use a hand with the two she’s got.”
Understanding suddenly slammed into Larry.
Crystal needed him here and now. She was living her real life, not some fantasy he’d conjured up for her. He loved her. He had to support her, make her happy and help her with whatever burdens life threw her way.
What he should do and what he wanted to do, were exactly the same thing. For a genius, he sure was slow on the uptake sometimes.
“About what?” asked Kent.
“About Crystal,” said Steve.
“No kidding,” said Larry.
“You need to make up with her. You need to…marry her and help her with those kids. If you don’t march over there right now and offer to share her life, you’re not the father I thought you were.”
“You want me to propose to her?”
“Yes!” came a chorus from those assembled.
“In the infield?” Larry was up for the proposal part, but he didn’t think it needed to happen in the next five minutes. Or maybe it did. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait.
“She’s over by the play area,” Steve offered, his breathing back to normal.
Larry hesitated.
But then Juliana came forward, pressing something into the palm of his hand.
He looked down to see her gold, solitaire engagement ring.
“No,” he protested, vehemently shaking his head.
But she closed his hand around the ring. “What, are they going to bury me with it?”
“Nobody’s burying you anytime soon,” said Larry.
Juliana just smiled, with perfect contentment. “I’ll keep the wedding band. But there’s something about this young woman that reminds me of me.” She winked at Larry, while Milo pulled her back into his lap.
“Do as my young wife tells you,” groused Milo.
Larry tightened his hand around the ring, butterflies forming in his stomach. What if she wasn’t ready to forgive him? What if she said no? Worse, what if she’d decided he was right and she should hold out for somebody younger?
He hesitated, but Steve pointed him in the direction of the play area and gave him a gentle shove.
STILL WATCHING THE KIDS PLAY, Crystal caught another figure in her peripheral vision.
Larry, this time.
She steeled her emotions for his arrival, something she’d practiced a lot, but pretty much sucked at.
Her heart rate increased as he sat down on the bench beside her.
“How’re they doing?” he asked, with a nod toward the children.
As always, his deep voice sent a shiver down her spine.
“Better,” she told him.
He stretched his arm along the length of the back, brushing against her hair, nearly making her jump out of her skin.
“I never meant to make things hard for you,” he said.
She nodded. “I know. It was nice of you to invite the kids. I think it’s been good for them.”
“Crystal?”
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
She gathered her defenses and turned her head.
His eyes were clear and honest in the sunlight. “That’s not what I meant.”
She waited.
“Tell me something,” he said.
“What?”
“If it was up to you, where would our relationship go?”
Her stomach hollowed out. What was his game?
“Seriously,” he prompted.
“Don’t do this,” she hissed.
His eyes darkened further, and he inched a little closer. “I need to know,” he intoned.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” she said.
“And that means?”
“That means-” she glared at him defiantly “-if it was up to me, if nobody else got a vote, you, me, Jennifer and David would live happily ever after.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d say that.”
“Why?” she spat out, seriously considering getting up to leave.
“Because, I love you.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Fat lot of good that’s ever done me.”
“And,” Larry drew a deep breath, apparently choosing to ignore her mood. “I want you to marry me.”
She opened her mouth to retaliate, but then the words registered, and her jaw dropped.
He opened his hand, and she saw a small ring nestled in his palm.
Her eyes flew to his, her mouth forming into an O.
“Marry me, Crystal. I love you, and I don’t care what anyone thinks or says. If you’ll take me without babies, I’m yours for the rest of my life.”
“Auntie Crystal,” David called in a happy voice, and she could see the two children running toward her.
“What do you say?” asked Larry.
Her heart sang, and tears of joy formed in her eyes. “I say yes. I say you’re stuck with me. And I say we’ve already got two beautiful children.”
“Auntie Crystal?” David repeated, and she turned to look at him.
He took in her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” said Larry. “I just asked Auntie Crystal to marry me.” He paused. “And she said yes.”
“You’re getting married?” asked Jennifer, coming to a halt, her expression wary.
Larry nodded, but Crystal paused, watching the girl closely.
“So,” said David, his lips pursing as he moved toward Larry. His little chest expanded with a slow breath. “It’ll be like you’re my dad, but with a plane?”
“Yes,” said Larry soberly. “It’ll be exactly like that.”
David whooped and threw himself into Larry’s arms.
Larry’s eyes closed, and he held David’s little body tight against his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around him.
Jennifer had stayed silent, and Crystal glanced her way again.
The young girl’s shoulders were shaking.
“Sweetheart,” Crystal asked, leaning toward her, frightened.
Jennifer stared at David in Larry’s arms. Relief flooded her expression, and she choked on a sob.
Suddenly Crystal got it.
Jennifer had been holding it together for her little brother. She’d been protecting him for so long, she didn’t know how to stop. She couldn’t grieve herself, because she didn’t know if David was going to need her.
Crystal pulled the shaking girl into her arms, holding her tight while Jennifer buried her face in Crystal’s neck.
“Larry’s going to be there for David,” she whispered. “And I’m going to be there. And Grandma and Grandpa, and Larry’s entire family. We’re all going to make sure David’s okay.”
Jennifer nodded against her shoulder, the tears and sobs flowing freely.
For long minutes, Crystal simply held her.
Larry’s and David’s voices were low murmurs next to them on the bench.
Finally, the girl’s grief seemed to ebb.
