But my love for Clara has always been part of me. As natural as my heartbeat.
Destined.
Our past shows us some things in life are out of our control, but our hearts know the truth. One beat at a time, our hearts fight for us.
As Clara continues kissing me, drawing me in for more, our hearts are finally where they’re meant to be.
Together.
Forty-One
Clara
“Will Dad be here?”
I take a deep breath. “I hope so, honey, but remember what we talked about. Even if he can’t always make it, he loves you so much. You’re his number-one Architect, right?”
He nods, his lips twisting upward with pride.
It makes me smile.
“There he is.” Jacob’s face lights up, and he waves to someone behind me.
Dax immediately sees us and walks over. “Hey, big guy.” He gives him a high five. “Ready to take down the Lions?” he asks, referring to the opposing team.
“Yeah.” Jacob flexes his biceps, overly exaggerating the muscles there, and Dax goes along with it.
“That’s what I’m talking about. Crush them,” Dax whispers, then pats him on the shoulder.
The coach calls the team over, and it’s our cue to find our seats.
“Hey, beautiful.” He kisses my lips, and I inhale, loving that I’m wrapped up in Dax. He pulls back, a lazy smile on his face and his hands up in surrender. “We better watch it. I know you can’t keep your hands off me, but we’re at a basketball game for elementary kids.” He tsks at me, and I playfully smack his chest.
He grabs my hand, leading us to the concession stand. “Two hot dogs, please.”
After he pays and we grab our food, we settle into empty spots in the bleachers. He carefully eats his hot dog since he’s not in a hurry. He doesn’t have to scarf it down like he sometimes does when he’s working.
It makes me feel lighter, like we have all the time in the world. Swaying in place, I take a big bite of mine as well.
He groans and whispers a curse under his breath.
I glare at him with wide eyes, swallowing my bite of hot dog.
“I should not have gotten you a hot dog.” He leans in to whisper, “Too damn sexy.”
My blush is immediate.
I’d wonder what’s gotten into him, but it’s just Dax. The carefree Dax I’ve always known, but now on a deeper level. He’s happy and so am I.
We’re happy together.
Jacob is beside himself. On Christmas, we opened presents together. Jacob couldn’t wait to give Dax his comic book. When Dax saw it, he was speechless. They embraced in such a way I thought my face would crack from how hard I was smiling.
That night, as we cleaned up all the torn wrapping paper, Jacob even asked us if he could start calling Dax, “Dad.”
I’ve rarely seen Dax cry, but Jacob’s request sent him into a proud and loving emotional cry right after. He told Jacob it was the best Christmas present he could ask for, and it would be an honor to step into that role. Dax also made it a point to say Mitch would always be his dad too. It was such a thoughtful and respectful answer.
The way he loves and includes Jacob makes me love Dax even more.
People clap at tip-off like this is an NBA championship game, and even though I’m not normally into sports myself, Jacob is changing that. He makes me want to learn everything about basketball simply because he enjoys the game.
For him, I’d do anything.
Dax turns his attention to the court, furrowing his eyebrows. He seems to be studying the court like I imagine he studies medical texts.
I open my mouth to say something else but focus on everything around me, instead.
On the court in front of me.
On Dax’s knee close to mine.
His cologne and warmth.
How right it feels to have him here to watch Jacob’s game with me.
Dax high-fives me when Jacob has the ball and hollers when Jacob shoots and scores.
My smile is so wide, it makes my face sore.
Dax couldn’t be prouder too.
The cheers from us and other parents echo in this gymnasium, the sounds bouncing off the walls like the basketball being dribbled down the court.
Toward the end of the game, the score is close, and the cheers grow. Jacob dribbles toward the basket when another kid tries to take the ball from him. He pivots and passes to his teammate, who dribbles in and takes a shot.
The ball circles the rim, while we all wait with our mouths open.
“It’s in!” we yell in unison just as the buzzer sounds to end the game.
Dax pulls me in for a hug and kisses the top of my head. I grab him and kiss him hard on the mouth while people around us continue clapping and cheering for the kids who played an intense game.
I pull back. “It means a lot that you’re here.” I lower my voice. “You’ll find out just how much I appreciate it later.”
Dax’s eyes dance with amusement and mischief.
People start shuffling and bumping into us to get down to the team.
“Mom, Dad, did you guys see?” Jacob runs up to us, his face red. He’s still panting from the game.
“Honey, it was awesome. You did great.” I pull him in and squeeze him.
“Did you see my assist?” he asks Dax. “I did it just like you showed me.”
“You did better than what I showed you.” He fist-bumps him.
Jacob puffs his chest out, and a few of his teammates come up to him.
Dax puts his arm around me, and I sigh into him as we both watch Jacob replaying some of the game’s highlights with his friends. Jacob’s whole expression lights up this dusty gymnasium, which looks the same as when I went to school here over twenty years ago.
Once the group disperses, Jacob bounces back to us, and I help him
