Chapter 18 - ZERO
Claire came home after fifty-three days.
I carried the car seat.
Emily walked beside me.
Nora filmed everything while pretending she wasn’t crying.
When we entered the house, Emily stopped.
Silver Morning walls.
A crib.
Two small framed stars on a shelf.
One for Grace.
One for Thomas.
No pretending they had never existed.
No white paint covering the past.
Claire slept through her entire homecoming.
“Rude,” Emily whispered.
“Very.”
That night, after our daughter finally woke and screamed for two hours straight, Emily looked at me over a bottle.
“Still wanted the ordinary?”
“Ask me tomorrow.”
She laughed.
Then winced because treatment still left her weak.
Reality remained.
Cancer.
Appointments.
Fear.
But also diapers.
Laundry.
Tiny socks.
A crying baby at 2:00 a.m.
Life did not wait for tragedy to finish before becoming beautiful again.
One evening Emily sat beside me on the porch.
“You remember what I said?”
“Unfortunately, you say many things.”
“About us starting from zero.”
I became serious.
“Yes.”
“We’re at zero.”
My heart accelerated.
“What does zero mean?”
“It means you’re Claire’s father.”
“Yes.”
“It means I trust you with her.”
That mattered more than she knew.
“And?”
“It means I don’t hate you.”
“Promising.”
“And…”
She looked nervous.
I waited.
“I would have coffee with you.”
I stared.
“Coffee?”
“One coffee.”
“As a date?”
“Do not ruin this.”
I smiled.
“Sorry.”
“One coffee.”
“Okay.”
“No marriage talk.”
“Okay.”
“No moving back in.”
“Okay.”
“No dramatic declarations.”
I hesitated.
Emily raised an eyebrow.
“Okay.”
She smiled.
Our second relationship began with one cup of coffee.
Not a ring.
Not a baby.
Not guilt.
Coffee.
May you like
Zero.
And zero was enough.
