Party of Four

Sacrifice - Nica

On the way back to my apartment, I sat in the front seat next to Riley while Cole sat in the back. “I’m sorry about that,” Riley started while I flipped through the radio stations.

“About what?” My brow pulled together, confusion coating my words.

“Mom,” he answered. “She can be a bit…overwhelming sometimes.”

“She’s excited, you can’t fault her for that,” I smiled, turning to look at him as I leaned back in my seat. “She’s going to be a grandma.”

“Yeah. I just…I didn’t expect all that. I thought maybe we’d have a few days of her riding the excitement wave before she started planning the next nine months of our lives.”

“And moving,” Cole added from the back.

I pressed my lips together. Admittedly, it was a lot to take in all at once. We were lucky to have her though, and lucky she was so eager to help. “At least she’s supportive,” I pointed out, reaching over to lace my fingers with Riley’s. “I’d be lost if we had to figure everything out on our own.”

“Yeah,” he breathed, relenting some. “You have a point.” He lifted our hands to his lips, kissing my fingers as he drove.

A comfortable silence settled over us for a few miles. Then a thought occurred to me that I hadn’t really been ready to think about. “I’m going to have to trade in my car,” my face fell with the realization. My silver Beetle was my dream car. I had gotten it last year after my car accident that broke my leg. I wasn’t ready to give it up.

“It has a back seat,” Riley pointed out.

“Yeah, but…it would probably be really difficult to get a carrier in and out of it…if at all.” A deep frown settled on my features.

“Maybe not,” he glanced over at me, concern in his blue eyes. “Maybe you could keep the Beetle and we can find another car too for taking the baby places.”

My frown depended, “Other than work, I’d probably be taking the baby with me more often than not. Plus I can’t afford two cars.”

“I could get a car,” Cole commented.

“Do you even have a valid license anymore?” Riley asked. There was no malice or teasing in his voice. Just a genuine question. Thanks to his PTSD, Cole hadn’t driven in ten years.

“I wouldn’t get it for me to drive,” he clarified. “It would be for Nica. So she can keep her car and still have something suitable to drive the baby around in. And I would make the payments.”

My heart swelled at the offer. Both of these men were always so good to me. I wasn’t sure how I had gotten so lucky. “I can’t let you do that. Especially not with your mom already planning to have y’all buy a new house. You don’t need the added expense.”

He didn’t say anything, likely not willing to argue. He wasn’t the type to pressure me into doing something I wasn’t comfortable with. No matter how big or small the thing was.

“Well the car is definitely something that doesn’t have to be solved immediately,” Riley reassured me, kissing my knuckles again. He turned onto the long, winding drive of Magnolia Pointe. I stared out the window at the passing trees. It was difficult to think that in six months I could be leaving my sanctuary. The place where I regained my independence after my divorce. The place where I felt what it was like to truly be loved for the first time. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that either.

We parked in front of my building and went inside. Cole immediately slipped back out the patio door to smoke. He hadn’t had a cigarette since we’d left to go to Target, so I could imagine how much he felt like he needed it.

A part of me wanted to take a walk around the pond, feed the turtles. I was exhausted though, and wasn’t sure how much of a walk I was actually up for.

“You wanna walk down to the gazebo?” Riley asked as he slid up behind me. His arms circled around my waist as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

“Yes,” I admitted. “I’m just not sure I’m up for it physically.”

“I’ll carry you if you get tired.”

I smiled, chuckling softly as I turned to press a kiss to his cheek. “Okay,” I nodded. I stepped out of his embrace to get the raspberries out of the fridge.

We left the patio door unlocked, but still slid it shut. Cole was down by the water’s edge, half-smoked cigarette between his lips. “Cole!” Riley called to him, “We’re going down to the gazebo!”

He nodded silently in response.

Riley slid his arm around my shoulders and we started our walk. We were halfway there when Cole caught up to us. His hand found mine, fingers interlacing as we walked. Regardless of what the future held, and whatever sacrifices I was going to have to make, at least I had them at my sides.