Page 159 of Gathering Storms
The girls get up and take turns hugging my wife. As I stare at my family, I’ve never been prouder of them. I’m so grateful for how they’ve welcomed Rory.
It’s a beautiful sixty degrees outside, so that evening, we sit around the fire pit as our girls roast marshmallows. I reach over to pat Isaiah on the back. “When ya gonna get yourself a wife? You’re the last one standing.”
He stares into the fire, his eyes somber. “That ship has sailed. I’m never gonna find anyone like Liberty.”
Jesus, is he still hung up on his high school sweetheart? ’Cause she’s engaged to someone else. Liberty runs an animal shelter on the other side of town. I’m guessing Isaiah hasn’t seen her since he came home. “Bro, there are lots of great women out there.”
“She’s it for me.”
When I stare at Rory, I understand what he means. But Zey doesn’t need me getting mushy on him, and since there aren’tany kids within earshot, I go for funny. “Maybe you should get a cat since you don’t want the other kind of pussy.”
He snorts, reaches over, and punches me with a laugh. “Shut up, asshole.”
There he is.
When Rory walks over with a s’more, I pull her into my lap and whisper in her ear. “I’m still gonna get you that bookstore.”
She feeds me a bite of her sweet treat and smiles. “We’re busy enough now, don’t you think?”
“But it’s your dream,” I say.
She kisses me. “You’re my dream. This family is my dream. Being a mom to Layla is my dream. We can do a bookstore down the road when you’re done touring.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jace, you’re building me a house. That’s plenty.”
“When you’re ready to pull the trigger, I was thinking maybe you might want to start out with a mobile bookstore so you could take it to the park on Saturday for story hour with the kids. We could renovate a food truck so you could serve coffee and treats if you wanted.”
Her arms wrap around my neck, and she smiles. “That sounds amazing, but for now, building our cabin, planning our wedding, taking care of Layla, and prepping for your summer tour will keep us busy.” Her expression turns thoughtful, and she tilts her head. “Could we check out more bookstores while we’re on tour? To get a sense of what kind of shop I’d like someday? That would be fun and something I’d enjoy in the short term.”
“Done.” I’m getting her that bookstore. Maybe not this year or next, but it’s happening when she’s ready. If it’s Rory’s dream, it’s mine too.
Closing my eyes, I lean back and breathe in the night air. I love performing and am so grateful for my career, but having afamily of my own has completed me in a way I never knew I needed.
And I can’t wait to marry my wife again.
