37. Daire
37
DAIRE
Graduation is a blur. My dad takes Sammy to the stands while Rosie and I find our spot. Since she changed her last name, we get to walk across the stage one after the other. Our degree programs held separate graduations—mine yesterday evening and hers this morning—but now it’s time for the biggie. Rosie wanted to skip this one, but I wouldn’t hear of it.
Getting to this point means something to me. It feels like I’m putting the past behind me and stepping into the next stage of my life. Technically I’ve already done that, but the ceremony makes it feel final.
With the large class size, it’s going to take forever to get through all of us.
While we sit and listen to the keynote speaker, I reach for Rosie’s hand, twisting her wedding band around and around on her finger.
It’s wild that our time at college is coming to a close. I came to Aldridge absolutely despising Rosie, yet here I am, married to her and happier than I’ve ever been. Not only have I repaired the most important relationship I’ll ever have, but I’ve grown as a person. I’ve let go of my immaturity. I feel like an adult now—well, maybe not a full-blown adult, but at least a few steps closer to it.
And in just a few short months, Rosie will walk down the aisle to me.
When it’s our turn to get up, I don’t let go of her hand. Our line slowly snakes toward the podium. When my name is called, I reluctantly let go. Rosie’s name is next, and as she exits the stage, I hold out my hand to help her down the steps.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask when we return to our seats. We stay standing, waiting for the rest of our row to fill in. “Don’t tell me,” I say, before she can answer. “You’re thinking about getting me naked later.”
She squeezes my hand, her nails digging into my palm. “Daire,” she hisses.
I laugh and lean in to kiss her cheek. “Oh. So it’s just me?”
“You’re thinking about getting yourself naked? Weird.”
Biting back a chuckle, I pinch her side. “No, you. We have babysitters for once.”
A laugh bubbles out of her. “You know there’s no way we’re going to be able to leave Sammy with your dad or my parents. We’re way too overprotective for that.”
“Yeah,” I groan. “We are, aren’t we?”
When our row is full, we sit and wait for the rest of the names to be called. By the end of the ceremony, I’m so close to dozing off that Rosie has to nudge me to keep me from closing my eyes.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
Reaching over, she rubs my neck. “Don’t worry about it. I’m bored out of my mind too.”
When it’s finally, blessedly over, Rosie drags me with her in search of Bertie.
Wading through hundreds of students is a nightmare—especially when I’m stopped by people I know every three feet.
“This is insane,” she mutters, pulling me along. “Do you know everyone at this school?”
I give her hand a playful squeeze. “Pretty much. Here, hang on.”
I let go of her hand and move in front of her, crouching down slightly.
“Uh.” She stands behind me, her body going rigid. “What do you want me to do?”
“Hop on.”
“You’re giving me a piggyback ride?”
“It’ll be faster. Promise.”
With a huff, she climbs on and loops her arms around my shoulders.
I grasp her thighs and hold her easily, plowing through the crowd. “Beep, beep,” I tell people as I pass. “Coming through.” To her, I ask, “Do you see her?”
She cranes her neck and scans the crowd. “To your left,” she directs.
Hiking her up higher on my back, I turn and head that way. “Now to your right a bit. Perfect. Straight ahead.”
When her best friend is only a few feet from us, she hops down from my back. Luke hovers near Bertie like a protective bodyguard. They’re not together, but it’s obvious from the way he looks at her that he wants more.
“We did it!” Rosie throws her arms around her.
“Yeah, we did,” Bertie says, her tone and expression more subdued.
“Are you coming over tonight?” Rosie asks, not letting Bertie’s melancholy deter her from her own joy,
Her mom wanted to throw a huge party for us, but we managed to talk her down to a family dinner.
Bertie peers up at Luke, and I try not to smile. The look on her face reminds me of the way I so adamantly denied my feelings for my wife during those first couple of months. “We might stop by.”
“We?” Rosie can’t hide her grin.
Bertie playfully elbows Luke in the ribs. “Only because he won’t leave my side.”
His fingers graze her hip over her gown.
“Okay, I’ll see you later, then.” Rosie gives her another hug. “We need to go save Sammy from our families.”
I crouch down and wait for her to hop on again, then we’re off. We made plans to meet them at the campus coffee shop, hoping it would be easier to find one another away from the crowd. Keeping a firm grip on Rosie once we’re off the field, I stride quickly down the winding sidewalk.
“You can put me down,” she says. “I’m heavy.”
I snort. “Rosie, you’re the furthest thing from heavy.”
Up ahead, our family members are clustered in a small group. Roman is the only one of my brothers to have come. The longer I go without talking to Cash, the more it hurts, especially because it’s caused strife between me and my other brothers. But I’m not ready to get into our issues just yet, and he hasn’t reached out, so it’s safe to say he feels the same.
As we get close, I set Rosie down, and when Sammy sees us, his face lights up and he reaches out for Rosie.
“Figures my favorite person would also be my kid’s favorite person.” I ruffle Sammy’s blond hair. It’s starting to thicken up.
“Dada.” Sammy claps, and my heart leaps. I’ll never get tired of hearing that word.
I hold my hands out to take him from Rosie if he wants, but he lays his head on her shoulder and smiles, patting her collarbone with his little fist. “No. Mama.”
Her mom clutches her heart. “I can’t believe he calls you Mama.”
Her mom hasn’t been thrilled about the fact that I have a child, but it’s impossible not to love Sammy. It feels good to see that she’s coming around.
“Are we heading back to the house now?” Rosie asks leaning into me when I put my arm around her waist.
Knowing her mom, it’s entirely possible she’s concocted an alternate plan we don’t know about.
“Yeah, can we go to Rosie’s house?” Gracie begs. “This was so boring.”
“Gracie,” her mom admonishes in a hushed tone. “Your sister only graduates from college once.”
Gracie blows out a breath that has her bangs fluffing. “Twice, Mom. This morning and now. That’s two times. Two.” She drives home her point by wiggling her fingers in front of her mom’s face.
“All right.” She grabs Gracie’s hand and tugs it down. “I get your point. We’re headed back now.”
Due to the size of the graduating class, we have to catch golf carts that take us to our cars. Her mom, dad, and Grace pile into their rented SUV, while my father and Roman are with us in the minivan. And Rosie thought it was a ridiculous choice. But look at us now.