And it didn’t take long before she spread her wings and took off on her own. She didn’t need me now. That was for sure. It made me proud how she was able to balance so many things all on her own.
And she saved her best balancing act each and every day for our family.
She loved each of our children the same and made sure she was there for all of their big moments. Smooch’s baseball games. Scarlett’s first steps. Sam’s first day of preschool. Those were just a few.
“Hey buddy,” I say, reaching down and giving ol’ Max a rub on the head.
“Doggie!” Scarlett says.
“Max, honey.”
“Max! Doggie!”
I take her tiny little hand in mind as she squats down in my lap. Max has his head on my thigh and Scarlett bends down to get at eye level with him. She puts her hand on Max and pets him softly, amazed by how he feels.
“You’ve been here through it all, haven’t you buddy?”
Max’s eyes look up at me, but he isn’t about to move his head…not while he’s getting the attention he so loves and deserves.
“All finished for today, James.”
I look up and see Mariana, with Smooch and Sam right behind her. They walk past her and plop down on a couch in the living room. They look worn out.
“Thanks, Mariana. How did it go?”
“Great. Their sentence structure was perfect and their pronunciation was even better.”
“That’s great,” I say. “Okay, up we go,” I add as I lift Scarlett and I up and out of the chair. “I’ll show you out,” I say to Mariana.
“Thank you.”
I walk Mariana outside as she fills me in on how her family’s doing. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve been talking to her husband and this weekend we’re going to surprise her with a big celebration for her thirty-fifth birthday. I know she’s going to love it, and I can’t lie…I’m going to love grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks just as much. There’s nothing I like more than the smell of a backyard grill.
And it’s not just the flipping of burgers with one hand while I have a beer in the other as I shoot the breeze with the boys. It’s much more than that. There’s just something about preparing food for my family and seeing how happy it makes them, that really does it for me. Watching them run around in the yard, playing with the other kids while I prepare the fuel that keeps them going.
It’s crazy when I think about it. Grilling always meant time with the guys when I was younger. It was a chance to talk shop with the boys, but now it’s anything but. Sure, we still talk about work a little and sports some, but it’s mostly about the sports our kids are playing and how quickly they’re growing and how proud we are of their accomplishments.
I was always someone who liked to be in the action, and I still am, but there’s something even more gratifying about watching my kids take part in so many activities and school functions. If you would have told me twenty years ago I would have got so much pleasure from this I would have told you you were crazy. I would have started a family right then and there had I known how awesome this feels, but I couldn’t have…because I didn’t have her.
It was never about just having a family. It was about her and our family. She’s the one that made it all go. She was the one who took this old fishing boat that was me, cleaned it up and put some fresh sails on it and set sail with it. She was the captain of our family, and she made it run.
Through stormy seas or clear straights, she guided everything…even when she pretended to let me be in charge, which she was nice enough to do often. But I always knew the truth. It was her. Without her none of this was possible.
She was the one and only for me and our family. Mother, daughter, best friend, confidant, lover, and wife. In this journey called life, she was our everything.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Sadie
“Gracias, Mariana,” I say as I see her out of the corner of my eye at the sink. “But really, you don’t have to do that. It’s your birthday.”
“It’s okay, Sadie. I like to help out. And by the way, you really roll your tongue perfectly when you speak Spanish. Are you sure there’s not a little señorita deep down there inside you somewhere?”
“You never know,” I say in between laughs. “I do love taking vacations down south of the border…Mexican food…El Dia de los Muertos…wow! Maybe you are right.”
“Si,” she says and we both laugh. “How are your kids?”
I take a break from rolling ground beef into patties and look out the window.
Scarlett is dressed up in her little swimsuit sitting in the plastic pool we bought for this weekend. There’s probably no more than an inch and a half of water in there, but with her imagination she’s probably swimming the one hundred meter breaststroke at the Olympics right now. I see James is keeping a close eye on her too in addition to keeping an eye on the grill.
Sam’s at a little table we set up for playing board games with the other kids in the neighborhood. They all seem to be concentrating so hard. I like that they’re doing something so mentally stimulating and something that requires problem solving and promotes working with others to achieve goals.
And then there’s Smooch. He gets so embarrassed when I call him that in public, but he’ll always be Smooch to me, even when I do call him Simon. He’s throwing a football with another boy from the neighborhood. Being that Smooch’s dad is such a big guy, and Smooch is always playing with the bigger kids it’s no surprise that his athletic skills are developing so quickly for his age. We’re excited that he’s so good at sports, and even starting to think he might have a future there someday. If nothing else, it would be a great way to go to college on a scholarship.
“They’re perfect,” I say to Mariana. “How are your kids?”
“Oh, Sadie. They’re the love of my life. I still can’t believe I’ve been able to have three incredible blessings already.”
“Already? You’re thinking of having more?”
“I won’t stop until I can’t.”
“You are one strong woman, girlie!”
“Not as strong as you. I see everything you’re doing and it serves as an inspiration for me and my girls. I show them that if you can do it then they can too. I mean…I know it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but I just want to show them what’s possible if they put their minds to it. And every time I need an example I point to you.”
“Wow. I’m flattered. Thank you, but Mariana you’re just as much an inspiration as I am. You’re teaching Spanish to so many kids in the neighborhood, and balancing your family just like I am. And you want more kids? Any woman who wants to continue subjecting herself to the pain of childbirth is a hero in my book. That’s for sure!”
“I never think of the pain when I’m in the hospital. I just keep pushing thinking of how happy I’m going to be when I get to hold my baby in my arms.”
“And you never know the sex in advance, do you?”
“No. I still haven’t tried that. I like to be surprised. I love that anticipation. That not knowing.”
“James is the same way in regards to anticipation. He often says that anticipation can be better than the actual thing you’re anticipating.”
“Do you think he’s right?”
“Many times I do,” I say, still looking out at my kids. “But not always.”
“How so?”
“Well I had a lot of anticipation when it came to us, but somehow he exceeded my extremely high expectations. Not only did he exceed them he jumped right over them and continues to do so each and every day. He’s always surprising me for no reason but to tell me he loves me.”
“That’s so sweet!”
“Sadie Sundays! He likes to say that when we wake up on Sunday morning.” I laugh to myself. “Then again he does the same thing on Saturdays. And sometimes he’ll do something sweet and when I ask him why he’ll just say because Wednesdays are your day. Then he’ll correct himself and say everyday is my da
y, and he wants me to know it.”
“Who knew he was such a romantic?”
“Who knew?” I say.
How did such a big, burly guy turn out to be the world’s biggest teddy bear? I’d heard stories about how rough and tough he used to be, but not so much anymore. If he thought someone wasn’t treating me or one of our kids right then he was quick to flip that protector switch and step in and make things right…but that just about never happened.
Everybody knew he was a cop, but he didn’t have to rely on the badge. Just seeing his six feet and six inches of pure muscle was enough to deter anyone who even considered crossing him. Fortunately for us we lived in a great neighborhood with a lot of great people, so we didn’t have such worries.
The only “worry” in my life most days was what to prepare for dinner. But that was hardly a worry at all. I’d been getting better at preparing things over the years, and my kids gobbled up everything in sight. It made me happy that they liked my food.
But today was a special occasion. Today was James’s day to cook. But I was the one who got to prepare the patties.
I smiled and realized that no matter what we’re always doing everything as a team…just like right now. I prepare the patties and he cooks them.
When it came to police officers it was all about their partner. They were always looking for their perfect pairing.
Fortunately for me I’d gotten it right on the first try. James was my perfect pairing…my partner for life…my husband and my everything.
We shared such a beautiful family together, and doing so allowed us to share this day with our neighbors and friends.
And tonight Smooch and Sam would be staying at their friend’s houses and Scarlett would be at my mom and dad’s. It gave us the perfect chance to share something else…our love for one another.
Even after eight years he couldn’t get enough of me, nor could I get enough of him. Seven year itch? Never heard of it. As a matter of fact the only itch I had was for him. He was the only one who could scratch it, just like the massages we’d give each other later tonight.
“Sadie. Are you okay?”
I turn and look at Mariana.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming.”
“It’s okay, but I was wondering if you got possessed by aliens or something. You suddenly just left the room…I mean your mind did at least.”
I smile. It wasn’t suddenly and I wasn’t possessed by aliens. I was possessed by thoughts of him and the family he’d given me. This perfect life. And it certainly wasn’t sudden. I’d been head over heels in love for eight years. He put my head in the clouds and I still hadn’t come down.
And I wouldn’t. Not now and not ever. With him by my side I was on cloud nine. Nine…I wonder what he has planned for our next anniversary?
I laugh. Almost nine years later and he’s got me filled with anticipation without even trying. But that’s how it always was and always will be.
I’m always looking forward to what amazing moments we’re going to share next. Our family. Our love. Our lives. Together forever.
FIREMAN’S FAKE FIANCÉE
Why does it feel so real, when it's only meant to be fake?
Fireman Isaac Irons is supposed to save me. He’s tall, dark, and as handsome as he is rich. With his rugged good looks and masculine presence, surely no one's going to catch on to us. There's no way you'd suspect our engagement is fake.
And I'm starting not to suspect it either. The way he whispers in my ear when no one's looking. The way he puts his hand on the small of my back. The way his kisses go on just a little longer than we need in order to put on our little show. Is it just for show?
He's enjoying this; this tormenting me.
But I can dish it out just as well as I can take it. I can play hot and cold, making him wonder what's real and what's not...and just what he really wants out of this so-called relationship of ours.
But when the sun goes down, my blood pressure rises. We're alone in our shared bedroom, keeping up the charade. But the way he looks at me with those bedroom eyes of his, I know this is more than a game.
Can I risk losing everything if it means winning the man whose passion for me is suddenly feeling more and more real?
Fireman's Fake Fiancée is an insta-everything standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.
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Police, Pooch, and Smooch: A Single Dad, Police Officer Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 25) Page 8
