by Cindy Wilder
“Can we go to the park?” Alex asked.
“Sure,” I said. “Which one?”
“There's one by my house. We can go there,” he said.
“I'm not driving all that way to go to a park.”
He smiled and laughed. I was confused. He began telling me which way to turn. When we pulled up to the park I played at as a child, I was shocked.
“You moved?” I asked. “This is the park I played at with my dad when I was little. Some of the things have changed. Lots of things.”
“I did move,” he said. “I teach at the high school here.”
“That's cool. You're closer to your dad now. How have I not seen you?”
He shrugged as he got out of the car and got Josh out for me. We walked over to the play area and Josh ran around us. I showed Alex the tree I had carved my name in as a little girl. It was still there. All of the play things were different, but I still felt close to my dad there. We sat at a bench and talked while Josh played around us. I talked about my childhood. It was nice to talk to him about my dad. When he passed away, my mom didn't want to talk about him. I enjoyed reminiscing about my time with him. Alex was very good about listening to me go on and on.
Josh slipped and fell in the dirt as he was running. Alex darted across the play area and lifted him into his arms. It was so nice to see his dad protecting and caring for him. I walked over and we all played together. Alex pushed Josh on the swing while I sat on the one next to them. He walked up the slide with him, and I waited at the bottom. We had a great time. Josh chased me and I tumbled to the ground while he jumped on me yelling.
“I got mommy,” he said.
I grabbed him and pulled him to the ground as I tickled him.
“I got Josh,” I said, as he giggled.
I bent down and whispered in his ear. He jumped up and helped me up as much as a little one could. Of course I acted like he was the strongest man in the world. We brushed ourselves off and went after Alex. He ran from us, but I tackled him down while Josh jumped on him.
“We got daddy,” Josh yelled as he laughed.
I took out my phone to check the time.
“We've been here for three hours,” I said. “We better head back home. I need to fix dinner for Josh.”
“We can go out to dinner,” Alex said, as he stood up.
“Twice in one day. I would rather make something. That way I know what he's eating. I try to make sure he eats healthy.”
“I have something to show you,” Alex said. “I want to show you my house.”
“Can we walk down the street for a minute first? I want to show Josh where I grew up,” I said.
Alex nodded.
“Sure,” he said. “Which way do we go?”
I pointed to the left.
“I only lived ten houses from here. That's why I was so surprised when you brought us here. Thank you. I know you didn't realize how much it means, but thank you for listening to me talk about my dad.”
I held Josh's hand and Alex held his other. We talked and laughed as we walked. When we got to my house, I stopped and turned.
“It's right here,” I said, as I wiped a tear that had fallen. “Sorry, I didn't think I would get mushy about it. It looks so nice. The person that bought it really fixed it up. It looks better than it did when I lived here. I wonder if they took my tree house down. It's probably all beat up, but it was important to me. Do you think they would care if I looked really quick? I don't see any cars home.”
“I don't think they would mind. Go around and look,” Alex said.
I walked quietly through the gate. Alex and Josh followed right behind me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. The tree house was still there and had been freshly painted. The same colors I had it exactly. I was so excited as I stood there. Alex wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“They kept it. I can't believe they painted it the same colors. You have no idea how much time I spent building that with my dad. It was so much fun. I used to sit up there and talk about boys with my friends. The yard looks amazing. My mom let everything go after my dad wasn't here to take care of it. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing that she sold it.”
Just as we were about to walk away, the door next door opened and the neighbor came out. It was Jason. He was about my age. My eyes widened. I knew I was busted.
“Hey, Sarah,” he said. “How are you?”
“I was at the park and wanted to see if the tree house was still here. Please don't tell the new owners. I don't want them to be upset. I just wanted to get a tiny look. I'll leave now.”
“What?” he asked with his head tilted to the side and his eyes narrow. “Doesn't the tree house look great? It was a lot of work.”
“It does. Do kids live here now?” I asked.
He laughed as he looked behind me at Alex.
“You've always been funny, Sarah,” he said.
“How's that funny?” I asked.
“Wouldn't you know if kids lived here?” he asked. “What's wrong with her Alex?”
I looked back at Alex and then back at Jason.
“How do you know Alex?” I asked.
Jason's eyes widened as he looked to Alex.
“She doesn't know?” Jason asked.
I looked back to see Alex shaking his head no.
“Know what?” I asked.
“Alex is the one that bought the house. He lives here,” Jason said.
I pulled back from the hold Alex had on me, as tears began streaming down my cheeks. I was crying more than I had in a long time within seconds.
“You,” I said. “You live here? This is your house? You fixed up the tree house?”
There were so many questions. I was so confused.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Why?” I asked.
“I told you,” he began. “I loved you. When I saw how heart broken you were over your mom selling the house to strangers, I had to do something. I had just gotten the money from my part of my mom's life insurance when your mom put the house up for sale. She didn't know until the signing that I was the one buying it. You should have seen her face. When I put in the bid, I had a list of things I wanted that were in the house. She agreed. I think she was just happy to get the exact amount she wanted. I knew this house was important to you. I was sure that someday I would be able to bring you back to it. When time went by and they wouldn't tell me anything about you or where you were, I had honestly lost hope. This house was all I had left of you. That was when I redid your tree house. I knew one day you would see it. There are some things inside that are the same and some that are different. I've been working on one room at a time.”
“Can I go in?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said strangely.
He unlocked the door and held it open for me. Josh crawled into Alex's arms, and they followed me. When I walked in and saw the kitchen had been redone, I felt my stomach drop. The wall my dad used to measure my height was between the kitchen and the living room. I thought for sure it was gone. Quickly, I walked over to it while Josh ran by me into the living room. He didn't paint over it. Alex was something else. He had redone both rooms, but he hadn't gotten rid of my height chart. I couldn't believe that he put a small frame around it and darkened all of the lines and words. He even drew a little scene around it. When I turned and looked at the opposite doorway, I saw another frame to match.
“What's this?” I asked.
“Promise not to laugh,” he said, and I nodded. “That was one of the first things I did. I remembered you talking about your dad measuring you. I was so sure that you were going to come back to me. The one on the opposite wall was for me to measure our children like your dad did for you.”
I turned, went to him, and wrapped my arms around him.
“That is the sweetest thing you could have ever done. I can't believe you bought the house and kept the things that were important to me. I can't believe you fixed my tree house. You are the most amazing man in the
world, Alex. You really were thinking about me.”
He held me in his arms.
“The kitchen and living room are beautiful. It looks so much better than it did.”
Alex pulled away from me, pulled a marker from the drawer by the door, and called Josh over to us. He backed him up against the wall and drew a line just like my dad had done for me. I watched him write Josh's name and the date next to the little line. Just below that he wrote something else. I leaned down and read it. The day we became a family. Tears filled my eyes yet again.
He took my hand an walked me to my old room and opened the door. I walked in and looked around. It was exactly how I had left it. All of my stuff was still there. I had never been back to the house after my mother told me she wanted nothing more to do with me. The words I had written were still on the walls, and the picture I painted with my dad was right where it belonged.
“You left it all,” I said. “This is unreal.”
“As many times as I wanted to look around for pictures of guys or wanted to see if you hid any good secrets in here, I never did. I have only opened the door a handful of times. It was never to snoop. I figured this would be the last room I would touch. If you weren't here by then, I was going to at least make sure you got your stuff back.”
He pulled me to the next room over and opened the door. It was set up like a guest room. All the colors were blue and brown. It looked like a boys room.
“Would this room be okay for Josh?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said. “This would be a perfect room for when he's here with you. He'll love it.”
He looked at me and shook his head as he pulled me to master bedroom. I was surprised when he opened the door. It looked nothing like my parents room. He had the floors redone and it had been painted. He had a huge bed and large dressers to match. It looked like a completely different house. The bathrooms and my room were the only things that looked the same.
“What do you think of this room?” he asked.
“It looks great. I can't believe you made it look so different. Your bed is awesome. It looks so comfortable.”
“Would you be okay in here, or would you want me to fix up your room? We could move in there instead.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I've went without you in my life for three years. I thought I would never see you again. I've spent the entire time trying to get over the love I felt for you. Our son is sitting in the other room. I have missed two amazing years of firsts with him. You've raised him alone. He's my son, and you are my forever. I'm not going one more day or night without the two of you. Either you move in here or I move in your apartment. It's your choice.”
“He's your son. I would never keep him from you. You don't have to take me just to have him,” I said.
“I'm going to marry you. You're stuck with me forever. Am I moving in with you, or are you moving in here?” he asked. “If you don't want to do that, we can sell this house and buy another one. It's completely your choice. As long as I have my family, I don't care where I live.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “If we do this, you can't just change your mind. I won't do that to Josh. He would be fine seeing you. If you start living with him, you can't just leave. I won't let him go through that. Take some time to think about it. We don't need to rush anything.”
“I won't change my mind. You're it for me. I've known that since I saw you looking up at the stars in the dark. There was something about you. I know exactly where I belong. That's here with my son and my woman.”
“Don't play with my heart, Alex.”
“Never, love,” he said. “This is your house. I want to be in it with you. Will you move in with me?”
“Yes,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.
We decided to take the transition in steps for Josh. Alex stayed with us for a couple of weeks. I think part of me was afraid to give up our place and have Alex decide he couldn't deal with everything. He needed to understand what he was taking on. I was happy that he wanted to be so involved with Josh. He fed him, bathed him, read to him, and tucked in him at night. Josh loved being around his dad. They played together while I cooked. Alex even cooked with me a few nights. I noticed everything starting to flow, and it seemed as if we had been doing it together the entire time.
Alex met my grandparents, and they loved him. I think they were relieved that there was someone else to protect us. They were beginning to travel, and I think it made them feel good that Alex cared so much. They weren't going to have to worry anymore.
We took a few boxes over to the house each day. Alex wanted to make it a smooth transition for Josh. We slept at the house for a weekend, and Josh did really well. We kept the same pattern at the new place. He liked the house better because it was bigger and had a backyard. Alex had a swing set put in and a few smaller things as well. Everything was going great.
It was the last night at the apartment. We had just put the last box in Alex's car. The three of us stood in the empty apartment.
“This was my first place,” I said. “It's kind of sad to leave it. I grew up a lot in this apartment.”
I turned to see Alex on one knee with Josh standing next to him. Josh held up a small box and handed it to me. I took it from him and opened it. A gasp left my mouth before I could stop it.
“I love you, Sarah. I've known it for so long. The spark that happens when we touch is something I have never had happen before you. When we're together, everything is perfect. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life showing you how special you are to me. I want to wake up with you in my arms and fall asleep the same way. Will you be my forever, my best friend, my lover? Will you be my wife?”
I slid down to my knees with my two guys.
“Yes,” I said. “I love you.”
“I want Josh to have my last name as well.”
“I would love that,” I said.
It had been over a month since he asked me to move in with him. We were finally making it happen. The stress and moving were getting to me. I was so tired. When I stood up, I felt funny and ran for the bathroom. Alex was right behind me. He was rubbing my back and holding my hair back. Once the feeling was gone, we got into his car. Something felt weird. I had him stop at the store on the way to the house. He offered to go in, but I had him stay with Josh. There was no reason to freak him out for no reason. I wanted to know for sure before I said anything. My apartment was gone. I had given up the lease. They already had someone ready to move in. I had just accepted Alex's proposal. Everything in me was freaking out and on edge. I needed to get to the house as quickly as possible.
“I have one more surprise for you,” he said.
When we pulled up to the house, there was a Jeep in the driveway and my car was gone.
“Where's my car, Alex?” I asked.
There was someone standing next to the Jeep. It was dark, so I couldn't tell who it was. What the hell is going on, I thought? My car was gone. There was someone in our driveway. I needed to get in the house and figure out if I was going to lose the man I loved or if I was mistaken.
Alex got out and walked around to open my door. Josh was asleep in the back. Alex took my hand and helped me out. The man walked out of the shadow. I felt like I was going to be sick when I saw Jack walk toward me.
“What's going on?” I asked.
“I want to make sure you and Josh are safe. This is your new Jeep. My dad picked it up for me and brought it over.”
I hugged Jack.
“Are you mad? It's my fault. Please don't be upset with Alex.”
“I'm not mad. He explained the whole thing to me. I really am a grandpa. I can't believe it. I'm going to spoil that little boy. The two of you are grown adults. You were together before I married your mother. You're marrying my son. You can't get rid of me now. I know you don't need a father. You've told me that before. I hope you'll accept me as your father-in-law. It doesn't matter what hap
pens between me and your mom. I will always be your family.”
“Of course,” I said, as I hugged him again. “As much as she hurt me, I hope you two work it out.”
I felt my stomach turn and looked at Alex.
“Keys,” I said, as I covered my mouth.
He handed them to me, and I took off for the house. I heard the three of them come in while I was in the bathroom. As soon as I was done with the crappy feeling, I opened the bag from the store. A few short minutes later, I looked at the pink lines. Again we had only had sex once without protection. We would have been perfect for the safe sex commercials. What was he going to say, I wondered? Was I going to be doing it alone once again? Was this going to be the thing to tip him over the edge and boot me back out the door? I couldn't put it off. I was a mess.
When I walked into the living room, Jack was sitting on the couch with Josh in his arms and Alex was on the loveseat. He looked up and must have known something was wrong. He was off the couch and next to me in seconds.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Maybe you should go see a doctor.”
I looked at him. I was so afraid, as I handed him the stick. He took it from me and looked at the lines.
“I'm pregnant, Alex,” I said.
He looked from the stick to me. I felt the tears trying to break free and wasn't sure how long I could hold them back.
“A baby,” he said, as he pulled me into his arms. “We're going to have another baby. I'm going to be a dad. I'm going to be there every second. I'll take you to ever appointment. I'm going to be the best dad in the world. Josh is going to have a brother or sister. I love you, Sarah. This is perfect. We're going to have a baby.”
“You're happy?” I asked.
He shook his head and kissed me hard.
“You've made me the happiest man in the world. I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”
I looked around at our home. It was perfect. I had the man of my dreams, a perfect son, and a new life growing inside of me. I knew we were going to have a baby girl and name her after Alex's mother.
Life was perfect.
The End.