Chapter 29
CREW
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious!” Addie shouts, giggling through her words.
I stop short, attempting to be as dramatic as possible for added effect. “Are you sure? You’re serious?”
More giggles. God, that’s the best sound. “Yes, Daddy! I’m serious! I told you I was sooo smart.”
“I’m so proud of you, Doodle!” I cheer, picking her up by the arms and spinning her in circles.
“We knew you could do it, baby girl,” Hilary tells her kindly, gesturing for her hug. Hilary’s girlfriend, Margo, follows suit behind her, and I love watching my little girl be surrounded by so much love.
“I love you, Mommy. I love you, Margo!” Addie shouts, more giggles erupting from her lips. Her laugh is contagious, stirring giggles from the beautiful woman beside me.
“Alright, now it’s my turn!” Juniper shouts, crouching to her knees in the middle of the parking lot with arms wide open. “Get over here, little Emerald City queen.”
“I could never forget about you, Princess Juniper!”
Since making things official with Juniper, Addie has announced she’s permanently naming my girlfriend Princess Juniper.
That’s right…girlfriend. I’m a lucky bastard.
I watch the two most important girls in my life hug it out and want nothing more than to join them. But at the same time, witnessing their bond strengthen over time has felt like such a privilege.
Today, Juniper, Hilary, Margo, and I have a bit of a surprise up our sleeves. A surprise Doodle is going to be over the moon about.
“So, does anyone wanna tell me what we’re doing here, anyway?” Addie questions, pointing fingers like we’re guilty.
“Why don’t you go inside and find out?” I tell her, nodding to the diner doors.
With a plan in place, meeting at House of Bread felt like the perfect spot. It also gives me an opportunity to check out the new sign I had made. No longer reading as Ho of read, something Juniper was bummed about, but my Grams was eternally grateful for.
Addie runs full speed ahead, swinging the heavy, wide door open with all her might and stopping short just before entering. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” she shrieks, mouth dropped open in shock.
I share a look with Juniper. Mission accomplished.
“King Size! Uncle Jack!” Addie yells in excitement as we reach her at the entrance. “Princess Juniper, your mom is here, too!”
And Addie takes off to greet all her favorite people in one place. But just as expected, a soft tug at my arm directs my attention back to the love of my life.
“Crew?”
Blue eyes that remind me so much of the sea during summertime smile back at me, filled to the brim with tears. Either she’s reminiscing about me ravaging her early this morning, or these are tears of joy rather than lust. “Yes, baby?”
“Is it true? If I walk through those doors, will my mom be inside?”
I nod. “Your dad, too.”
She doesn’t need to say anything when her kiss says it all. I know what inviting them here means to Juniper, and I’d have done anything to make it happen. Calling them and begging was the least I could do to make her smile.
To feel the gratitude through her kiss.
Juniper takes off inside, and all I can think is, how fortunate am I to have this life?
“She makes you happy, doesn’t she?” Hilary asks, following behind me into the diner.
“So much that I don’t feel like me without her.”
Hilary’s hand finds my shoulder. “You did good, Crew. She’s the perfect addition to our family. Let’s go celebrate our Doodle.”
It’s only been a matter of minutes since Addie and Juniper went inside, wasting no time at all celebrating. All of our favorite people are under one roof to revel in Addie’s success.
Gus, Tenley, and Apollo.
Kingston and Jethro.
Cal, Kodi, and Magnolia.
Bodhi and Navy.
Coach Leggins.
Grams and Gramps.
Sergio and his wife, Tanya.
Mack.
Even Mrs. Sheffield.
And Juniper’s parents, who look so much like her it’s uncanny.
All because my smart girl passed first grade with flying colors, just like we knew she would. The smile beaming from Mrs. Sheffield’s face fills me with pride. She knew she could do it, and she did.
Did the medication help? Most likely, yes.
But Addie did all the hard work.
“Daddy!” Addie yells. “Is everyone here for me?” She smiles, bouncing up and down as King tries to place a crown on the top of her head.
“Stay still, you little nugget,” he mutters, causing everyone to laugh.
Hilary and I crouch beside her, taking in all of the bright green and gold balloons and decor filling the diner. Hilary, Juniper, and Margo went above and beyond. This place looks incredible.
“Why don’t you tell everyone here what you got on your end-of-year report card?” I say, nodding to our friends and family.
Addie cuts me a look of thrill and smiles wide before screaming, “All M’s, baby!” Her tutu dress shakes as she dances in place, celebrating her win.
“And what does M stand for, Doodle?” Hilary asks.
“Mastery! The smartie beans worked!”
“I think that was all you, Addie girl,” Gus yells, and Apollo runs to give his best friend a hug.
“Did you hear that, Apollo? I’m going to second grade!”
Apollo’s eyes bug open wide. “Cool!” he shouts. “Wanna play tag?”
“You’re it!” Addie taps his shoulder and flees.
With the attention span of a squirrel, the two littles chase each other around the diner while everyone else starts to mingle, Grams announcing the food is ready whenever we are.
Cinnamon rolls, french fries, and strawberry milkshakes.
All of Doodle’s favorite things.
“Hey, Crew.” I look up and find Juniper standing near a booth with her parents. She’s head to toe in black with a ripped Red Hot Chili Peppers band tee, aside from hot pink sneakers. I exhale slowly, smiling in return. “Can you come here for a sec?” she asks.
Telling Hilary I’ll be just a second, I walk to where they stand, my hand instantly reaching out to shake Mr. Wilde’s. “Mr. and Mrs. Wilde. I’m Crew Briggs. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
I’d say Juniper looks the most like her father, both having more dark features with black hair. He looks his age, being in his late sixties, but I can also see the toll life has had on him. He doesn’t exactly look uncomfortable to be here, just stand-off-ish.
“Brett Wilde.” He extends his hand in greeting. “This is a lovely diner you’ve got here, son.”
“Thank you, sir. It’s my grandparents’. They do well for themselves.”
“I can see that. Tess,” Mr. Wilde says, encouraging his wife.
She smiles softly, and I can see her anxious exterior begin to crack. It makes me sad for her. “Hi, Crew. I’ve heard so many great things about you. I’m Tess.”
“Thank you for coming today, Tess,” I say kindly. “My daughter has talked about you nonstop since your FaceTime call. It means the world to me for you to come out.”
Tess reaches for Juniper’s hand, and I see her eyes light up like never before. “I think we were due for a visit. That little girl of yours is something truly special.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. I can say the same about your daughter. I love her very much.”
“And she loves you. It’s a blessing as a parent to see your child so happy. In love and happy.”
I nod. “I know she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but I want you to know she won’t have to. I intend to provide for her in more ways than one and support her as her teammate. Her best friend. Juniper’s happiness means everything to me.”
Mr. Wilde speaks up, “You’re one hell of a man, Crew. I know we haven’t been involved as much as we’d like, but I want you to know we’re working on it.”
“I’m in therapy.” Juniper’s gasp fills the space between us at the sound of her mom’s words.
“You are?” Juniper whispers softly, looking at her mom for validation.
Mrs. Wilde nods. “I’m trying, sweetheart. I’m trying. Especially now with that little beauty in your life.” She nods to Addie. “I want to be better. I should have been better for you already, and I regret it every single day.”
“I love you, Mom,” Juniper cries, pulling her parents into a hug. “Anything you need, I’m here, okay?”
“We’re here.” I grab Juniper’s hand and squeeze, reassuring her that I meant what I said. She doesn’t have to do life alone anymore.
Not with me.
“This diner reminds me of old times.” Mrs. Wilde smiles at her daughter, and I know they’re recounting timeless memories. Something I’m honored to now have with Juniper myself, and her mother here whenever she’d like.
“Some of the best times, Mom. Oh!” Juniper quips, telling her parents she’ll be right back before pulling me away. “Let’s grab Doodle real quick. There’s something I want to give you both. I can’t believe I almost forgot.”
I drag Addie away from Apollo and find a booth far enough from everyone to give us some privacy. Juniper runs out to the car and grabs the same charcoal box I remember her delivering to my house way back. The same one that lived in a bush while I made love to her in her home.
Selfishly, I thought it held something solely for me. Bummer.
Juniper runs back, excited to share, and Addie doesn’t miss the box. “A present!” she cheers, hoping for the best.
“Something like that,” Juniper tells her, settling across from us in the booth. “So, when I was a little girl, I loved to write notes to the people I loved. Kind of how you loved to draw pictures for people, right, Doodle?”
“Daddy has a whole stack of my pictures.” She smiles brightly.
“Exactly. And they are so special to him. Since the three of us are becoming a family, hopefully,” she notes hesitantly, and I confirm her worries with a smile and nod. “I wanted to give you both a gift from me. Consider this my version of drawings and notes.”
Juniper’s girlish grin makes me love her even more, the glasses resting on her nose bouncing when she gets overly animated. She slides the box to us, insisting we open it. “Go ahead,” I tell Addie, knowing she’s chomping at the bit. She unclips a metal lock, revealing a stack of cards.
“Cards! I love cards!”