Bless the Broken Road that Lead Me Straight to You

Chapter 24

When Jay drifted into consciousness the next morning, he was still wearing the same smile he had pasted on his face from the events of the night before.

It had been the best night of his life.

After Allie died, he thought he had lost his soulmate. While they may not have been romantically involved, she was still his very best friend, not to mention the fact that she was mother of his child. He had spent nights with her smiling and laughing and sharing, similar to the way he had last night with Erin, except with Allie he hadn't been also basking in post-coital bliss.

He never imagined it was possible to find this kind of love. The kind of love that was half what he had with Allie - respect, trust, and comfort, which was coupled with actually genuinely liking the other person - and half of something entirely new. A love that went deeper, that reached from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.

Before he had loved his best friend. Now he was in love with his best friend. Erin was his friend, his confidante, his partner, his lover. She was his everything.

And now, she was going to be everything for his daughters, too.

When his eyes finally fluttered open and he found an empty bed, his smile shifted to shear panic.

The pills.

He jumped out of bed and raced into Maddie and Grace's room, finding it empty.

Yes, he had chosen to hide them in there. He knew hiding drugs in his kid's room wasn't exactly going to win him Father of the Year anytime soon, but he also knew it would be the most effective. If Erin came into this room, even if she found the bottle of prescription pain medication, there was no way she would be able to take them. Not when she looked at her precious daughters. He truly believed that, and his thought were confirmed when he opened the bottle and counted the pills. All there, he thought, letting out a sigh of relief.

It was only a moment later, when he heard the sounds of giggles emanating from the kitchen, that he allowed himself to completely relax.

He walked towards the kitchen, following his favorite sounds. He found Grace and Maddie perched together on the bar stools, with Erin making breakfast in the kitchen.

Usually, he didn't love the idea of two four-year olds sitting on the high kitchen bar stools. He knew they were both steady enough to sit there, but Maddie was prone to sudden outbursts of excitement, and he was always nervous she might jump up and fall. Today, as he took in the stacks of pillows and cushions that Erin had stacked around them, he didn't mind.

He walked towards his daughters, "Morning," he said loudly, directing the greeting to include all of his girls in the room. Then he walked over to Grace and kissed her on the top of her head, "Morning, bug." Then he leaned and kissed Maddie. "Morning, Mads." Then he walked into the kitchen to offer the last greeting.

"Morning, babe." He kissed Erin, deep and slow, until they were both a little bit breathless. "How are you feeling?" She had removed the bandage covering her jaw exposing the scab underneath. She must have rubbed the antiseptic cream Will had given her, because it was shiny and reflected the kitchen light.

"I had a little bit of a headache this morning," She admitted. "But I took three advil and had a cup of coffee, and I actually feel much better." It was either the advil or it was the two little distractions she had sitting with her in the kitchen, but she was finally feeling okay.

"Mommy's making pancakes!" Grace shouted. "Even thought it's Wednesday today!"

"She is?" Jay's eyes widened in mock alarm. "Is Wednesday pancake day?" He raised his eyebrows, directing the questions towards Maddie and Grace.