Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
SUTTON
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Derek so happy. There’s a pep in his step that’s been missing these last few weeks. Even thinking about all the possible outcomes of today has had my heart in a vise.
Missy signing away all of her rights to Troy? I never pictured this happening.
We come to a stop as the crosswalk sign flashes to red.
“I still can’t believe it.” Derek sweeps me up into his arms and swings me. “He’s mine. Troy is all mine.”
“Come on you two. It’s green,” his mom says.
I laugh as Derek sets me back down, grabs my hand, and we run across the street. Trees line the sidewalk of the park, casting shadows to keep it cool. Lydia and Troy are on the playground, running up the ladder.
Waving at Mom, I can see her searching my face for a clue. I give her a thumbs-up as Troy spots his dad.
“Daddy!” Troy slides down the yellow plastic ramp before running over to his dad. Derek drops to his knees and wraps Troy up in the biggest hug. “Did you see me slide?”
“Yes. You did a great job.”
“You’re squeezing too tight,” Troy tells him .
“I’m just happy to see you, bud.” Derek brushes a lock of hair out of his eyes.
His face screws up in confusion. “Can I go back to playing with Lydia?”
“Sure thing.”
Troy follows Lydia to the playground where they start going down the slide again.
“Congratulations, Derek.” Mom comes over and gives her own hug to Derek. “I knew you’d win.”
“You know,” Derek starts, “everyone sounded fairly confident I’d win, but no one actually told me this.”
Tony shrugs. “Sorry, son. We didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“Well, now you don’t have anything to worry about. Missy is gone for good,” Patricia says. “No more dealing with her.”
“Thank fuck.” Derek once again pulls me into an embrace—a place I’m happy to be. My mom and Derek’s parents start talking as I drop down onto the metal bench, taking Derek with me.
“Are you glad it’s over?”
“Yes. I never have to worry about Missy coming back into our lives again.”
“Just the four of us.”
Resting my head on his shoulder, I watch the kids play. I don’t think this day could get any more perfect.
My daughter is happy. Troy is staying with Derek. I’m with the man I love and our families.
This is what I always dreamed love would be like when I was growing up. Someone to support you endlessly. Sure, it hasn’t been the easiest road for the two of us, but we weathered it together.
“Move in with me.”
“What?”
Rearing back, I look up at Derek. He loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white button-down the minute we got outside. He looks relaxed. At ease. Which is why I know he means what he’s asking me.
“I’m serious. If this whole situation has taught me anything, it’s to keep those that I love close. I love you, Sutton. I don’t want you going anywhere.”
“You know I’m a package deal, right?”
Derek waves me off. “I know. We have the spare bedroom that could be Lydia’s room. We can paint it whatever color she wants.”
“What about the new job?” I ask.
“Did you decide to take it?” Derek quirks a brow at me. “Or are you trying to find a reason to say no?”
“It’s just…a lot of change all at once. Isn’t it too much?”
Derek shakes his head. “Not for me. If you’re not ready, I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want.”
“It’s not that I don’t want it,” I correct. “But…is it too fast?”
Derek’s face falls ever so slightly. “If it’s too fast for you, it’s okay.”
“What’s too fast?” Mom interrupts.
“I asked Sutton and Lydia to move in with me.”
“About damn time.”
“Mom!” I chide.
“What?” She shrugs a shoulder. “You’re an adult and need to live your own life. I don’t need to be dragging you down.”
I scoff. “You’re not dragging me down.”
Mom takes the seat next to me. “I love you, dear. And that sweet grandbaby of mine. You living with me was always a reset after your divorce. Now that you’ve found someone, don’t you want to live with him?”
I cast a sidelong glance at Derek. “I mean, I kind of do.”
That earns me a beaming smile as a reward. “See? You’ll still have me to help whenever you need it, but you’ll also have this hunk of a man to help too.”
“Mom. You cannot say things like that. ”
She shrugs. “I can if they’re true.”
“Have I told you how much I like you, Tammy?” Derek says from over my shoulder.
“I like you even more because you’re taking my daughter off my hands.”
“Only if she wants to,” Derek tells her. “I love her, but if she’s not ready?—”
“I am,” I cut him off, turning on the bench. “I want to live with you. I want a chaotic life with our kids and meals together. Screaming kids. Happy kids. Everything.”
Derek cups my cheek. “You do? You’re not just saying this because your mom wants to kick you out?”
“Hey,” she butts in. “I didn’t say that.”
“Same difference.” I wave her off.
“But you want this?” Derek asks again.
This time, I smile at him. “Yeah, I want this. So you better mean it, Derek.”
“Oh, hell yes!” He grabs my face and lays one on me.
“What’s going on?” Lydia’s voice breaks through my happy bubble.
“Can we tell them?” I ask him.
“Might as well.”
“Tell us what?” Troy asks, coming to stand beside Lydia.
“Lydia.” I take her hands in mine. “How would you feel about moving in with Derek and Troy?”
“Would Troy be my brother?” she asks.
“Do you want him to be?”
She nods, her curls bouncing around wildly. “Yes. I want Derek to be my daddy too, even though I already have one.”
“I’d love to be your daddy too.” I can hear the emotion in Derek’s voice.
“Can Sutton be my mommy even though I have one?”
This has Derek eyeing me. “Your mom isn’t going to be coming around anymore, Troy.”
“Why not?” he asks .
This was something that we didn’t plan for. How do you tell a five-year-old that his mom gave him up? It makes me hate Missy that much more. Thank God she won’t be coming around.
“She realized she couldn’t be a good mom and decided to let Sutton be your mom.” Derek eyes me. Is that okay? he mouths.
I nod through the blurry vision that takes over.
“Yeah. I love Sutton.”
“I love you too, Troy.” I pull him up onto my lap and plant a kiss on his cheek.
“If you’re my mommy, can I call you that?”
Big, brown eyes peer up at me. “I would love it if you call me that.”
A lone tear escapes. I didn’t think this day could get any better, but it did. Infinitely so.
“Okay. Okay, we need a picture of this,” Mom calls out. “I want the four of you to squeeze together.”
Glancing up, the three of them are all teary-eyed, too.
Derek wraps an arm around me and pulls me close. Lydia hops up onto his lap and Troy puts his arm around his new sister.
“Say one big happy family on three!”
Derek kisses my cheek and I laugh right as we all shout, “one big happy family!”
“Beautiful,” Mom says, looking at the phone.
“Can we get ice cream?” Lydia asks, looking back at us.
“Yeah. I want some too,” Troy agrees.
“I think we can get some to celebrate,” Derek says. “But you need to eat some vegetables at dinner.”
“Not those weird green things.” Troy winces.
“What were the weird green things?” I ask, setting him down as we all link hands and walk out of the park.
“They looked like trees. I didn’t like them. ”
“What if the weird green things were in ice cream?” Derek asks.
Troy’s eyes go wide. “Green ice cream? That’s weird.”
“So weird,” Lydia confirms.
“Are you ready for conversations like this for the rest of our lives?” I ask.
Derek smiles down at me. “Oh yeah. Bring it on.”