by C. A. Harms
“I got ‘em. He’s ours,” I stated with pure overwhelming love.
“Yeah?” she asked, her eyes filling up with tears of joy.
I nodded my head and smiled. “Yeah.”
Maria jumped up into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. She cried happy tears as I held her close.
***
“So what do think about it, buddy? Would you like to permanently come live with us?” Maria and I sat at a table across from the caseworker and Mikey.
His little head shifted back and forth between her and us. I watched him closely as the entire situation settled in him. His eyes slowly began to fill with tears. His lips trembled and he stared back at me, unable to look away.
I wasn’t sure what was going through his little mind, and it was killing me.
“Do you mean it?” he asked, as a tear ran down his cheek.
I stood up and quickly walked around the table to kneel before him.
“I mean it, buddy. We want you to be a part of our family. We love you, Mikey. You belong in a home filled with love, and we can give you that. You make the both of us so happy.” I turned around to look at Maria, tears falling down her cheeks pulled at something within me.
These two beautiful people were meant to be a part of my life. They had crossed paths with me to show me how to love again.
“We will never try to replace your parents. What we want to do is help you to live out the dreams that I’m almost positive they would have wanted for you. We don’t want another day to go by without you feeling safe and happy. We want be there for you through it all.”
“Can we get a dog?” he asked, and I laughed.
I shook my head at his question. I knew that, between Maria and Mikey, I had no hope. Giving the two of them everything they could possibly want was what I wanted.
Maria laughed. “Heck, yeah, we can get a dog. Whatever dog you want, Mikey.”
She answered before I could. She shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out at her side. “What? You act like you weren’t already gonna say yes.”
The caseworker quietly observed our craziness, with a big smile stretched out on her face. There was no tension, no mistrust. It was as if the three of us had known one another our entire lives, like we had been having these kinds of conversations daily.
By this time next week, he would be home with us, just in time for the holidays.
Chapter Thirty-One
“I really appreciate the help, guys. It means a lot. The orders started coming in the minute Reed gave out my cards. Who knew custom cabinetry and woodwork would take off around here?” Colt was grateful for the help.
He had purchased a building just at the edge of town. It had a shop area, a nice large space, in the back. The front would serve as his display area and store. It’s a place where people could take a look at his completed work and designs.
It even came with an apartment above it. It was pretty big and spacious. The problem was it was old and had sat empty for years. It was in desperate need of a facelift.
Ben, Reed and I had all volunteered to help Colt with the remodeling, hoping that he would be able to move in sooner.
Reed had already lined him up with a few jobs. The guy’s work was pretty damn amazing, he had a talent. Each piece had a special touch that I had never seen in any furniture store. He was an artist in his own way.
“So Kori said that Mikey will be with you guys officially, after court on Friday. I bet you and Mar are excited,” Reed said, as he nailed the sheetrock up.
“Yeah, we’re all excited. Maria has been spoiling him. He is gonna love her even more once he walks into his room. She went a little overboard. My concern is the kid won’t ever wanna leave his bedroom.” Reed laughed at me, and all I could do was shake my head.
“Colt, when you gonna find a girl and settle down?” Ben hollered, looking over his shoulder.
“Nah, not me. All the sappy love-sick shit is for you fools. I think I’ll keep my sanity,” Colt replied.
I remembered Maria mentioning something just recently about her brother having an ex who had broken his heart.
Ben kept hassling him about setting him up on a date. The banter back and forth between the two of them was comical. They were two men who always seemed to want to have the last word.
“I could set him up with Kimberly.” Ben chuckled when Reed threw a small piece of broken sheetrock toward him.
“What?” he threw his hands out to his sides. It was not recommended to say the name Kimberly in the same room as Reed.
“I could have said Josie was cleared for take-off. Hell, he could take her for a spin. I hear she has a thing for men who come through her checkout lane.” He hid his laughter by turning his back to me, attempting to appear busy.
“Okay, asshole. Just leave me out of this. I got my girl, so there is no reason we should bring up past mistakes. We all make poor choices.”
I avoided saying anything more. Colt was here, and I had no desire to discuss Josie or any other woman. Well, except Maria, she was the only woman worth my time.
We spent the afternoon building, and around six we called it quits.
My phone rang from inside my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I answered.
“Oh my god, is Reed still there with you?” Maria asked.
“Yeah, why?” I replied.
“Kori is at the hospital. Her water broke. We’ve been trying to call Reed. He needs to get to the hospital, like now.” She hung up before I could say anything further.
I turned around and found three guys staring at me with their eyebrows raised in question.
I pointed directly at Reed. “You better have a damn good excuse for not answering your phone.” He immediately reached for his pockets, coming up empty. “Your wife is at the hospital, and you need to get your ass moving. Unless you wanna miss the birth of your daughter.”
It was pure joy to watch him, as he began scrambling for his keys. I counted three times that he stumbled over something in his path.
Ben ran after him, chuckling. “Give me your keys. You’ll end up in the ER if I let you drive.” He followed behind Reed, and they both climbed up in his truck.
“You gonna head to the hospital?” Colt asked from behind me.
“Yeah, sometime soon. I figure we could finish cleaning up a bit before I take off,” I assured him.
We spent the next hour busting ass to get the dust and tools gathered. It was nice to spend a little time one on one with Colt. After all, I hoped that one day we would be family.
***
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Maria whispered, as she held baby Grace closely. “She’s perfect, Kori.”
I could see her unshed tears pooling in her eyes. It was one of those bittersweet moments. She was happy, I could see it. Yet she was saddened too.
I catch her crying often when she sees a mother with her children. Hell, even when commercials come on about diapers, she tears up.
I noticed Kori staring at Maria with a pained expression on her face.
“She already loves her Aunt Maria. She’s looking forward to all those shopping sprees you’ve been promising.”
Maria laughed and wiped at her eyes. “We will, too. We’ll shop ‘til we drop, little Grace.” She looked up and wrinkled her nose at Kori. “We’ll leave your momma at home, though. She’s a huge whiney brat when it comes to shopping.”
Kori’s smile matched Maria’s, as they continued to inspect the little bundle in pink.
Reed brought Rhett in, and they piled up next to Kori. It was time for him to meet his little sister.
Maria and I stepped out, to give them privacy.
I wrapped her in my arms, holding her close. We stood silent for a moment, before I pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes.
“You do know that, one day, I’m gonna watch you grow with our child.” Her eyes moistened once again. “We will be holding our child and memorizing every li
ttle feature. I promise you, baby.”
She buried her face in my chest, and I whispered into her ear. “Our time will come,” I said.
She nodded her head against me, and I held her a little tighter.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“This is all mine?” Mikey asked from the doorway of his new room, as his gaze roamed the room, in awe.
“It sure is. Every last thing,” Maria told him, and she placed his bag on the bed. “I figured we could go shopping together for clothes, if that’s all right.”
He looked back and forth between me and Maria, wrinkling his nose up in disgust. “I really hate shopping,” he stated, and Maria looked like someone had just kicked her cat.
“It’s all right, buddy, we’ll work it all out later,” I assured him. Maria appeared as if she was about to argue, and I grinned, shaking my head no at her. I nudged my head toward the hallway, requesting that she follow me out.
We stepped from the room to allow Mikey to settle in privately.
“Did you honestly just shush me?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I shook my head no at ya, so in a way I guess so.” I wanted to laugh, but I held it in. Maria was at times pretty damn feisty.
I stepped forward and took her face in my hands. Kissing her, I attempted to alleviate her spunky attitude.
Leaving her winded and aroused, I walked away chuckling.
Mikey was here with us now, and it felt even more like a home. A year ago, if anyone had told me I would be living with a woman and adopting a son, hell, I would have thought he was nothing but crazy.
But now I couldn’t imagine being without either one of them. They both made me feel complete. Everything seemed better when they were with me.
The past was nothing but the rocky road that had led me to the two people who now held my heart in their hands. I would do anything for them.
I later found Maria sitting on the floor in Mikey’s room wearing some sort of head device. She had that determined look on her face while staring at the TV. Mikey, on the other hand, sat on the floor next to her laughing so hard that he held his stomach.
“Shoot ’em. They’re gonna eat you. You’ll be a zombie burger for sure,” he shouted, as he jumped to his feet. He began bouncing up and down while pointing at the TV. “Run, no left. They’re right behind you. Go faster.”
“Where do I go? I can’t find my way out,” she replied.
I continued to listen and watch as Mikey laughed even harder.
“If the zombie apocalypse ever happens, let me and Gavin lead. You’d be sushi on the first day.” He flopped down next to her, as she pulled the headset off.
By the look on her face, she was confused. “How on earth are you supposed to win that game? There were like twelve hundred of those crazy, nasty things coming at me. It’s impossible.”
Mikey took the controller from her, slipping the headset on his head as he smiled. “Watch, I’ll show ya.”
He sounded so confident, and it only made my smile grow larger. Maria watched closely, shaking her head. Mikey whipped through room after room, blowing things up and moving on like it was nothing.
When he was all done, completely untouched, he shrugged his shoulders and looked over at Maria. “That’s how it’s done.”
She stared at him, occasionally opening her mouth, but no words came out. It was honestly one of the funniest damn things I had ever witnessed. Maria, speechless; that didn’t happen often.
I was pretty sure, that between Mikey and me, things around here would never get old or dull.
Chapter Thirty-Three
My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I was a grown man, and I was flipping out from fear…or the anxiety of the unknown.
I was on my way to meet Maria and Mikey. They were already at Gemma and Bud’s house. The Thanksgiving feast awaited, and I was driving twenty miles an hour, attempting to slow my racing heart.
The small box sitting just a foot away was more like a glowing inferno, burning a hole in my seat.
I had thought it over and then thought it over again. I had analyzed it at least a hundred times. I weighed out the pros and the cons. And after all that, I still thought tonight was the right time.
Tonight was the night Maria and everyone else would know how much I truly meant it, when I said she was the last woman I’d ever love.
After yet another pep talk, I finally got the courage to go for it. If I didn’t do it then, I would only regret it later. I had spent the last week trying to get it out. There were so many nights with Mikey and me sitting next to her in the living room that I wanted to ask her so badly. But then the feeling would pass. I would then convince myself that there was always tomorrow.
This time I wasn’t letting it pass. I would walk in that house and find my girl.
The moment I entered, the noise flooded my mind. Gemma did Thanksgiving big. Hell, half the damn town had to be there. But somewhere in the madhouse were the two people I had to find.
“Gavin,” Ben hollered. His hand resting on my shoulder, he asked, “You looking for your girl?”
“Yeah, actually, I am. Have you seen her or Mikey?” I asked.
“Mikey was playing a board game with some of the other kids, in the family room.” He scanned the room. “Your girl was in here a few minutes ago, uh…” He zoomed in on something and smiled. “Right there,” he pointed.
Maria was sitting on the floor near the fireplace. She was surrounded by little kids.
Maria was laughing, as a little girl stood in front of her with her hands on her hips. She started shaking her little hips and kicking her feet, showing Maria some sort of dance move.
Maria was clearly enjoying herself and the attention of all the kids. It was obvious that they adored her.
She looked up as I approached slowly, our eyes never wandering from one another’s.
Standing before her, I held out my hand and helped her up from the floor. She looked at me with curiosity.
I slowly knelt before her, my heart once again beating so hard and fast. Everything and everyone around us became silent. I heard a gasp, and someone, who I was pretty sure was Kori, said, “Oh my god!”
Maria looked down at me, and her hand was shaking almost as bad as mine.
“Do you know that you can still make my heart race with just your smile? I think about you all the time, every second. I’ve had life without you, but I didn’t care much for that life.” I looked to the left when Kori led Mikey into the room.
I smiled at him before looking back up to meet Maria’s teary eyes. “It took me awhile to realize that you’re the one I was meant to find. You’re the reason I ended up here. Maybe not the reason I moved, but the reason I stayed.” I pulled the ring box from my pocket and squeezed it tightly in my fisted hand.
“You and Mikey are my world. You’re my family, and I want to marry you. I want us to surround ourselves with little people who adore their momma as much as I do. I wanna give Mikey a house full of siblings. I wanna stand by your side as we watch them grow.”
I pulled the ring from the box and twisted it between my fingers. “I found my future when I least expected it. I want forever with you. Will you marry me?”
Tears ran over her cheeks as she stared into my eyes. She still hadn’t looked at the ring I held. All at once, she shrank to the floor in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you. I’d marry you right this second if I could.” Her sweet flowery scent filled my nose. I held her close and everyone remained silent.
Raising my head, I looking around at the questioning stares. “She said yes,” I announced.
Immediately the room filled with laughter and a round of congratulations.
I motioned for Mikey to come closer, and he walked toward us. We placed him inside our little circle, and he groaned when we squeezed him tight.
“I need to tell you boys something.” Maria laid her head on my shoulder and
took in a deep breath. “I wasn’t gonna say anything until we got home. But um, well I, uh.” She paused.
“What’s wrong?” Mikey asked nervously.
“No, nothing’s wrong, Mikey. I just found out this afternoon that I’m pregnant.”
The minute the words escaped her lips, my knees weakened, but not from fear or disappointment. It was overwhelming excitement and joy.
We were gonna have a baby.
Epilogue
Maria
“I feel like a complete ass. I can’t even hold down water,” I groaned in a whiney yet cute voice. Or at least I thought it was cute. “Morning sickness, really; who gave it that name, anyway? It should be called all-day every-day sickness.”
Gavin rubbed my back as he sat next to me on the bathroom floor. With his back resting against the side of the tub, he held a lost look on his face.
“I wish I could help, baby. Do you want something to rinse out your mouth?” he asked, and I nodded my head.
He had really been amazing over the last couple of weeks. He had insisted I stay off my feet and rest. I know it had a lot to do with losing our baby back in June. He was fearful, as much as I was, that it would happen again. I tried so hard to hide my fear. I hated that we both felt as if we were walking on eggshells.
Even Mikey was treating me like glass. It was cute, really. He insisted on getting everything I needed. Sometimes I would catch him watching me out of the corner of my eye. If I made any noise—a sigh or a groan—he and Gavin were at my side.
I learned to keep my everyday aches quiet. Those two boys were way too observant.
It was cute at first, but now they just drove me crazy. Getting through the first trimester would be a great relief for all of us.
Gavin invited everyone to our place for Christmas. By everyone, I mean my momma, Colt, and Gavin’s dad.
“I need to get up and clean myself up. Everyone’ll be here an hour from now.” I tried to get up from the floor, and my stomach began turning once more.