Текст книги "Can't Let Go"

Автор книги: Michelle Lynn

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Rob’s Story – Let Me Go (The Invisibles #5) COMING Winter 2015

GOODREADS LINK FOR LET ME GO

More From The Invisibles

Can’t Let Go playlist on Spotify

Join The Invisibles Discussion Group on Facebook

DO NOT read if you haven’t read LET ME LOVE yet.

Trey and Kailey’s Wedding

“WE’RE GOING TO be here all damn day. She’s so indecisive,” Jessa whispers to me as we flip through the row of dresses wrapped in plastic.

“I can hear you,” Sadie says from the next row over.

“It’s nothing I wouldn’t say to your face.” Jessa giggles and playfully rolls her eyes.

“Stop fooling around and search,” Sadie yells over the sea of white.

“Brady doesn’t care if the dress isn’t perfect,” Jessa adds, and I hear a long sigh from Sadie.

“He’d probably prefer if I was naked,” Sadie jokes.

“Awe, Sadie, you made a joke. See, you still have your sense of humor, even if you’re turning into a bridezilla,” Jessa continues, picking on her.

“JESSA!” Sadie exclaims, clearly annoyed.

I let the two best friends bicker back and forth, while I admire the beautiful dresses. The memory of shopping for Jen’s wedding dress comes to mind. The fact we spent all day at a bridal shop similar to this one, only for Jen to decide she didn’t want any of them. We left, and she drove us to the mall. Grabbing the second white sundress she found on the rack, she bought her wedding dress for less than fifty dollars. My lips turn up remembering how we gorged ourselves on mall fries, pretzels, and Coke before getting our nails done.

The image of the one dress I remember seeing her in comes to mind. She was so gorgeous and elegant looking she could’ve been Cinderella. A form-fitting strapless beaded bodice that puffed out into layers of tulle and satin. When Jen stood on that center block in front of those three long mirrors, I was in complete awe. From that day forward, I dreamed of my wedding day. Not the church, the people, or big reception. I couldn’t wait to stand at the end of an aisle, wearing the princess dress and staring down at the man who would be my husband. The man who’d captured my heart and intended to keep it safe.

As Sadie ventures back into the fitting room with six new dresses to try on, I continue to search for a dress matching Sadie’s criteria while daydreaming about a dress most likely not in style anymore. I mean, Jen and Caden got married eight years ago and trends have changed. I need to focus on helping Sadie, so I push my dream dress back into its mental closet and keep skimming though the dresses.

Then about ten dresses later my jaw drops open. There it is, not the exact one, but almost identical. Too excited to think about anything else, I hurriedly unzip the bag and allow my fingers to brush against the elaborate beaded design.

“Try it on,” Jessa says, nudging me with her shoulder.

Snapping back to reality, I answer, “No, this is Sadie’s day.” My eyes fixate on the dress in my hands. My body is practically itching with the thought of slipping into it.

“She doesn’t care. You know you and Trey will be getting hitched sometime soon anyway.” She takes it from the rack and begins walking to the fitting rooms.

“Jessa!” I say, following after her.

“Excuse me,” Jessa taps the woman on the shoulder. The pleasant-as-pie assistant smiles nicely at her. “We need another fitting room.” She nods her head in my direction.

“No, we don’t really,” I argue back. The lady peers over at me and then back to Jessa.

“I’m terribly sorry, but it’s by appointment only. Those fitting rooms are reserved for other brides or bridesmaids coming in shortly.” Anyone can hear her curt and displeased meaning under her high pitched fake reply.

“It will only take a second. It’s one dress, one girl,” Jessa attempts to persuade her, but the lady shakes her head and apologizes. “All right then,” she says, grabbing my hand and leading me down the hall anyway. “Sadie!” She knocks on Sadie’s fitting room door.

“What?” Sadie calls out from the other side. You can tell she’s already expecting the worst from Jessa.

“Open the door.”

Sadie inches it open, half wrapped in a dress with her assigned assistant helping her button it up. “I already told you, I want something more sleek.” She points to the dress.

“It’s not for you, it’s for Kailey. You should have seen her eyes light up when she was staring at it.” Jessa pushes her way through the door with me in tow.

“I’m sorry, Sadie. I told her no.” I shake my head. The last thing I would want to do is take over a bride’s day. The way Sadie is with this wedding, she’ll hate me for it.

“You should know her by now, she doesn’t accept the word no.” Sadie laughs, scooting over. “It’s more than fine, Kailey. It’s gorgeous,” she remarks, looking at it through the mirror.

“Oh, Serena can be such a pest at times. She should have let you use one of the other fitting rooms,” Lily, Sadie’s sales assistant, whispers. “But, there’s more than enough room in here for all of us.” She genuinely smiles at us and continues buttoning Sadie up in a beautiful, flowing silk dress with buttons up the back.

“Strip,” Jessa says, and my shoulders slump.

“You sound like Trey,” I tease.

“Romance gone already,” she counters back and we all laugh.

“No, it’s just …” I don’t finish, but start taking off my clothes.

“You have a killer body, I’m so jealous,” Jessa remarks, blatantly staring at my almost naked body only covered up by my mismatched bra and underwear. If I would’ve known I would be getting naked in front of anyone but Trey, I would have put on my best matching satin set. Now a days, Trey probably doesn’t even see what kind of bra I’m wearing. With three kids under five, there’s limited time, so the motive is really just to remove it from my body.

“You’ll get your figure back,” Sadie says.

“Just wait, they do irreversible damage to your body,” Jessa jokes.

“I’m sure Grant loves you even more.” I place my hand on her arm.

“Yeah, Kailey, with every new stretchmark, leaking boobs, and circles under my eyes, he just adores me a little more,” she sarcastically replies. Sadie raises her eyebrows at me through the mirror, and we silently agree to let it go for now. “Now let’s get your drop-dead toned body into this dress.”

Once I have it on, I can’t look in the mirror yet, but I’m hoping it suits me the way Jessa, Sadie, and Lily are all lit up. “Go outside to the three way mirror.” Lily nudges her head the direction of the fitting room door. Jessa holds the train in the back, pretty much shoving me out the door. Holding the front up so I don’t trip, I make my way down the hall, keeping my eyes on my feet. I hear Sadie and Lily file out behind me, Sadie swishing in her own dress.

“Oh, Kailey,” Sadie gushes. “You look like a fairy princess,” she continues awing.

“Look up, beautiful.” Jessa places her hands on my shoulders and whispers in my ear.

I slowly raise my head, my eyes taking in the tulle skirt, the tight bodice against my skin. Finally, I stare at myself in the mirror, the almost complete picture of me as a bride and I’m instantly speechless. Jessa unhooks my ponytail, and my chestnut hair falls past my shoulders. Lily rushes over with a veil and pins the front of my hair back. A tear escapes my eyes when I imagine Trey waiting for me at the end of the aisle. Even with remembrance of Jen and sadness she isn’t here to see me, the happiness of my future with Trey takes over.

“I’ll take it,” I say softly.

ONCE WE’RE AT the register, the snotty associate, Serena, is completing the sale, since Lily is still assisting Sadie. She’s steadily punching numbers in the computer when she informs me, “This is a sample dress. Because it’s been discontinued it has a ‘sold as is, no return’ policy. Did you inspect the dress for flaws, rips, tears, or missing beading?”

Jeez you would think buying a six thousand dollar ‘sample dress’ would rate a little friendliness. “That’s fine. Does the store manager happen to be available?” After another eye roll, she picks up the phone and immediately her voice changes as she describes a ‘drop in client’ would like to speak with the manager.

A few moments later a little slip of a woman comes hurrying over. She looks a little like Edith Head ready to go off to war. “Serena, catch me up on where we are.” Serena immediately starts on how I didn’t have an appointment, but is quickly interrupted by General Head. “I don’t care about that. What does the client need—oh never mind.” Turning my way she says, “Now, honey, how can I help you?”

“Well, ummm … I came here with a friend of mine, who had an appointment, and I happened to stumble across a dress that I’d been dreaming of—”

“Oh, those are the best kind.” She claps her hands in front of her chest and does some kind of a little jig. “That’s when you know you’ve found the right one. Now, did you get everything to go with it?”

“Not yet, I just wanted to let you know how helpful Lily was. She’s the consultant helping my friend, and she was nice enough to let me ‘drop in’ during the appointment to try on the dress and—”

“Oh yes, dear, when these moments of kismet happen, we must be prepared. I’ve been in the office arranging for the next season’s gowns, but we simply must make sure you have everything you need to compliment your dream dress. Oh, you don’t want to find out what wearing the wrong undergarments can do to the perfect dress. It can just be a travesty, I tell you.”

Before I know what is happening, I find myself being directed back to a fitting room by General Head, who is probably a foot shorter than me and carrying a dress that is most likely four feet taller than her. She barks orders at her assistant and with the precision of a pit crew at the Indy 500, I’m outfitted in the ‘proper undergarments’, shoes, veil, and any other accessory I could never dream of. My dress is gone over with a fine-tooth-comb, and I’m assured the dress will be pressed and ready for pick-up in two hours.

All the while, she’s asking me questions and pulling my life story from me. I don’t really think about it until she rings up the purchases. I’m beginning to worry about all of the extras. The dress is going to be a stretch financially as it is. I brace myself when she finishes keying everything in and take a deep breath.

“Okay, dear, you’re total is $2,348.94,” General Head says without blinking an eye.

“Ummm—” Oh shit, I forgot her name. Somehow I don’t think calling her General Head will go over well. “Ma’am, I think the total is wrong. The ticket on the dress said six thousand.”

“Well, this is going to sound really bad, but I honestly don’t know why that dress was still on the rack. It’s years out of season and should have been pulled long ago. It must have been there waiting for you all this time.” She looks a little chagrined to admit the dress was still there.

But, I know in my heart that it is a little more than forgetfulness when a snippet of conversation pops into my head.

“One day, when I get married, I’m going to wear a dress just like the one you tried on,” I inform Jen.

“Which one? I tried on at least a hundred.” She laughs, so I went on to describe it in great detail. “Well, I’ll make sure you have your dream dress when the time comes. But, let’s hope that’s not for a long time to come.”

Once again my sister came through on a promise. Right there, in this moment, I know she’s giving me her blessing.

THAT NIGHT, TREY and I are lying on the couch watching Wahlburgers while he teases me for being attracted to Marky Mark. I counter with he’s a movie star now, so obviously my taste isn’t that bad.

“You have the best taste, you picked me,” Trey responds, kissing me on the top of the head.

I turn to look up and place my hand on his chest, staring up into his caramel eyes. “That I did.” I inch up to kiss his lips. After a brief meeting of our lips, he pulls back. This comfortable life we’ve made, into such a great routine, settles me into our future even more.

“You want to seal it in ink?”

“A tattoo?” I question, obviously pretending I don’t know exactly what he’s talking about. The marriage topic has been brought up in conversation around our house for some time, but we’ve had so much to do, it gets pushed back. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m there.” I smile up at him, and he captures my mouth. I’m not about to mention, I have a dress hanging in Jessa’s spare closet.

MY MIND STARTED racing as soon as she said she was ready. Everything I’ve been waiting for with her is finally becoming reality. Prior to this point, every time I brought it up, she would shrug her shoulders or tell me we’ll talk about it later. The problem is we don’t have the funds or the time to plan some elaborate wedding like Brady and Sadie. But it needs to be special, and I don’t want to stress her out. She’s in the middle of her senior year while taking care of three kids and doesn’t need more on her plate.

So the next day when I get to work, I text my sidekick, who currently has her hands full as well. After a quick text, my phone rings, and I’m instructed I need to come over immediately. Cutting out a little early for lunch, I arrive at The Bishops’. Before I can knock on the door, Jessa opens it and ushers me in.

She puts her clasped hands next to her head and points to the pack 'n play in the corner. Obviously, their new bundle of joy is asleep. Jessa looks like hell on wheels, not that I would tell her that. Her brown strands are stuck up in all different directions and she’s wearing a grey t-shirt that can’t camouflage the amount of stains on it. Lastly, a pair of pajama pants that look likes she slept in them for the past week.

“Don’t judge, you of all people should know what it’s like having kids,” she comments once we get into the kitchen.

“I’m not judging. You look beautiful as always.” I kiss her on the cheek and she pushes me away. Our friendship may have changed when the loves of our lives entered, but it’s still just as strong as ever.

“Liar, but I’ll take it.” She sits down and presses me for information on what my plans are and things like, did I have the ring. Just as I’m going to try to get her advice, Baby Bishop wakes up, and Jessa’s head falls to the table.

I stand up and retreat to the room to grab the little one. She calms once in my arms. Just as I’m about to escape the room, I see a white image in a plastic bag peeking out from the hall closet. I don’t think much of it, until Jessa runs over, shoving it in the closet and slamming the door.

“Dramatic,” I comment, scrunching my forehead. “I really don’t think Brady would care if I saw Sadie’s dress.”

“It’s not Sadie’s,” slips out and then covers her mouth. “Shit!” She covers her mouth again. “I keep swearing around the baby,” she slumps her shoulders.

“I doubt she understands you. If it’s not Sadie’s, whose—” I stop myself realizing exactly whose dress is in the closet. Then her words ‘Whenever you’re ready, I’m there’ ring in my ears. “She bought a dress?” I ask.

Jessa bites her lip and nods. “Please, don’t say anything. You aren’t supposed to know. She doesn’t want to pressure you into proposing—” she rambles.

“This is fucking fantastic,” I reply, and Jessa gasps, pointing to the baby. “Relax, Jessa, she doesn’t understand what I’m saying.”

Then my whole plan links together, but there are a few arrangements I need to make sure I can swing first. I leave an exhausted Jessa with the promise that we’ll go shopping tomorrow.

TWO WEEKS LATER, we’re on the way to my parents. Kailey sits there, looking at the green hills passing us by while the kids are sleeping in the back. We’re smart enough to plan the times of arrival and departure to their nap times. Chloe’s becoming a little harder to get to fall asleep, but she eventually knocked out while watching some new Disney show on the DVD player.

I grab Kailey’s hand and bring it up to my lips. “I love you,” I say, and she smiles back at me.

“I love you, too.”

The fact that if all goes right, in less than forty-hours she’ll be Mrs. Trey Michaels thrills me more than I ever thought it could. When I think about how once upon a time I didn’t believe in marriage, I shake my head in disbelief. I guess they’re right when they say you can meet the one person who makes you question everything in your life. Kailey’s done that for me, and I hope I’ve done that for her.

“What are you thinking about over there?” she asks, staring over at me.

“How lucky I am,” I remark, and she laughs.

“Oh, always the sweet talker.”

“Only to you,” I profess truthfully.

We pull up to my parents’, and they’re both at the back doors before we can get out. I press the button, and the doors slide open. My mom grabs Drew and my dad picks up Tara while Chloe wakes up and gets herself out, taking my dad’s hand.

“Nice to see you, too,” I call out to the five of them walking into the house.

“Hi, Trey. Hi, Kailey.” They wave to us, opening their front door.

Kailey and I grab the bags, laughing on our way in. “How about we sneak to the tree house tonight?” I whisper in her ear and a flush rises up her neck.

“Do you think your parents would mind?” she questions, and I stare directly at her.

“I think they’d prefer it,” I joke and my eyes lingering on her.

“Well then, I’d love to.” She seductively licks her lips and bites her bottom one, knowing exactly what that does to me.

“Be careful, two can play that game,” I remind her.

“You know I’m always game.” She starts walking faster to the door.

“You do remember that I always catch you,” I call out, and she turns around.

“Catch me now.” She drops her bags and jumps into my arms. My own bags fall to the cement driveway, and my hands grab her ass immediately. “What is it about your parents’ house that has me not being able to keep my hands off you?” she asks right before my mouth smashes against hers. I’m not sure my body will win the fight until we make it to the tree house, because with three kids in the house, it isn’t often she can scream my name when I make her come.

After too short of a kiss, I pull back. “I don’t know, but I might have to move us all here.” I kiss her again, and she sneaks her tongue into my mouth. I’m not about to deny her, so I mingle mine with hers and her hands find the back of my hairline. Since I’ve grown it out a little, she loves tugging at the strands a little now.

Eventually, we make our way into the house and place the bags in the designated rooms. We have dinner with my parents while Kailey’s giving baths, I give my mom the last of the directions in regards to what needs to be prepared for tomorrow.

“Oh, it’s so romantic. I’m so happy for you,” my mom fawns over me, hugging and kissing my cheek.

“Okay, they’re all bathed and ready for their songs and bed time story.” Kailey comes in and notices my moms face. “Elena, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?” She rushes over to her side and places her hand on my mom’s shoulder.

“Nothing, Kailey. Trey was telling me a story about the kids. You know these menopause hormones have my emotions everywhere,” she lies.

“Oh, I’ve heard about that and the hormone replacements—” Kailey begins to chime in.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” I say, walking out of the room.

My dad and I read a few stories, and I sing lullabies. Although Chloe has her own, the others wanted ones of their own too. Tara and Drew prefer the typical twinkle, twinkle little star and traditional lullabies, but I’m working on finding songs that fit them as well.

When I make my way downstairs, I grab the duffle bag my mom packed me, double checking the ring is tucked inside the zipped pocket. Swinging it over my shoulders, I go in search of my girl. She’s talking with my mom when I step into the kitchen. The sight of them laughing and carrying on makes my heart swell that much more for her.

“You ready?” I call out, and Kailey immediately stands up.

“Yep,” she says, smiling widely and then turns to my mom. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asks.

“Not at all. You guys go have fun. We’ll be fine.” She ushers us out. My parents come up to Western all the time, and we come out here pretty often, so the kids are comfortable with them, and since Chloe’s nightmares have been subsiding there shouldn’t be any problems.

“I’ll have my phone—”

“GO!” My mom motions for us to leave.

I enter the garage code and head over to the key box. “Green Monster?” I ask her.

“My favorite.” She hops on the back.

We make the ride to the tree house with Kailey’s body pressed against mine while her fingers roam up my shirt. I may have made it in record time with the eagerness of having her naked in my arms and me being buried inside of her.

We climb the stairs, groping and grabbing each other while sneaking kisses at each landing. Once we get inside, I lay down the blanket, but see someone has been here before me. There are rose petals strewn across the wooden floor with two candle sticks ready to be lit next to a dish containing an assortment of small cakes and strawberries. There’s a sign taped to a switch. It reads ‘Turn on here’, so I flip the switch and hundreds of twinkle lights shine throughout the tree house.

“Trey!” she exclaims while placing her hand over her chest.

“It wasn’t me,” I admit. I didn’t ask anyone to do this, but it’s going to make this that much better!

She rushes over and sits down perusing the different cakes while I fumble around in the bag. “Oh my God, this strawberry one is so good,” she mumbles as cake crumbs fall from her mouth, but she catches them in her hand.

She looks adorable, and I can’t wait anymore. I don’t want to waste our night with the pit of my stomach in knots. I want to know she’s agreed to be mine, so we can lazily lie on this blanket, making love all night while feeding each other cake and strawberries. So, without much thought, I pull the ring out from the box and hold it tight in my hand.

Walking over, I take a seat next to her, and she feeds me part of the strawberry one. “Um … that is good. Did you try the others?” I attempt to distract her. She turns back to the plate and her head bobs back and forth, trying to decide on which one to try next. Using one hand, I turn her face toward me and distract her with a long, hard kiss while I prop the ring in one of the cakes. My heart races with excitement for what I’m about to do.

“Mmmm, you taste delicious. Maybe I should pick the next one.” We both look down at the selection of cakes, but one stands out now.

“How about that one?” I say, and her shaking hand picks up the diamond solitaire settled in white gold. She turns toward me and wetness glosses over her green gems of eyes.

“Kailey, please take me as your husband. I can promise you I’ll never give up trying to give you anything your heart desires. I know I’ll never stop loving you. You said whenever I was ready, I’m ready. What do you say, let’s take the next step in our happily ever after?” I take the ring from her hand and place it at the tip of her left ring finger.

She nods as tears fall down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispers, and I slide the ring onto her finger.

“Thank you for trusting me with your heart,” I say, cupping her cheeks with my hands. I wipe the tears from her eyes with my thumbs, excited to take this next step with her.“Thank you for accepting it,” she stutters and more tears escape.

“I never had a choice. It’s only meant for me, just took me a while to find it.”

“I love you, Trey,” she whispers.

“I love you the very soon-to-be Mrs. Trey Michaels.” I end the talking because I need her now.

We kiss and soon clothes are being taken off. I make love to my soon-to-be wife numerous times, cherishing her body and trying to convey how much it means to me that she’s trusting me with her future.

THE NEXT MORNING, I let Kailey sleep a little while I text instructions to everyone under the sun. I glance at the plate of cakes, noticing all the strawberry ones are gone. Popping a vanilla one in my mouth, my fingers continue to type away. Today has to be a surprise, otherwise this was all for naught.

Kailey stirs, and I shove my phone in my bag, finding my way over to her. Kissing her forehead, I cozy up next her, and she nuzzles into me. “Good morning, beautiful,” I say, and she kisses my cheek.

“Good morning, handsome,” she groggily responds. “I really hope your parents can help us with the kids today because you wore me out last night.” She wraps her arms around me, and the warmth spreads from our naked bodies.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll have some relaxation time today,” I slyly say. “So, I have another question for you,” I say while my fingers gently move up and down her arm.

“No, Chloe cannot get rollerblades,” she jokes, since it’s been the argument around the house for a few weeks now.

Ignoring her, “Will you marry me?” I ask.

“Wasn’t that the question last night? Because if it wasn’t, we definitely need to work on our communication skills,” she comments, inching closer, making me hard again.

“Let me clarify. Will you marry me today?” I ask, and she bolts up.

“Today?”

“Yes,” I say, sitting up to join her.

“What? How?” She starts rambling questions as her head shakes back and forth.

“Details are all taken care of. You just need to meet me there,” I assure her.

“What about my dress?” She shuts her mouth and bites the inside of her cheek.

“You mean the dress you bought a few weeks ago?” I ask, cocking my eyebrow at her.

“How did you—”

“It doesn’t matter, but it’s arriving as we speak.”

“Did you see it?” Her face sulks down into a frown.

“No, I would never spoil the sight of you on your way down the aisle to become my wife.” I place my finger under her chin and lift it up to me. “I love you, Kailey. Become my wife this evening at five-thirty.”

She sits there on her knees, her naked body bare for me to admire. “Yes.” She encases her arms around my shoulders and I pull her down to me. “Wait, we don’t have a marriage license.”

“My parents’ pastor is going to do it, and he’ll sign off on the paperwork once we go to the court house and get the papers.”

“Oh my God, I’m getting married today!” she happily exclaims, and then she looks down at me. “To the most amazing man.” Then her lips brush against mine, but I need a little more than that before I have to share her with others. So, my hands bring her into me more, and she gladly joins me on one last time before we become Mr. and Mrs.

I SIT ON the bed in the guest room alternating between staring down at the ring Trey gave me just five hours ago and my dress that Jessa brought with her. Contemplating how changed my life has become, tears fill my eyes with a happiness I never thought I could have with anyone, let alone Trey.

Chloe opens the door and comes in and sits on the bed. Her hair is all curled in twirls and pinned back with ribbon throughout. “Sadie do your hair, Chloe?” I ask her, and she nods. “It’s beautiful.” She nods again. This is so very unlike Chloe not to be talking, especially when she’s been all dolled up.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

“So, are thinks going to change?” she asks in a low voice.

“Why would they change?”

“You’re marrying Trey. Do you love him more than us?”

“NO!” I screech before calming my voice. “Chloe, just because I love Trey doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

“How do you know you love Trey?” she asks me, sitting up on the bed and crossing her legs.

I touch my hand to her heart. “I feel it here,” I say. “Just like I did when you came home and when Tara and Drew were born.”

“There’s enough room for all of us?”

“Yes, more than enough.”

“Now you and Trey will become a mommy and a daddy?”

“We sort of are already. But eventually maybe we’ll have a baby one day.”

“And your heart will grow more?” she asks.

“Yep, it will just keep growing.”

We’re interrupted by a knock on the door. Sadie peeks her head in. “You ready for hair and make-up?”

“Not just yet. Can you do me a favor and ask Trey to meet me in his room?”

“Is everything—”

“It’s fine, we just need a little family pow-wow beforehand,” I say, nodding my head in Chloe’s direction.

“Gotcha,” she says and shuts the door.

Chloe and I walk down the hallway and sneak into Trey’s room. He runs in a few minutes later, panting and sweaty. He’s still in his jeans and t-shirt.

“What’s going on?” He sits down on the bed on the other side of Chloe.

“Chloe’s a little worried about how large our hearts can grow,” I mention, and he raises his eyebrows my way before turning back to Chloe.

“It can grow as much as you want it to,” Trey says.

“Mommy and Daddy told me I made their heart grow tons,” she remarks, and we smile. “Now their hearts are with the angels.”

“Maybe. Do you still love them in your heart?” I ask, and she nods.

“So, if Trey is my bidadodgical daddy and you’re my aunt, but kind of like my mommy and you’re going to be married—”

“Chloe, what is wrong, baby?” Trey pats her knee. “You know you can tell us anything.”

She looks up at Trey. “Does your heart love me?”

“Oh, sweet girl, you were the one that taught my heart to love.” He takes her hand and my heart sores with how at peace they’ve become with their new relationship.

“There’s enough room for all of us? Tara and Drew, too?”

Trey chuckles and then straightens his face. “Yes, I love all of you. We’re a family.”

“But families have mommies and daddies. Timmy has two mommies and daddies. Veronica only has a mommy. Ricky has two daddies and a mommy. My mommy and daddy are in heaven. You and Aunt Kailey will have a baby like Aunt Jessa and you’ll be its mommy and daddy—”

“Chloe, we’re all a family. You may not call us Mommy and Daddy, but we are. We take care of you, Tara, and Drew like a mommy and daddy would. Me marrying Trey just makes it official.” I try to make her understand.

“Official?” She looks up at me, complete confusion all of her face.

Trying to think of how to put this in terms a five-year-old can understand, I say, “When two people who weren’t family before want to be a family together they get married.

“Really?” she says excitedly.

“Yes,” Trey confirms.

“Only two people?” she questions.

“Well, some families are different. It depends on who’s in the family.” I’m really trying to think on the spot here.