Chapter 264

Judy’s POV

I woke up alone.

Was I hurt? Yes.

Was I surprised? Not in the least.

Sighing, I got out of bed, wrapping a towel around my body before leaving Gavin’s room. His scent was everywhere, and my body was still thrumming after last night. I went into the room that used to be mine; I still had a few clothes in the closet that I could change into, just in case I ended up spending the night here.

I used the attached bathroom to take a quick shower before I got dressed. Once I was fully dressed and my wet hair was tied into a low pony, I felt more like myself. I had a slight headache from the tequila, but the water Gavin gave me helped to keep me hydrated for this morning.

I needed to put my game face on because today was the start of finals, it was crucial. Regardless of what was going on in my personal life, I needed to stay focused.

I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Chester was already cooking breakfast. Nan was seated at the table instead of the counter barstool like usual. It was easy to see why she was seated at the table, though; in her arms was Emalyn. She was bottle feeding her, and her eyes were shining with love and affection.

“Seems you’ve taken to the baby,” I said, grabbing an apple out of the fruit dish.

“She’s just so cute,” Nan breathed, cradling the baby in her arms. “We had such a nice evening last night.”

“Yeah, for once… we didn’t fight,” Chester teased, a grin on his face.

“Maybe all you needed was a baby,” I teased back.

They both blushed at my words and then glanced at one another, almost shy, before returning to what they were doing. That was when an idea popped into my head, and I didn’t care if it made things that much more awkward between them.

“You know, Irene can’t continue to take care of this baby,” I told them. “Gavin is actively looking for a forever family for Emalyn.”

Nan glanced at me, a curious look in her eyes. I could tell she had no idea where I was going with this.

“Have you considered adopting a baby?” I asked them.

Chester nearly dropped the spatula he was holding, and Nan’s eyes widened.

“What?” They both asked at the same time.

I shrugged, trying not to grin at their stunned expressions.

“Adoption,” I repeated. “Emalyn needs a family, and you two are really good with her. You both seem to take a liking to her, and she seems to like you as well. Why not?”

“Maybe because we just started seeing each other?” Nan sputtered.

“You’re mates,” I told her. “You are supposed to be together. Plus, you didn’t JUST start seeing one another. You’ve met months ago.”

“Yes, and it’s been a rocky few months,” Nan argued. “I’m still trying to figure out if I trust him with my heart, alone have a baby with him alone.”

‘You aren’t having a baby with him, you’re adopting a baby,” I told her. “A baby that needs a home.”

Chester glanced at Nan; his face was red as the apple I had just bitten into. His eyes drift to the baby and then back to me.

“Do you think we’d be good parents?” He asked, his tone soft and almost vulnerable sounding.

Nna’s eyes grew large as she stared at her mate.

“You can’t be serious,” she sputtered. “Are you seriously considering this?”

He shrugged, avoiding her eyes.

“I don’t know… I mean, I like Emalyn, and I’m falling in love with you. I don’t intend on screwing up this relationship. You’re my mate, Nan. I want to spend my life with you and have children with you. I want Emalyn to have a good home, and let’s face it, you love that little girl. You love taking care of her, and honestly, I do too. I think she’d be good for us, just like I think we’d be good for her. I’m not saying let’s jump into it with both feet, but it might be something to consider if the option is there.”

Nan opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the door to the kitchen opened and in came Irene, looking as if she had just crawled up from the pit of hell. I had never seen her look so disheveled before; she hadn’t even showered.

The sight made me want to laugh out loud.

“What’s an option?” She asked, her eyes squinting to adjust to the light. “Shit, I feel like I got run over by a truck.”

Chester grinned as he pulled a glass of milk out of the fridge and handed it to her.

“You’re just hung over,” he muttered, ushering her to sit at the counter while he continued to prepare breakfast. “Nothing a little milk and greasy foods won’t fix.”

“You’re too good to me,” she murmured, sipping the milk. “So, what were we talking about? What’s an option?”

“I was suggesting to Nan and Chester that maybe they should adopt Emalyn,” I told her, pausing to gauge her reaction.

Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me, and then at Nan, Chester, and finally Emalyn, who was content in Nan’s arms, drinking from her bottle.

Breaking the silence, Nan started to ramble nervously.

“I was telling them that it’s ridiculous,” she said with a nervous laugh. “We’ve only been mated for like 5 minutes, and so far it’s been so rocky between us. Yes, we can babysit, but we don’t know the first thing about raising an actual baby. I don’t think we are ready for that kind of step and—”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Irene cut in before Nan could finish her jumbled thoughts.

We all looked at her, surprised.

“You do?” Nan asked her, widening her eyes.

Irene nodded as she took another sip of her wine; her eyes turned thoughtful.

“As much as I love Emalyn, she’s not my baby. She’s a reminder of the cruel man I fell in love with…she’s a reminder of the betrayal I faced. I can’t connect with her. She’s adorable, but she cries constantly when she’s with me. I knew in my heart that she would have to get adopted eventually; I’m way too immature for a baby. I want her to go to a good home and be loved by people I trust. I want to still be able to see her and be Auntie Irene,” Irene said with a grin. “There’s no better couple than you.”

‘I couldn’t agree more,” I said with my own grin.

Irene looked at me, and then her eyes narrowed.

“How are you so put together after last night?” She asked. “I looked like the human equivalent of a train wreck, and you look hot.”

I glanced down at my crop top and high-waisted jeans with a frown. I didn’t think I looked hot, but to each their own.

“Thanks,” I said with a shrug. “I took a shower this morning. Don’t get me wrong, I have a headache too, but I drank water last night to keep me hydrated this morning.”

I didn’t bother telling her that it was her father who gave me the water and made sure that I was okay this morning.

“I have to go see Elana later,” Ireme murmured. “I need to apologize for my behavior last night. I shouldn’t have gotten that drunk. I should have listened to you, Judy. I’m sorry for putting you I that position.”

I shake my head.

“I’m an adult and made my own choice,” I told her. “I’ll come with you later. I’d like to apologize too. I finals until 2 and then we can go together.”

She nodded, looking slightly relieved.

“In the meantime, take a shower. Let Chester take care of the baby. Recover yourself. Nan and I ended up getting to school.”

“I just made breakfast,” Chester said, bringing over some plates. He placed one in front of Nan, kissing her on the head. “You have a little time to eat.”

Without another word, he took the baby from her, like a natural father, and it made me smile.

He placed the other plate in front of me; Irene was already chowing away, eating like a starving woman.

I had to admit, the food looked and smelled delicious. I wasted no time eating. By the time we were done, we were stuffed, and the slight hangover I was sporting was almost non-existent.

It was Erik who arrived to take us to the school, which surprised me because lately it’s been Taylor taking us to school. Or at least he’s been taking me to school; maybe because I was being picked up at the mansion instead of home, and Erik was already here or something?

“Something wrong?” Erik asked as I got into the car beside Nan.

I shake my head.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you. I was just expecting it to be Taylor this morning,” I told him. “Was he busy?”

Erik nodded.

‘Yeah, he’s at Gavin’s office doing some missed paperwork,” he admitted. “Gavin wasn’t able to make it into the office this morning, so Taylor got stuck with the slack.”

I frowned at that.

“I don’t understand… why couldn’t Gavin make it in?” I asked; I saw Gavin literally last night, and he was completely fine… more than fine. My cheeks flushed at the memory, and I hoped that nobody else could see it.

“He’s busy this morning with Miss Rachel.”