That night went even better than I hoped it would. It definitely didn’t have the same feeling as the outdoor get-togethers at Quentin’s house, but it was nice all being together at our childhood home. Ever since Quentin started inviting us to his house, we didn’t really gather at our parents’ house except for on the holidays. I was glad to have the opportunity to bring Kelly here to spend time with all of them without the added pressure of a holiday. That would all come soon enough, and she would get to see what it was like to celebrate the season with the chaos that was my family. I honestly couldn’t wait.
But I didn’t think about that too much. For that night I just wanted to be able to enjoy the moment and relish in watching my family grow and knit tighter together right in front of me. Something clicked in Mom, and the coldness disappeared. I was equally relieved for Kelly and for the fact that it meant I didn’t need to have a sit-down with her. The openness allowed Kelly to talk about Willa and her family without having to be uncomfortable about drifting into any sensitive topics. Everything was out now, and we could talk it through.
She happily filled my parents in on Willa’s infanthood all the way up to her most recent pediatrician checkup, and Mom interjected throughout with facts about me and how we lined up.
“Is your sister coming back soon?” Merry asked. “I didn’t get a chance to meet her.”
“None of us did,” Mom pointed out. “We’d love to.”
Kelly smiled, her cheeks going slightly pink.
“She’s hoping to come back soon. She loves it here, too, so I have a feeling it won’t be long until she makes the leap,” she told them.
“I also want you to meet Pam,” I said. Kelly looked over at me and smiled, then took my hand, giving it an appreciative squeeze. “She’s Kelly’s next-door neighbor who takes care of Willa during the day. Kind of a third grandma.”
It was important for me to get that out there so Mom knew about her. I knew there might be a little bit of jealousy, but she would get over it quickly. Mom was still up at the office most days of the week, so it wasn’t like she’d be able to take care of Willa every day anyway. We would make sure she would get plenty of opportunity to spend time with her grandbaby on the weekends, and that would make everything better.
Wrapping my arm around Kelly, I kissed her head and took a moment just to breathe her in. I couldn’t believe this was my life. I might have stumbled into it, but it was better than anything I could have planned, and I couldn’t wait to see what was next.
Epilogue Darren - A few weeks later
More than a few people I talked to about it told me I should wait. If one of them had told me they were in the same situation and making this decision, I would have told them to wait, but that wasn’t going to happen. I felt like I’d already waited far more than enough, and I wasn’t going to wait around anymore. Just a few weeks after the dinner at my parents’ house, it was moving day. Kelly and Willa were leaving their little duplex apartment and coming to live with me in my house. There was more than enough room for them, and I wanted us to be together all the time rather than bouncing back and forth.
In a couple of weeks, our property was going to gain even more fun and laughter as well. Before I even asked Kelly to move in with me, I started the process of renovating a two-story, three-car garage that sat in my backyard into an apartment for Pam. She was officially now Grandma Pam to Willa and the rest of us, and there was no way we were going to leave her behind. I had been a little nervous to tell my mother about the move, but she took it extremely well. Not only was she not upset or jealous about it, but she offered to help decorate when it was finished so it would be ready to welcome the woman who had made so much a difference in Kelly and Willa’s lives.
This was exactly what I wanted, and there was nothing that was going to stop me. Kelly and I had finally had the talk we needed to and realized we were more than on the same page when it came to our hopes for our future together. No matter what anybody told us or who thought we might be moving too fast, we were both completely sure of each other and knew this was what we wanted. We’d already lost too much time, and we weren’t willing to give up any more of it.
But I wasn’t ready yet to say everything was perfect or that I had everything I wanted. There was one more thing I needed, and that was going to happen soon. I’d already started looking for the perfect ring for Kelly. I knew she couldn’t wear one on her hand while she was working. It was too dangerous and could cause serious injury if she caught it on one of the machines. But I
