Chapter 38
Spontaneous Love
Vince
Saturday finds the girls helping Andy and me pack up his apartment, the second attempt after he dealt with a small setback yesterday. Sunlight streams through the living room windows, catching dust motes dancing in the air as we work together.
The girls, surprisingly efficient, fold clothes with practiced hands while I handle the heavier boxes, my muscles straining slightly under the weight.
Andy moves with a quiet grace, his movements deliberate despite the lingering tension in his shoulders.
The atmosphere is charged with unspoken emotions—relief that we're finally doing this, anxiety about leaving this chapter behind, and beneath it all, the shadow of yesterday's events with Ted.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Andy says, taping up a box labeled 'Books' in neat block letters. "I could've hired movers."
"And miss out on quality family time?" I reply, grinning as Tina rolls her eyes dramatically from across the room. "Besides, it's good exercise. Keeps me from getting soft."
Malia snorts from where she's organizing Andy's vinyl .
Malia keeps glancing at Andy when she thinks no one's looking, her expression a mixture of concern and admiration, while Tina complains about the lack of snacks, her teenage impatience a welcome distraction.
I watch Andy as he carefully wraps a framed photo of us from our camping trip, his fingers lingering on the glass, and I'm struck by how much has changed since we first met.
This isn't just packing boxes anymore; it's about building something new, something permanent, and I'm determined to make sure nothing—and no one—gets in our way again.
Wayne has lent his truck for the furniture, and Aubrey and Gary have already left with the first load destined for the house. The rest of us stay behind, our hands full with smaller items, tape dispensers clicking in the quiet rhythm of moving day.
Something sits heavy on my mind, a conversation I need to have with Andy. Gary and the guys are in on it, but I'm not sure how he'll receive it.
Truth be told, nerves flutter in my stomach.
"Oh my God! Andy... is this you?"
Tina holds up an old framed photo she's about to place into a box. "No way!"
Andy lets out a sheepish laugh, color rising in his cheeks as he continues stacking books into the fourth moving box. His blush deepens when he glances up to see the attention his old photo has drawn.
For the record, Andy doesn't just have a book collection... he has an obsession. Ninety percent of his apartment seems crafted from paper and ink.
Books hide under the bed. Books cram into kitchen cabinets. Books line bathroom shelves. Even the entryway cabinet, where most people might store shoes, overflows with them.
When he packed his car to move to LA, I'm pretty sure the only thing he brought with him was books.
I'm not the dork in this relationship. He is.
God, I love him.
"Let me see that photo," Malia demands, reaching for it. Tina passes it over with a giggle.
"Oh, Andy," Malia snickers, "this is gold."
My patience wears thin, so I step over and snatch the photo from Malia's hands, ignoring her indignant glare.
"Vince, don't make a big deal about it," Andy groans, running a nervous hand through his hair.
I look at the photo, and my heart performs a little somersault. It's Andy, probably sixteen or so, leaning against an ancient Land Rover. His blonde hair falls messily into his eyes, and he wears that tired-but-proud look that I've come to recognize as his signature determination.
He's so scrawny, his jeans hanging off his hips like hand-me-downs, barefoot and shirtless with a grin so wide it practically illuminates the photograph.
The car looks like shit even back then, which somehow makes the whole scene even more endearing.
Adorable. It hits me that, at the time this photo is taken, Malia is probably ten, and Kaitlynn and I are already separated.
Life is a whirlwind back then, and somehow, it has all led to this moment, to Andy and me.
"Hey, can I get a copy of this picture?" I tease.
"Jesus, Dad, you're so creepy..." Malia bites her lip, holding back a laugh.
Andy's blush deepens, and he snatches the photo from my hands, muttering, "Will you all stop? That photo's embarrassing. Quit looking at it."
The girls burst into laughter, and Andy quickly packs the photo into one of his boxes.
"Wait," Tina says, still grinning, "is that the same Land Rover? It can't be."
Andy sighs, resigning himself to the interrogation. "Yeah... It had been sitting in the yard for years. My mom said I could have it if I could get it running again. I did, and I practically lived out of it for a while. And yeah, it's still going. Sort of."
Malia shoots me a pointed look, and I shoot one right back.
She'd better not ruin my surprise for Andy.
Andy and I aren't exactly great at surprises, but damn it, I'm determined to get this one right.
"Andy, don't use your hand," I say, prying a moving box out of his grip. "You're supposed to let it heal."
Andy glares at me, annoyed at my hovering.
He hates being babied, but I'm not going to back down. Andy isn't used to people taking care of him, and it shows.
"Go pack up more of your ridiculous books," I tease, setting the box down.
"My books aren't ridiculous," Andy shoots back, rolling his eyes.
"Your Steinbeck collection begs to differ."
I kiss him quickly, and despite himself, he smiles. When I pull away, he leans in to kiss me back, and I wrap an arm around his waist, pressing a kiss to his neck just to hear him laugh.
The girls groan in mock horror.
"Stop, Dad!" Tina yells, grabbing a box and dramatically announcing she's leaving until we stop "making out."
Andy tries picking up another box, but Malia swoops in to take it from him. She gives him an exaggerated air kiss and a loud "mwah" before heading out to load the car.
Andy sighs, walking over to me as I work on another box at the kitchen table. Tugging on my sleeve, he mutters, "You're all acting like I'm gravely injured. It's ridiculous."
"Andy, the doctor said you need to rest your hand. Is that what you want? For it not to heal right?"
He hesitates, then laughs. "Fine. What does that doctor even know, anyway?"
"Exactly," I say, playing along. "Who needs medical expertise?"
He laughs harder, and I kiss his temple, pulling him close. I make sure the girls are still outside before nuzzling into his neck.
Andy smiles against my shoulder, wrapping his arms around me and leaning his head on mine.
Those bright blue eyes of his always get to me. Every time he looks at me, it feels like falling into a deep, endless ocean of emotion.
How lucky am I, standing here with him in my arms, building a life together?
God, I love him.
I can't believe how everything unfolded between us. My best friend. The person who knows me, all of me, and loves me anyway. It feels impossible. I never could have imagined a man like Andy stumbling into my life the way he did.
The first time I saw him, he ran a hand through his hair and stood up to shake mine, flashing me that genuinely happy smile even though I was over an hour late. I was done for. Hell, I even forgot to introduce myself. He had me right then and there.
I feel like the luckiest man alive to be holding him now, moving him into our house. Everything I go through to get to this moment... every mistake, every heartbreak... is worth it.
"I probably won't get used to you trying to take care of me, Vince," he murmurs against my shoulder.
"Yeah, you will."
I silence him by kissing the spot on his neck that I know drives him crazy. He laughs, his breath warm against my ear, and I feel a little thrill zip through me... maybe too much of a thrill. I clear my throat, trying to play it cool.
Malia is right. I'm a fucking creep, and if I don't get it together, I'm going to scar my daughters for life.
“What if I annoy you?” he asks.
"Hm, you're so annoying, Andy," I say dramatically. "God, I can't stand how annoying you are in your tight little pants. That's obviously why I begged you like a sorry little bitch to move in with me."
He laughs harder, and I can't help but laugh with him.
"Quit messing around, Vince, you—“ He pauses, caught off guard. “Oh."
He pulls back suddenly, his face flushed.
Okay, so he has noticed the situation happening in my pants.
"Vince," he hisses. "Are you serious?"
I grin and yank him closer, pressing his hips against mine. He pushes at my chest, laughing, but I don't let go.
"Stop being so offended by my spontaneous love for you," I tease into the side of his neck.
"Your love? That's more than—Vince, we are not doing this right here, right now, with the girls right outside—"
"I'm not doing anything."
"You're going to freak out the girls—"
"I'm obviously very annoyed by you, Andy. Stop being so annoying."
He laughs, shaking his head, and buries his face into the side of my neck, hugging me tightly. He plants kisses along my cheek, making me laugh, too.
That's when Malia walks back in. She takes one look at us and throws her hands in the air like she's just walked into the middle of a soap opera.
"Ugh! You guys are going to kill Tina with all this PDA. No offense, Andy... it's not you. Dad, you know she hates seeing you do this shit, period," she adds, rolling her eyes so hard it looks like it hurts.
I ignore Malia and bury my face deeper into Andy's neck, pulling him even closer. Andy laughs, unfazed, and kisses the side of my head.
Malia mutters, "You guys are hopeless," and heads back outside, leaving us alone for a moment longer. "Tina," she calls out, "don't come back in here yet. They're still hardcore making out."
Andy shakes with laughter against me, and I grin.
Yeah, this is our chaos, but it's our chaos... and I wouldn't trade it for the world.