Page 126 of Off Limits Daddies
"What did you tell them?" I ask.
"That you're all very special friends." She wraps her arms around herself. "But Blake's right. They deserve better than vague explanations."
"So we tell them," Blake says firmly. "Not today, but soon. We sit them all down and explain that families come in different shapes. That love doesn't have to follow traditional rules."
"And if they don't understand?" Mia's voice is small, worried.
"Then we help them understand," Jack says. "We answer their questions honestly and show them through our actions that this family works."
The burgers are ready and we call the kids over. They descend like a swarm of locusts, grabbing food and settling onto the patio furniture. Lily climbs onto Blake's lap without asking, her small body fitting perfectly against his muscular chest. Maya sits beside me, chattering about the game she invented. Rory and Corey flank Mia, their hazel eyes so like Jack's that it's impossible not to see the resemblance.
As the sun sets and the temperature drops further, we bundle the kids inside for a movie. They pile onto Blake's sectionalcouch, a tangle of limbs and laughter. Lily falls asleep against Blake's shoulder. Sophie's thumb finds her mouth as she drifts off. Even Maya, who always tries to stay awake the longest, eventually succumbs to exhaustion.
The four of us stand in the kitchen, watching them through the doorway.
"This is good," Mia whispers. "This is really good."
"Yeah," Blake agrees, his arm sliding around her waist. "It really is."
53
EPILOGUE: MIA
The backyard glows golden in the late afternoon sun, and I stand near the fence watching everything unfold like a dream I'm afraid to wake from. A little over a year ago, my world imploded and rebuilt itself into something I never could have imagined. Now, on this 4th of July, surrounded by everyone I love, I finally understand what home feels like.
"Grandpa, watch this!" Rory winds up his arm, his face scrunched in concentration.
"Show me what you've got, kiddo!" Robert calls from his lawn chair, looking healthier than the doctors predicted. His color is good, his eyes bright. The chemo worked. The surgery worked. He's here, and that's all that matters. And while he's not yet in remission, there is some hope.
Corey jumps up and down beside his brother. "My turn next! I can throw it farther!"
"Competition makes champions, boys," Blake says, jogging over with that easy athletic grace that still makes my stomach flip. His t-shirt stretches across his broad chest, and I catch myselfstaring at the way his muscles move beneath the fabric. "But accuracy beats distance every time. Let me show you the proper form."
He demonstrates the throw, his body a study in controlled power, and I'm definitely not thinking about how those strong hands felt on my hips last night. Definitely not.
"You're drooling," Jack murmurs in my ear, his arm sliding around my waist. His breath tickles my neck, sending shivers down my spine despite the summer heat.
"Am not."
"Are too." His fingers trace small circles on my hip bone.
I elbow him gently. "You're terrible."
"You love it."
I do. God help me, I really do.
Across the yard, Linda fusses over the food table, rearranging platters with the precision of a military general. Lily stands beside her, carefully placing desserts in some order only they understand.
"The brownies should go next to the cookies, not the pie," Lily announces with absolute authority.
"You're absolutely right, sweetheart," Linda agrees, moving the plate. "What would I do without you?"
Lily beams, and I catch Linda's eye across the yard. She smiles at me, that warm maternal smile that says everything is forgiven, everything is okay.
"Firefly!" Maya shrieks, chasing after a blinking light with Sophie and Ethan hot on her heels.
Noah follows at a more sedate pace, his historian's mind probably cataloging the scientific name for fireflies and their mating patterns. "Stay where I can see you," he calls. "And remember, we observe, we don't catch."
