Chapter r4

Monet sat across from Kyle at their favorite restaurant, the soft glow of candlelight flickering between them. She tried to focus on the conversation — the way his warm brown eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way his voice made her feel safe like she didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

But tonight felt different. There was a tension in the air she couldn’t shake, no matter how many times she adjusted in her seat or took a sip of wine.

Kyle had always been her steady constant — the man who never asked too much, who treated her with unwavering kindness. He respected her boundaries, encouraged her career, and never rushed her. But tonight, there was urgency in his voice. An edge she wasn’t used to.

“I’ve been offered a job in another city,” Kyle said, leaning slightly forward. His voice was calm, but something restless simmered beneath the surface. “It’s a great opportunity. The kind of thing that could take my career to the next level.”

He was a pediatric surgeon — calm, dependable, and rarely shaken. But now, he seemed… tense.

Monet met his gaze, her heart racing. “That’s great for you,” she said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than she felt.

“It is,” he agreed. Then his gaze softened. “But there’s a catch. It would mean I have to commit fully. To the job… and to you. I know you’ve been wrapped up in the Abbott family, but if we’re going to take this seriously, you have to make a choice.”

Monet’s stomach tightened. The warmth of the candlelight faded into the background, and a coldness crept in. She hadn’t realized it until now, but the thought of fully committing to Kyle — of stepping away from her life with the Abbotts — left her feeling hollow.

“I… I don’t know if I can,” she whispered. “I’ve spent so much time with the kids… with Richard. I can’t just walk away from them.”

Kyle’s expression softened, but there was a flicker in his eyes. “Monet,” he said gently, reaching across the table, “I’ve been patient. I’ve always respected your space and time. But I’m about to leave everything behind for this job. I need to know that you’re committed to us. To me.”

Monet slowly pulled her hand back, her mind spinning. She had already rejected Richard’s offer to continue part-time — but that didn’t mean she was ready to let go entirely. The Abbotts had become her family in ways she couldn’t explain. Richard, despite his grief and his walls, had become someone she couldn’t simply walk away from.

And now here was Kyle, offering her something else — something different.

Could she have both? Could she live in both worlds?

“I need some time,” she said at last, her voice cracking. “I didn’t expect… this kind of pressure. I just broke the news of the wedding to the kids.”

Kyle looked disappointed, but he didn’t push. Instead, he nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the rim of his wine glass. “I understand. Just know that this job… the life we’re about to build… it won’t wait forever.”

Monet nodded, still reeling. She had no answers. Only questions that felt too heavy to carry alone.

As they finished their dinner, the quiet between them felt suffocating. Her thoughts were a storm torn between the future Kyle offered and the life she’d already built with the Abbotts.

When they stood to leave, Kyle placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Take your time,” he murmured. “I’m not going anywhere.”

But as Monet stepped into the chilly evening air, her heart weighed down, she couldn’t help but wonder:

Was she the one going somewhere?

Would she choose the safety of what she knew — Richard and the children — or risk everything for an uncertain future with Kyle?

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“No, I couldn’t work part-time.”

Her voice still echoed in Richard’s head — and so did the clear hurt in her eyes, unmasked and undeniable.

How had she been hurt by his words? She was the one walking away. She hadn’t even given it a real thought.

“I think it'd be best to make the changes now,” she’d said. “I have some candidates I could recommend from the hospital.”

As if he and the kids would ever find a replacement.

Slow anger churned in Richard’s chest. He took another sip of hard ginger ale. He’d given up alcohol the day Hannah died — the day he realized he had to be both mother and father to his children.

“I’m also going to be moving in with Kyle before the wedding.”

“Doesn’t that go against all the beliefs you were raised with?”

He winced at the memory. That had been a low blow. Even if she was vexing him, he’d had no right. The way her lips parted in shock, those big doe eyes blinking at him — he knew he’d crossed a line. But the kids had walked in before he could apologize.

Now, it was almost midnight. He sat alone in the dark on his porch swing, waiting. He told himself it was so he could apologize.

But that was a lie. A lie that pulsed in his chest with something far more dangerous.

Yes, he was hurt that she was leaving. Especially the kids.

Mostly the kids.

But he owed her so much. His company had reached new heights because of her. Because he hadn’t had to worry about whether the kids were fed or tucked in, whether their homework was done or their clothes clean. She had been a silent force behind his success.

And here he was — sulking — when it should be a bittersweet moment.

A sleek Jaguar rolled into the graveled driveway. Kyle’s car.

Monet stepped out before he could open the door for her. The streetlight bathed her caramel skin in a soft glow. The sage-green, strapless dress clung to her figure like it was made for her.

Richard shook his head hard. The thought had come from nowhere — intrusive, unwelcome.

He’d shut that part of his mind down after Hannah died. That part of him was dead.

And Monet shouldn’t be the one to revive it.

From the shadows of the porch, he watched them. Kyle and Monet hugged and shared a chaste kiss. They made a beautiful couple. Kyle — a bit chubby, reddish hair and boyish charm. Monet — his caramel velvet nymph.

Richard clenched his jaw.

Monet threw her head back in laughter, her hands on Kyle’s shoulders. His arms encircled her waist, steadying her as she wobbled slightly in her heels. He sealed the moment with a deeper kiss, and Richard’s stomach twisted.

He told himself he was waiting to apologize.

But the lie sat heavy.

He wasn’t just losing a nanny.

He was losing the one person who made the house feel like home again.

Monet shouldn’t be the one to awaken this part of him — the part that had gone quiet with grief.

And yet here he was.

Awake.

And for the first time in years… afraid.