Next of Kin

Warren confronts Chloe about Luke smoking and coming home early. He’s angry that Chloe has made decisions about Luke for him, but when Chloe apologizes, he seems embarrassed and leaves. A few hours later, Warren apologizes, explaining he’s working on his anger in therapy. He asks Chloe not to get too attached to Luke because Warren’s already looking at another school a few towns over and doesn’t “want to see him lose anyone else” (80). Chloe understands but offers an alternative. Since they all need help, they can split meals and groceries and offer assistance when appropriate. To her surprise, Warren agrees.

Chloe must take three buses to the hospital for Willow’s first follow-up appointment. Hearing this, Warren offers the use of his car for the day, and Chloe is so relieved, she hugs him for an uncomfortably long moment. Afterward, she sits down to breakfast with Warren and Luke. Since the deal she made with Warren, the teamwork between them has made her feel less lonely, and she’s surprised to find that she’s “starting to dread the end of these five months” (83). Warren asks if Chloe’s all right with him having some friends over for his birthday next weekend. It’s the same night Calvin is coming over, so Chloe’s fine with it, though the exchange feels awkward somehow.

Chloe drops Luke off at school and then takes Warren to work, where his boss and boss’s wife are thrilled to meet her. Chloe barely has time to process that Warren has talked about her before the couple is cooing over Willow. In a flash, Chloe realizes Warren cares about her and the baby, and she drives to Willow’s appointment, smiling.

Aside from an unhealthy rise in her blood pressure, Willow is doing fine. Chloe texts Calvin about the results. He’ll ask the doctor and get back to her, and he reschedules their Saturday-night date to later in the week. When Chloe picks Luke and Warren up later, she explains Willow’s situation, including Willow’s weekly checkups for the next eight weeks. Warren suggests they do the same thing they did today. Chloe is so overwhelmed with gratitude she grabs his hand and squeezes, and for a moment, it feels like “he was turning his hand around to hold [hers]” (95).

The night of Warren’s party, Chloe hangs out upstairs, wincing at how loud the group of six is. When she finally goes down to use the bathroom, the partiers invite her to join them. When she looks at Warren, he gestures to the empty chair beside him, and Chloe feels excited, as if she “got invited to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table” (97). After being introduced to everyone, Warren and another guy question Chloe about her canceled date and why the date was going to be in her bedroom. To avoid awkwardness, Chloe goes to get some wine and turns back to find the partiers with cocaine. Chloe flies into a rage and kicks them out, knowing she could lose Willow if this gets out of hand. Warren’s guests leave, and Chloe braces for a tough conversation with Warren.

In the wake of Warren’s friends leaving, Warren tells Chloe he never would have let them over if he knew they brought drugs, and he thanks her for kicking them out. His mom died of an overdose on his birthday, and when he saw what was happening, he froze. Their intensity grows as they stare at each other, and Chloe finally breaks away to wash the dishes. When she’s done, she locks gazes with Warren again, and he closes the distance to lift her onto the counter and kiss her. Chloe welcomes it even though she’s surprised because she thought Warren hated her. Warren admits he judged her prematurely, saying, “I never hated you. Not even close” (108).

The two are interrupted by Luke, who is angry that Warren might mess up their situation by getting too close to Chloe. Chloe rushes upstairs to calm down while Luke and Warren argue. When the lights finally turn off, Chloe texts Warren to make sure everything’s okay. Warren says it is and tries to convince her to come back down stairs. Chloe refuses and says good night, to which Warren responds in kind, calling her “dove.”

In the morning, Chloe resolves to tell Warren the two of them can’t kiss or do more together, but she’s stymied when she goes downstairs and finds him cooking breakfast, shirtless. Still, she makes her case because if things go badly, Willow will suffer, and Chloe “wouldn’t forgive [her]self if she ended up going into care” (114). Warren proposes taking Chloe on a date the day after her reevaluation for custody, but before Chloe can answer, Calvin calls. Distracted, Chloe agrees to have Calvin come over that night. Warren is hurt and calls off their date. This disappoints Chloe, but Willow starts crying before she can think too much about it.

When Calvin comes over, he and Chloe decide to watch Twilight since Calvin’s never seen it. The two of them cross paths with Warren in the kitchen. Calvin goes to the bathroom, and Warren closes the distance to Chloe’s side, the two fighting to keep space between them. Calvin returns before anything happens, and Chloe goes up to her room with him, where they sit rigidly on the bed for the movie. Afterward, Calvin asks if there’s something between Chloe and Warren. Chloe says there isn’t and pulls Calvin in for an awkward kiss. Afterward, Calvin leaves, and Chloe doesn’t think he’s “ever going to see the second Twilight film—at least not with me” (124).

To calm herself, Chloe mindlessly scrolls on her phone, finding an email from her adoptive parents. They’ll be in town for her birthday and can see her for that one evening if she’s available. Chloe is annoyed at the passive-aggressive tone of the email but agrees to have them over because she knows they mean well. Still, she doesn’t disclose the Team Up details because she knows her parents will see it as a failure.

Warren joins her in the living room to apologize for interfering with her date. He tends to say unfeeling things when he’s mad or jealous. He’s always kept people at an emotional distance before, but something about Chloe makes him want to come closer, and “for the first time, [he’s] not scared to” (129). Chloe is flattered but wants to keep her distance until she’s sure Warren won’t leave. Warren agrees, but neither of them likes it.

Chloe and Warren fall into a comfortable routine over the next two weeks, but Chloe can still feel the growing attraction between them. Chloe takes the car for errands and lunch with one of her former roommates—Emily, who is transgender—marveling at the safety features Warren installed for Willow. Emily accepts and understands Chloe’s situation and backstory. She offers to have a baby shower, calling Chloe “mama,” and the word snaps into place because “the title of mom feels so much more fitting” (138).

Chloe receives a call from Odette. Her mom has been sober for the required amount of time and put in a formal request for visitations with Willow. Chloe agrees and asks if her mom could contest Willow’s adoption. Odette says it’s possible and that if Chloe’s mom stayed clean and got her act together, a judge could determine she was the better option for Willow. The thought of losing Willow to her mom’s uncertain care makes Chloe panic because she can’t let Willow go through the same thing she did. Finally, the panic starts to fade, and Chloe repeatedly tells herself everything will be okay “until it feels the tiniest bit true” (144).