Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
My son and I take a deep breath, blow out the candles to a cheering crowd, and then that’s it.
I’m officially retired.
EPILOGUE
Fiona
One year later…
“Meet your new sister, Marla,” I say with a smile as Harris walks Lucas over to the hospital bed. Lucas stills when he sees his new sister for the first time. She’s all bundled up in blankets with a knitted yellow cap on her head. I’m obsessed with her already.
“Do you want to hold her?” Harris asks.
Lucas is silent as he stares at her in awe, like if he makes a sound the spell might break.
“Come sit beside me,” I say as I shift over, making room for him on the bed.
He never takes his eyes off his sister as he climbs up and settles in beside me.
“Hi Marla,” he whispers as I place her in his lap. “I’m going to be the best big brother ever.”
“I know you will, sweetie,” I say, giving him a kiss on the temple.
“You’re so lucky you’re in this family,” he whispers to her. “You’re going to love being with us.”
Awww.
Tears flood my eyes as I look up at Harris. I reach for him and he takes my hand.
Gratitude fills my heart as I’m surrounded by my wonderful family.
I didn’t think I’d be able to do this again.
I thought it would just be me and Lucas forever.
But now… Getting to do it all over again with Harris by my side… Getting to share it all with him… Having someone who has my back…
I smile gratefully as I look up at him. I can’t wait for it all.
Our little family just grew a little bigger.
And my heart did too.
EPILOGUE
Harris
Twenty years later…
“Hey, Flamethrower,” my brother-in-law Ryan shouts across the backyard. “You’re burning the burgers!”
“Just yours,” I shout back with a grin.
He laughs as he reaches into the cooler for another beer.
I have a permanent smile on my face as I flip the burgers and look around at everyone. We’re having a Fourth of July pool party with all of Fiona’s family and our friends. It’s a great bunch. The weather is perfect, the oldies are blasting, the beers are flowing, and the pool is packed with people having fun. I couldn’t be happier.
After I retired in San Antonio, I sold my house and moved to Kansas City. I didn’t want to pull Lucas out of the school he loved, so I decided to come to them and have a fresh start.
Fiona has been amazing. I love that woman to death.
We quickly caught up on lost time and had two more children—both daughters. This time, I was there for all of it. The first steps and first words and first temper tantrums. I’ve cherished them all.
Lucas has grown into a fine young man and is smarter than I ever could have imagined. He’s studying Robotics Engineering at MIT. I don’t know where he got those brains from, but it wasn’t my side of the family.
He never really got into sports, but I didn’t mind. I was happy to let him be himself. Besides, he was always too busy with his nose buried in a book to come out and learn how to skate. Even now, while everyone is having fun roughhousing in the pool, he’s under the large Weeping Willow in our yard reading some thick-ass book on quantum computing.
Our middle daughter Marla is as girly as they get, but our youngest Penelope is a female version of me. She’s a terror on the ice.
She just might be the best seventeen-year-old female hockey player in the country. I think I’ve been on the ice more as a dad than I was as a player. She is obsessed with the sport and is determined to join the national Olympic team.
I’m determined to help get her there. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a shoo-in.
“How’s it going over here?” my stunning wife asks as she comes over and slides her hand on my back. I lean down as she stands on her toes to give me a kiss on the cheek.
She’s still as magnificent as ever. Two decades have passed and I’m still head over heels for this woman.
“I’m just looking forward until everyone leaves so I can have you all to myself.”
She blushes as she opens the burger buns and starts placing them on the top rack of the barbecue. I love that I can still make her blush.
“I hope you’re patient because this party is going late into the night.”
“With you, I can go even later.”
She grins as she playfully smacks my arm. “We have guests. Behave.”
“There’s no behaving with you looking so fine in that bathing suit.”
Her cheeks get even redder as I look her up and down with a ravenous look. She has a silk sarong tied around her waist, but it’s those beautiful breasts in her bikini top that are killing me. She’s so fucking hot.