Chapter 1 Gage
GAGE
I had spent most of my life being the responsible one, the driven one, because if my life was good or bad, I wanted it to be on me. It's who I am, and I liked being able to take care of myself and the people who mattered most to me. It was rare that someone surprised me.
Someone other than my wife.
We pulled up to Barry and Jenna’s place to drop off the kids. They were Christmas shopping with their grandparents while Farrah and I went on a date.
But when the kids got out of the car and inside their grandparents’ place, Farrah said, “I have a surprise for you.”
I looked over at her, intrigued. “A surprise?”
“And you’ll never guess it,” she said with a smile. “So I need you to get out and let me drive.”
I raised my eyebrows at her from the driver's seat of the minivan. “You want to drive, Miss Passenger Princess?”
She chuckled heartily, “Don’t get used to it. This is a one-time thing.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I teased before getting out of the car. Farrah and I walked around the front, meeting in the middle. But before she could walk past me, I caught her hand, stalling her long enough so we could kiss.
Spending so long as a bachelor, it never escaped me how lucky I was to have this life with her.
Her hands linked behind my neck, and I deepened the kiss, thoroughly enjoying my wife.
But then the front door of Barry and Jenna's house opened, and our youngest, Tara, said, “Ew. Why do you guys always have to kiss in front of us all the time?”
I smiled against my wife's mouth before turning to my daughter. “Maybe because I love your mom, and I hope that one day you'll be with someone who loves you just as much.”
Farrah wrapped her arms around my waist and held on tightly. “Exactly.”
Jenna came to stand behind Tara. “Couldn’t even wait ‘til you got to the movie theater to start making out?” she teased.
Now Farrah’s cheeks flushed. “Mom.”
I grinned and lifted my hand in a wave. “See you later!”
Farrah and I gave each other one last kiss before trading seats. Once I was buckled in and she was out of the driveway, I asked, “So where are we going?”
She gave me a scolding look, “It's a surprise, silly. Do you want to stop for a little snacky on the way?”
“A snacky,” I replied, teasingly. “Of course.”
She swung through our most frequented drive-thru and got her favorite snack, fried pickles. We shared the batch as we drove down the road.
“You know what's fun about this age?” she said.
I looked over at her, curious. I could tell she’d been thinking before she brought it up to me.
“They're finally getting to the point where the presents they buy for us aren't just secretly presents for them,” she explained.
I had to laugh at that. “You know you could buy anything you want. You don’t have to place all that trust in a ten-year-old.”
“Sure, and I could also drive every time we go on a trip and get my water at bedtime,” she retorted.
“Touché,” I replied, laughing. “I have to say, the surprise thing is a little fun,” I said.
“Right,” she replied doubtfully. “I know the suspense is eating you alive.”
“Caught me,” I admitted, shifting in the seat. I’d been trying to guess with each turn she made. “So we're heading toward downtown?”
She shook her head at me and let out an exasperated laugh. “Can you just sit back and enjoy the moment?... Never-mind. I know who I'm speaking to.”
I grinned. I loved it when she ribbed me from time to time. “You know, you always say that the passenger gets to be the DJ…”
“No,” she complained. “Please don't play NPR.”
“I like to stay informed,” I replied.
“I don't. It stresses me out.”
I shook my head at her. We were two very different people, but somehow it worked. She was exactly what I needed when we first met and now, all these years later.
She pointed out the window at the sky-rise where I used to live, and said, “Wave at your old bachelor pad.”
I chuckled, following her instructions.
“Do you miss it?” she asked.
“No,” I said, “I was never there enough for it to ever really feel like home. And now? Home is where you are.”
She smiled, reaching out to hold my hand. I caught her hand, holding it with both of mine. Her wedding ring shimmered on her finger.
“Can I admit something?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said.
She bit her bottom lip and then said, “I honestly expected that you would push for a more expensive home after a few years together.”
I shrugged. “I know how happy our place makes you, so it never really felt too small to me. It kind of felt like my home growing up.”
She squeezed my hand. “You know, maybe now that the kids are moving out and getting older, we could go for something with a little more glitz and glam. They’re not so destructive anymore.”
I raised my eyebrows at her, “Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”
She chuckled, “You know, we could get a pool, or at least live in a neighborhood with a pool. That would be nice, not having to go to the public pool anymore.”
“I'll buy one tomorrow,” I said, totally serious.
“Tomorrow?” Her eyes were wide.
“I mean, what did you think was going to happen?” I said. “I want to give you everything, Farrah. Everything you want.”
She tilted her head thoughtfully as she drove, making her curls fall over her shoulder. “I want to home shop. Like actually go to a house and walk through it and see how it feels and imagine it could be ours one day.”
“Okay,” I said, already getting out my phone to text a realtor friend. “We'll do it.”
She smiled. “Yay.”
“Does that mean you’ll tell me where we’re going?” I asked.
She laughed. “Not too much longer.”