Hope sat on the couch, staring at the door as if willing it to open. Jayden, Sebastian and Charlie were asleep, their soft breathing the only sound filling the silence of the apartment. The weight of Buck’s anger still hung in the air, suffocating her.
She had always known Buck was a man who felt deeply, who loved with his whole heart, but also hurt just as intensely. And she had hurt him.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, breaking her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, her heart jumping in her chest when she saw Bobby’s name.
Bobby: He’s okay. We talked. He’s still upset, but he’s coming home.
A shaky breath escaped her lips. He was coming back.
She knew things wouldn’t be fixed with just a conversation, but at least he wasn’t running. That was a start.
The door creaked open an hour later, and Buck stepped inside. His face was tense, exhaustion evident in his posture. He didn’t slam the door this time, but he didn’t look at her either as he set his keys down on the counter.
Hope stood up slowly, uncertain. “Hey.”
Buck exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face before finally meeting her eyes. There was still anger there, but beneath it, there was something else, hurt, confusion.
“You changed our son’s name without telling me,” he said, his voice low but firm.
Hope swallowed hard. “I know. I didn’t decide against you, Buck,” she said carefully. “I did it for you.”
Buck let out a humorless laugh. “For me? How exactly was keeping that from me for over a year?”
Hope hesitated, struggling to put it into words. “Your parents… They came to the hospital, I saw how much pain they carried. For the first time, they weren’t just the people who hurt you. They were grieving parents, Buck. And I—” she ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe I was wrong. But in that moment, I just wanted to give them something. And naming our son after Daniel, it felt like the one thing I could do.”
Buck shook his head. “That’s not your decision to make, Hope. They never gave a damn about me before. And suddenly, they show up and now you care about what they feel?”
She flinched at the bitterness in his voice. “They always loved you Buck, but they saw in you the son who died, and they were wrong I know, you were and still are Evan, not Daniel. I wasn’t choosing them over you. I swear, Buck.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Her lips parted, but no words came. Because deep down, she knew the truth.
“I was afraid,” she admitted. “Afraid that if I told you, you’d be too angry to even consider it. That you’d shut down the idea before even thinking about it.”
Buck let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t get to decide what I can or can’t handle, Hope. I’ve spent my whole damn life being kept in the dark. I thought we were different.”
Hope’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “We are different, Buck.”
“Then don’t lie to me,” he said, his voice raw. “Don’t keep things from me, even if you think it’s to protect me.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
Hope took a cautious step forward. “I love you. I never meant to hurt you.”
Buck exhaled sharply, as if trying to hold himself together. He looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time, she saw the exhaustion beneath the anger.
Finally, he nodded. “I know.”
It wasn’t forgiveness. Not yet. But it was something.
And for now, that was enough.