35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
Andre
The last month hasn’t been easy. Paul and I have been trying to mend things while working and taking care of the kids. It’s not like I told him I changed my mind and all was forgiven.
It wasn’t, and I didn’t expect it to be. I broke his trust, and I need to earn that back.
I chose something over him, even if it was only short term. I still did it. I made a huge decision without even talking to him about it.
So I think I have my answer.
I was being completely selfish.
But now I’m on my way back home from an interview at Crestview College, which is only forty-five minutes away.
They aren’t as good as New Haven. But they will be once I get in there to be their new coach.
They offered me the position on the spot, and Paul and I agreed that if they offered it to me, I’d take it.
Yes, I want to do what I love.
Yes, he wants me to do what I love.
But there is also compromise. And not just for him and I, but for our kids.
How could I ever think pulling Rylee away from all these people was a good idea? They are her family. They love her and she loves them. She’s lost enough. She can’t lose my parents, Paul, and Maddox. That’s fucking awful of me.
Which is why I never even mentioned it to her or Maddox. They don’t need to know. They probably wouldn’t even understand.
I pull into the driveway and carefully make my way up the sidewalk that’s covered in a dusting of snow that’s more slippery than it should be. I’m so ready for this winter to be over.
Before heading inside, I open the bucket that’s off to the side and toss some salt down so it doesn’t freeze overnight and turn into a sheet of ice. Maddox already fell once, and we all panicked that he re-broke his wrist. Thankfully, he was fine.
I open the door and I’m bombarded.
Rylee and Maddox are holding up a small, homemade cake with purple frosting and Congratulations written across it.
“Congratulations!” they all shout.
I laugh, taking it all in.
“You don’t even know if I got the job.”
“You got the job,” Paul says firmly. “Obviously.”
“Yeah, obviously,” Maddox says with a big eye roll.
“Obviously, Daddy!” Rylee shouts, then starts giggling and almost causes them to drop the cake.
Paul takes it from them, but holds my gaze. None of them give me any room to step further into the house.
“I got the job,” I say with a smile.
The kids jump at me, hugging me, while Paul stands there and smiles, holding onto that cake like it’s a child. I think if he didn’t have the cake in his hands, he’d be hugging me too.
Which he does, the moment we get to the kitchen, and the cake is put down. He squeezes me so tightly and whispers in my ear.
“Congratulations.” And that one means so much more than when he said it just a few moments earlier.
“Can we have cake now?” Rylee asks.
Paul laughs, stepping away from me.
“Yes, we can have cake.” He looks at me. “I think she’s asked ten times already.”
“You know she loves cake, Dad,” Maddox says as he grabs four plates from the cabinet.
“Yeah, Dad,” Rylee says with so much attitude that I almost miss the fact she called Paul dad at all.
He didn’t, though. Because his eyes are wide as hell. But soon enough, he’s smiling and bending down to hug her. He kisses her head.
“You’re the best daughter ever.”
She grins so wide. “I know!”
Paul grabs a knife to cut the cake.
“We had to do purple because I wanted blue but Rylee wanted pink,” Maddox explains. “We tried to do half and half, but they mixed and now we have purple.”
He doesn’t sound happy about it.
“All I care about is if it tastes good,” I comment.
“I hear Betty Crocker does yellow cake pretty good.” Paul grins as he slices into the cake, cutting us each a slice but making sure there is some left because I just know the kids will want more later, after dinner.
Which…
“We’re ordering pizza,” I say. “To celebrate.”
The kids cheer, because they love pizza. Internally, I cheer because I don’t have to cook. And I bet Paul is happy that he won’t have to load or unload the dishwasher.
We eat all of our cake and then order the pizza, which comes about an hour later because it’s Friday, and of course, they’re backed up. We all pile on the couch and pick a movie to watch—Tarzan because we all love it—and eat our pizza and breadsticks.
Neither of us usually let the kids drink soda, but we got a bottle because this is a celebration.
It means so much to me that the three most important people in my life believed in me so much that they prepared to celebrate before even knowing. And the funny thing is, even if I hadn’t gotten the job, I know we’d all be doing the same exact thing as we are right now.
The kids fall asleep on the couch, each of them laying on us. We carry them to bed, hoping they’ll stay asleep. They do. We clean up the little bit of mess that we made, and then we shower and crawl into bed together.
“Do you know when you start?” Paul asks as he slides closer to me.
I pull him into my arms and kiss the side of his head.
“Not yet. They’re going to email me all the paperwork. I need to review it, sign it, and send it back.”
“I’m so happy for you,” he says.
“I’m happy for all of us.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, his voice sleepy.
I kiss him again and settle against him, falling asleep almost immediately because when you’re this at peace, how can you not?