I Am Not Your Master; I'm Your Partner Book Three

A Secret Revealed

Caroline felt better when she turned away from the window. Her stomach felt somewhat unsettled. Perhaps it was the way the landscape scrolled by, or maybe it was the uncertainty of her situation. Either way, she found solace when she focused her eyes on the carpet between the scuffed toes of her red Converse instead.

An hour more, and she would be with her son and his parents. All would be well again. They always made her feel welcome; welcome and wanted. They were always thanking her for trusting them with Noah and telling her how important she was. They sent texts, cards, letters, photos, and even small gifts on occasion. They never lectured her or impressed their own ideas about her life upon as her parents did. In fact, it seemed that Dan and Phil loved her.

They asked her questions about her life and offered advice when asked. They listened and gave her a safe space to process her emotions. She felt seen, heard, and understood by Noah's parents. Caroline often doubted herself and her choices but choosing Dan and Phil to parent her son was never one of them.

She drew in an impossibly long breath, held it between her ribs, and let her head flop forward between her knees as she let it out.

* * *

Dan fussed with the white hydrangeas, turning them this way and that. He wanted everything to be perfect for Noah's mother.

Phil grinned. He liked the way his husband rotated the vase and examined the long-stemmed flowers from every possible angle. It reminded him of the way Dan nested before Noah was born.

"There." Dan pointed. His little ears twitched and turned. "Do you think she'll like her room?" He took a few steps backward to take in the whole of the bedroom. "And the flowers?"

Phil smiled. He thought the bedroom looked beautiful. Dan had been very thoughtful about decorating it. Caroline would be the first to use this particular room. It was the first on the left, right beside Noah's. Natural sunlight poured in from the west windows and fell upon the snow-white bedding. Dan placed two pale lilac pillows at the top of the bed and a third between them. It was a smaller, circular one covered in a dark velvety fabric that reminded him of an African violet.

The same built-in bookshelves that lined Noah's room and the baby's room bordered the large west-facing windows, though they were still mostly bare. But for a small aloe plant and a framed photograph of Caroline holding Noah, they sat empty and free of dust. A white rocking chair sat in the corner, facing the windows. Caroline would have a perfect view of the Willow tree that inspired their baby girl's name.

"You've been busy," Phil kissed Dan's cheek. "Yes, she will love this room, Sweetheart. It's perfect."

Dan blushed. He was proud of the space but hearing Phil's praise still gave him that fluttery feeling. "Thank you. I just want her to feel comfortable. I thought about putting some of the classics in here, but there probably won't be much time for reading." Dan shrugged and tapped one of the shelves with his fingertips.

"Probably not," Phil agreed. They hoped to give Caroline the full seaside experience.

"Do you want to see her bathroom?" Dan's tail curved upward.

Phil, who thought his husband looked particularly adorable, nodded. "Yeah, you've done that too?"

Dan took his hand, and they walked across the hallway to the bathroom shared by the three main bedrooms. It was nice to have them set apart from their own.

"Beautiful, Darling." Phil noticed another small potted aloe and a round basket filled with rolled-up washcloths. It made him think of the time he and Dan visited a spa on their honeymoon in the Mediterranean. "You've really thought of everything. She's not going to want to go home," Phil laughed sweetly not yet understanding the truth in his own statement.