Chapter Thirty-Seven
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
MY HAPPY ENDING
SIX MONTHS LATER
“ I don’t think I’m ready,” I whisper, smoothing my hands over my black dress, the neckline high enough to be modest. “You think you are?”
I glance over at Abraham through the mirror as he watches me fidget, nervous. But, as always, he’s relaxed. I wish I could borrow that from him.
“I’ve waited this long,” he tells me, offering an uptick of the ends of his lips. “I don’t mind waiting longer if you need more time.” He stands, and in his slacks and sweater he looks closer to the professor I once fell in love with. When he stands behind me, I lean back, laying my head back on him.
“No, I don’t want you to wait anymore. Six months is enough,” I tell him, clasping my hands together as if to punctuate the finality of my words.
His hands meet my shoulders as he corrects me. “Six years is more like it.” He drops a kiss on the top of my head and I close my eyes a moment.
“You know what I mean,” I clarify with a chuckle. “You’ve been in Boston for six months. You’ve been waiting to meet Penny for six months.”
“And Jilly,” he reminds me as he takes a step back, glancing at his watch. “And if we don’t hurry, we’re going to be late.”
I do a quick mental check. Purse? Check. Phone? Check. Keys? Check. Wallet? Check.
“Come on, beautiful girl,” he calls out from his place by the bedroom door. I cross the room in a hurry, careful to watch my step as we walk out into the hallway.
“You have your keys?” I ask, running my hand over my hair before feeling for both of my earrings.
As is habit, I stare at my hands for a moment I suddenly feel off kilter, like I’m missing something. And then I catch myself.
Even months after our divorce has been finalized, I keep looking down for my ring and feeling a moment’s panic when I don’t see it anymore.
That ring is now in a small box in my apartment, awaiting the day one of my girls will need it. Peter and I came to that conclusion together over dinner alone, the night our divorce came through.
It’d been a show of faith, cementing the nonexistence of bad blood between us.
“I do, Stellina, ” he reassures me, taking my ringless hand in his as he leads us to the front door and we step out of his apartment. “Let’s get out of here.”
“It’s okay if we’re late,” I start but he shakes his head as he damn near drags me down the hall to the elevators.
“Not when I want to make a good first impression. Our reservation is at seven. We said we’d be there at six-thirty to pick them up.” He shakes his free hand, staring at the watch on his wrist again. Gone is the relaxed man and in his place is a man who has no idea what he’s walking into. And I get it. Kids are scary, even for someone who spit a couple of them out.
“I know you’re nervous, Abraham,” I attempt to soothe his nerves. “It’s okay.” My voice is low as I turn to face him, my hand on his arm.
He doesn’t look at me for a moment, staring at the numbers climb as the elevator rises to the highest level, where his apartment is located. When he finally does, his eyes are glassy.
“What if they don’t like me?”
This is a far cry from the man who wrote I don’t care in large words on a blackboard all those years ago.
“Jilly will love you immediately,” I reassure him, knowing that for the most part, my kids are easy. “Penny will probably take time.” I don’t want him to think it’s going to be easy, winning her over. Some days she doesn’t even like me .
Those days are hard, but I try to take it in stride and let her personality blossom without too much policing. If I don’t want to her to be easily silenced in life, I refuse to silence her in her own home.
All while Abraham drives, he’s silent, looking over at me every now and then as we make our way out of the city and into the suburbs.
He slows down as we approach Peter’s new place, a pretty blue house with white shutters complete with a picket fence, and when he parks the car outside, he licks his lips and stares out of the window at the dimly lit porch.
“Why does it look like no one is home?”
Under the pressure of his nerves, his accent becomes more pronounced, and I grin at the sound of it.
“They’re home. Come on, Professor.” I push my door open, and he grabs my hand, yanking me back toward him.
I’m surprised by his kiss, by the way his tongue strokes mine. I sigh into it, melting as he loves my mouth. And when he pulls away, he says, “You don’t touch a fucking door when I’m around.”
A shot of desire pulses through me as I watch him get out of the car and come around to open the door.
He holds out his hand, helping me out of the car and continues to hold it as we walk up to the porch. The automatic lights turn on as we approach and I can hear the girls’ voices as they talk loudly, likely to their father.
Abraham knocks with his free hand, still holding mine in his other.
I grin when it opens and I see Jilly poking her little blonde head out. Those baby doll eyes peer up at us and she catches sight of our joined hands. But she doesn’t say anything as she opens the door wider.
“Are you supposed to be answering the door, missy?” I ask, bending a little to look at her. I can’t help the grin on my face. I miss them when they’re gone.
“I knew it was you.” She giggles, jerking away from me as if she thinks I’m going to tickle her. Then she stares at Abraham and smiles. I aim for cool, attempting to not make it a big deal as he no doubt melts under her gaze. “Hi.”
“Hello,” he greets and I sneak a glance, noting the sparkle in his eyes. “You must be Jilly.”
She nods, her smile widening at the sound of her name coming from this strange man’s mouth.
“Are you here for our date?” she asks, just as Penny walks out, holding Peter’s hand. He did an amazing job, getting them ready. They look adorable in their little red dresses and their hair is neatly brushed, with Jilly’s in two braids in front. Penny opted to wear her hair down her back and she has her eyes on her dad as they walk.
“She’s nervous,” Peter mouths when I look up at him. Penny wears a small pout and when she sees me, she lets go of Peter’s hand and runs to me .
“Hi, baby,” I exclaim, bending to hold her close. “I missed you guys.”
“She’s not a baby,” Jillian whines as Penny holds onto me, not caring what her sister said. I close my eyes as I soak her love in, knowing it doesn’t always show itself in this way.
“You’re both my babies,” I answer, my words caught in Penelope’s hair. “Forever and ever.”
It takes a moment for me to get her to stand on her own and when she does, she peers up at Abraham. I pray to whatever is listening that she doesn’t say something awful to him. While that isn’t her norm, it’s likely strange to her that another man is now standing with her mother. She doesn’t know who he is, doesn’t know that he’s her biological father. Has no idea that he’s waited a long time for this moment.
We decided it’s best to have them get to know each other and take it from there. That way there’s no confusion on Peter’s identity in their lives.
“What’s your name?” Penny asks him, her face blank as she stares up at him. Her little Mary Janes point toward his designer dress shoes and I try to keep my emotions at bay. No need to cry in front of the girls and further confuse things.
“Abraham,” he answers, his voice hoarse and he swallows before speaking again. “My name is Abraham and I heard you are Penelope.”
“Mommy, why does he talk like that?” Jilly whispers and Penny looks at her, her brows raised.
“He’s an alien,” Penny announces and laughter bubbles out of my throat.
“An alien?” I ask, my brows drawn as I try not to laugh again. “Where did you hear that?”
“On the news,” she answers, shrugging as she peers back at Abraham. “A legal alien.”
Shit.
“No more news,” I say, glancing up at Peter as he nods his head while chuckling. Such a dad laugh, only missing his hand on his nonexistent belly. “And no, Abraham is not an alien.”
When I glance at Jilly, she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.
Fuck . I forgot that anything remotely scary is off the table when it comes to her.
“Okay, guys. Let’s get going,” I start, clasping my hands together as I straighten and address their dad. “Peter, I will call you when we’re on our way back. Again, I know you’re heading out so if you need me to keep them, I can take them back to my house and Abraham can stay at his apartment.” All things have been discussed, the logistics of the night between us three adults and the potential that I may have to take them home with me.
He nods and it’s then that I notice he’s dressed up himself, his shirt tucked into his slacks and all. His blond hair is combed to the side like some sort of Clark Kent and I want to ask him if he’s headed on a date but I’m sure he’ll share when the girls aren’t around.
He squats down and hugs both the girls before Jilly takes off running to the car, Penny walking beside Abraham behind her.
This is a life I’d never even given myself permission to dream of.
I’m about to walk away when Peter says my name, and I turn back to look at him.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I search his eyes, waiting to hear what he has to say. Years of a shared life come to mind as he stares past me at the girls and Abraham. One of the car doors shuts and I make a mental note to doublecheck their booster seats before we hit the road.
“I’m happy for you,” he murmurs, a melancholy air to his tone as he continues to watch them. “It’s been an honor to share a life with you. To have two beautiful children with you. ”
I don’t know what to say as I look at him and he finally meets my gaze.
“I don’t regret it,” I whisper in return, trying for the hundredth time not to cry. “Thank you.”
He’s been around Abraham dozens of times by now. I’d discussed his comfortability with him, acknowledging that it’s paramount in order to make this situation as effortless as possible for the girls. Through it, they’ve formed their own relationship and while they’re not best friends, they have a shared fondness that warms me.
I shattered a life and created stained glass from the shards of it.
“Have fun tonight,” he says before turning to step and grab his suit jacket. He squeezes my shoulder as he passes me on the steps to unlock his car, it chirping in reaction to his remote start button.
As I walk toward the three most important people in my life, I stare up at the night sky with a sigh.
I think of the day I prayed to the stars, and I can’t help but think that they heard me. That in some way, they led me to my happy ending.