never met. He reaches into the llama bag and hands them both a glittery card attached to a heart shaped Jolly Rancher lollipop.
“This is so sweet, Nova,” the receptionist says, pulling out the lollipop. “We didn’t expect you here today.”
“This is Nova ?,” Billy asks eyes wide. “Wow, Haley you do not look old enough to have a kid this big. I still think of him as a little boy.”
“Me too.” Haley smiles and Nova catches himself mid-eyeroll.
“I’m not volunteering today. I’m doing a school project. I get to job shadow Ms. Elsie. She does all the social media for the hospital,” Nova explains enthusiastically before his attention is taken by the large vase of sunflowers on the reception desk. “Okay, this is like the third vase of flowers I've seen today! These are so pretty! I’ve never seen a real life sunflower. Dad, look! Everyone else is soooo lucky they get flowers. I want flowers.”
“Administration really stepped up their game from carnations,” Haley retorts picking one of the bright yellow flowers and admiring it. It was maybe a little sexist that each nurse got a single droopy carnation on Valentine’s Day but he didn’t mind since it was usually the only thing he got.
“Actually,” the receptionist says. “Those are for you, Haley. They’re from your husband.”
Billy puts his hands to his cheeks. “I came to drop off some meds but I just had to stick around to see your face when you saw them. They're gorgeous.”
“What ? Luce got your flowers ?,” Nova says flatly. “In that case, surprise ! I was in on it too.”
Billy and the receptionist laugh as Haley opens the card to read the note:
Haley,
I hope these sunflowers brighten your day like you’ve brightened my life every single day for the last 20 years. I love you with all my heart. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
~ xoxo ~
Hubby
Haley’s face heats and he stashes the card in his pocket before he starts blushing furiously and Nova notices. Nova could take one look at that card and know Luce didn’t write it. They'd only officially been together 18 years and in those years Luce had never once referred to him as Haley. And had, likely, never used an exclamation point once. Let alone twice.
And then there was the hubby.
After Nova takes more selfies and pictures than necessary of the flowers, Haley walks him to the administrative offices for his job shadow. Before he officially clocks himself in to work he sends a quick text to Maverick.
You are too nice to me 🌻🌻
Maverick responds quickly.
Don’t get all sentimental on me. Hubby gave me the money. Don't get used to the teamwork. You owe me, babe.
Yes, Maverick.
Haley deletes the text
***
His morning was slow, they only had a single resident that afternoon. Haley sits with her for most of the morning before walking one of their interns through the charting system.
At lunch time he sends a text to Nova to meet him at the car so he can hear all about his job shadow and drive him back home to do schoolwork.
He frowns when he doesn’t get a response in two minutes. He sends
another text and after no response opens the Life 360 app. He didn’t like
tracking Nova, but his son had a lot of trust to earn back and it helped him manage everyone better.
He grins at seeing Luce’s icon at physical therapy in the rehabilitation center next door. It meant Luce was making an effort to not only get out of the condo but back into therapy. He is confused at seeing Nova’s icon in the respite center parking lot despite Nova not being anywhere in sight.
Haley walks out to the parking lot and his eye immediately catches on a cherry red BMW with tinted windows parked right next to his Volkswagen.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters to himself. Haley marches to the BMW and knocks once before opening the passenger door to find a flustered Nova and Brixton.
“Hi, Mr. Haley,” a pink-faced Brixton squeaks.
Haley gives him a soft sigh and turns sharply to his son.. “Nova, you are supposed to be learning about what it means to have a job today. This is not appropriate workplace behavior.”
“Technically, my job shadow is over and I was just telling Brix about it. It was so cool I got to meet the--”
“Nova.”
He’d suspected something had changed when Nova had come home from
detention and covered his walls with the notes and cheesy postcards Brixton had sent him. Then
Nova asked to join the community youth theater Brixton was a part of. Haley had only
agreed because he wanted Nova to have structured time and meet new kids.
Then Luce had mentioned Brixton has started coming to the condo more often when he got out of school.
It was clear the Matthews had no idea who their son spent time with and Haley wasn’t going to tell them. He’d made it clear with Nova he wasn’t allowed to date even though Nova claimed people don’t date anymore. He decided to let Brixton and Nova spend time together. But there’d been no closed doors allowed.
“Brixton, don’t you need to be in school ?,” Haley asks.
“I have off campus lunch hour this year.”
Haley takes note of an unopened In N Out bag and bouquet of convenience store flowers between the seats. He looks at his watch. “Okay, boys it’s12:30. Brixton you can drive Nova home and have your lunch outside the condo because I'm not sure Sara is there. That should give you plenty of time to get back to school, Brixton. Understand ?”
They both nod and Nova grins.
“Don’t ever do this again,” Haley tells him. “It is completely inappropriate and unprofessional to fool around on hospital property. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”
Nova’s grin drops and Haley closes the door, watching as the car drives off.
With his lunch break now free, Haley walks next door to the rehabilitation center and, after flashing his badge at the front desk, heads for the rehab center’s open gym.
He spots Luce on a specialty machine that worked
the side of his body that was still weak from the paralysis. There is a
freelance physical therapist in the gym working with another client but Haley doesn’t
know her.
“Hi, Mr. Grace ?,” Haley calls. Luce turns to him confused. “Can you come with me, please, sir ?”
Haley helps him into his wheelchair and Luce follows him to what the hospital staff called the “old side” of the building. It failed to meet some new code requirements 8 years ago and they’d turned it into surplus storage. Haley still carried his old keycard from before they changed out the system and opens the door to what used to be a patient room.
He closes the door behind him and makes sure the blinds are closed.
“What is it, Lex ?”
There was a thin sheen of sweat on his skin from his workout and he was wearing a black tracksuit that brought out the blue in his eyes.
“I got my flowers. Thank you...it made me feel very special...,” he smirks. “You would have gotten away with it completely if you hadn't let Maverick write the card.”
“...he's better at the kind of thing than I am.”
“Now I think I owe him like....three blow jobs ?” Haley notes how Luce's eyes darken for just a moment. He presses is his hand to Luce's cheek. “You'd love to see me do that wouldn't you ? On my knees and covered in another man's--”
“Lex.You're at work.”
“Actually, I'm on lunch. And I have 20 minutes left so take your pants off.”
***
Haley has a silly smile on his face for the remainder of his 24 hours shift and if
anyone notices, he attributes it to the sunflower bouquet—of
which he’d given out a stem to the other nurses and CNAs on shift with him.
Before he goes home the next morning, Haley swings by the administration wing. Elise Tyson was their lilac-haired, fresh out of grad school social media coordinator. She identified as queer and Haley had gotten to know her though the hospital's diversity advisory committees he was always placed on. He thought Nova would take to her and wanted to get him thinking about his future.
“Hi, I just wanted to see how things went with Nova’s job shadow?,” Haley asks, poking his head into Elise's office door.
“It was great. He’s so curious,” she says looking up from her laptop and ushering him inside. “He said he really liked social media but he more wanted to be a nurse or write scripts for video games.”
“He said nurse ?” That was new.
She nods and brings her tiny laptop over to Haley. She had it open to Nova’s Instagram account. “He took some pictures around the hospital on Instagram. I told him I’d use one. He likes this one, which I do too.”
She shows him a picture of Nova, covered in a protective
gown, placing his Valentine’s cards next to the name cards on the newborn
bassinets. A dull pang still clinched Haley's chest every time he saw a newborn but he knew the timing wasn't right.
He looks past the photo and his eyes fall on Nova's Instagram post just before the newborn bassinet one. It was a picture they had taken together with Maverick's sunflowers. Nova looked so professional and clean cut--his loose hair was cut to just below his chin and it was all finally back to the healthy natural blonde, the way that Haley liked it.
“I like this one better. You should use this picture.” Haley suggests tapping on the picture of the two of them. “It would be cute since Nova actually volunteers at the respite center with me.”
“If you're cool with it, I am.”
He nodded.
It fit the life he’d worked hard for them to have, even more so the
last few weeks since Nova was released from detention. It validated every choice he’d ever made to keep his family whole.