Page 90 of Grumpy

The invitations had all come with small, single bullet Nerf guns “to be used at the reception”. Frankly, knowing the soon-to-be newlyweds, Kelly wasn’t all that surprised.

Grumpy held Remi upside down by a single ankle as Remi giggled, wiggled, and shrieked with joy. Her tie dyed rainbow dress was still in his other hand. “Does she come with a return policy? I’d like to file a complaint with the manufacturer.”

Right on cue, the front door opened. Though Maddie had moved out over two years ago, she never knocked. Unlike several of the club brothers’ homes that required a twenty minute notice before daring to step onto their porch without getting scarred for life, Grumpy and Kelly had a twenty-four-seven open-door policy. Since Bubbe Ruth also lived with them, there was never a fear of anything explicit happening out in the main living areas. Kelly might not be a prude, but she also wasn’t as comfortable being open about her sex life as many of the other ol’ ladies were.

Maddie looked stunning in her forest green dress as she entered the house, her round belly leading the way. She was smiling until her eyes dropped on the sight of her father holding her daughter upside down in the entrance of the living room. Now at twenty-eight, married, and a paralegal at her Aunt Toni’s law firm in town, she’d truly grown into herself, and the club couldn’t have been more proud of her if they tried.

“You don’t have her dressed yet?” Maddie asked, aghast.

“Excuse me,” Grumpy snapped back. “I warned you about feeding this one catnip before bringing her over. It makes her run wild!”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “I don’t even want to know what she would be like hyped up on catnip.” In her eighth month, Maddie waddled more than walked. She was extremely grateful that she was only housing one baby this time. Grumpy leaned down as Maddie raised herself up to kiss his cheek. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hi, baby. You look beautiful.”

Maddie’s hair was in an intricate updo with rainbow butterfly clips. “Thank you. I see Kelly still has to do yours.” Spotting Kelly on the couch with Declan, she waved over to them. Kelly used Declan’s hand to wave back.

Declan, seeing his mom, gently worked himself off Kelly’s lap in a move that was much too controlled for a five year old, but was so totally Declan that it was beyond adorable. He straightened his tux and then made his way over to his mom. For a time, he’d bowed before hugging her, but that stopped when Remi tried to jump on his back each time. She loved wrestling, and as much as the adults thought some sibling rivalry was healthy, she did sometimes take picking on her brother a little too far. They were working on that with them, both getting Remi to dial it down as well as teaching Declan how to give a little back.

“Aren’t you the most handsome-est man I’ve ever seen?” Maddie cooed. She struggled to bend over, but somehow managed it. “Do you want to head outside? Your daddy’s just moving the car seats to make extra room.”

Kelly stood off the couch as Declan nodded, excited—though a stranger would never know by his walk, rather than run, out the door.

“Grumpy, put her down,” Kelly instructed. “Her face is turning bright red.”

“If I let her down, she’ll escape again,” Grumpy grouched, but he still turned Remi right-side up. Like she was part monkey, she hung from the wrist he held and swung in the air.

Maddie let out a long sigh. “I swear she’s human. At least I hope so,” she added with a not-so-sure expression as Remi turned her body mid-air to aim her butt at Grumpy and farted. The only sound louder in the room was her giggles.

* * *

As the two grooms said their vows, Kelly was reminded of her own vows to Grumpy. The ones they said before witnesses on a cool spring afternoon were special to her, but the one that mattered most to her was that day in the hospital room with a very confused Rabbi in front of her mom and Grumpy’s daughter. The club filled every available space in the small two-bed room, and the ol’ ladies who were available watched over their phone cameras back home in Mount Grove.

“Grumpy. I feel like I have been rehearsing this moment in my head for a decade. Mind you, when I dreamed of this moment, you were not lying in a hospital bed while your club brothers stand crying behind me.” Light chuckles filled the room behind her. “But then again, we never agreed to be conventional. I fell in love with you over a diner table, and while I would never wish for less time with you, I can’t regret how we started because it led us to this moment.

“You took care of me for a decade without me knowing. You fixed my roof, salted my driveway, and kept my Yugo running long after it should have died a slow and painful death. And the only thing you’ve ever asked of me in return was to accept your daughter into my life—which, if I am being honest, isn’t even a fair ask because I would have loved her anyway.

“You’re on me constantly about not seeing myself correctly, but in this case, I think you are the one who needs to take a better look in the mirror. Loving you isn’t a concession or a hardship. Taking care of you isn’t a burden or a weight on my shoulders. You are the most selfless man I know, and I feel honored, cherished, and loved beyond measure that you chose me to share your life with.

“I love you, Grumpy, and while I know we have a long road of recovery ahead of us, I know the journey is going to be worth it because we’ll be together.”