Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
“What do you have there, pal?” I ask, grinning as he opens his chubby little fist to reveal a stone.
“It’s a rock!” he says proudly. “But it’s shiny.”
I take the rock from him and examine it like I’m Indiana Jones. “Are you sure it’s a rock and not a meteorite!?”
His eyes go huge, and he does a little jump. “Like from space!?”
“That’s right.” I smile, ruffling his hair. “Only the bravest of boys collect meteorites.”
His smile lights up the garage as I hand him back his rock. He’s such a pure and sweet soul. I see so much of his mother in him.
“Benji!” a softer voice calls from the house. My daughter, Kate, appears at the door. She’s barely two and a half and is pure sunshine. She’s got Grace’s hair, but she has my eyes. I’m already worried about just how cute she’s going to be when she grows up and how many boys I’m going to have to fend off. She’s holding a plastic tiara in one hand and dragging her stuffed bunny in the other.
I have to pause to take in the moment.
This is it. This is the beauty of my life.
“Do you want to play marbles?” Kate asks Benji, but I go over to them and lift them both into my arms.
“Listen, you two. Why don’t we wash up? Your momma’s probably got lunch ready by now.”
They both cheer as I carry them toward the cottage. It looks better than ever now. Grace’s father didn’t make good on this threat to sell it. Instead, he kept it and allowed me to buy it off him. I guess once he realized I wasn’t going anywhere, and Grace wasn’t leaving me, he chilled out.
He still keeps his distance. He definitely doesn’t like the fact that Grace chose a “simple” life over whatever life he had planned for her, but he’s no longer toxic. He’s civil, and for right now, that’s enough.
I still run the garage with Nick and Craig, and we even hired another guy, Dave, to help with all the new work we’re getting. He does custom bodywork, which really started to bring in new customers and a lot more cash. Business is booming. So is our family.
Grace insisted we keep the cottage’s original charm, but I went ahead and upgraded the old plumbing, fixed some of the old windows, and Nick and Craig helped me build on a sunroom off the backside that she has filled with plants and flowers and a vintage white couch where she reads to the kids at night. Never in my life did I think I’d end up the guy with the quaint house, the great wife, and the two kids, but that’s me. Hell, we’ve even got a tire swing hanging from the maple tree in the back yard.
Four years ago, when Grace and I got married, I knew I was the luckiest man alive. What I didn’t know was just how much better our lives could get.
When we step inside, the kitchen smells like Grace’s special grilled cheese–with sour dough bread and basil–and tomato soup. She’s standing at the stove in one of my old T-shirts and a pair of shorts that show off her absolutely perfect legs. She has her hair up in a messy bun and has tomato sauce on her cheek.
She turns as I lean in and lick it off. “There you are!” She beams, kissing me as the kids giggle. “Lunch is basically all ready. Kids, make sure you wash your hands before sitting down!”
“Okay!” they reply in unison.
She laughs and turns back to the stove. I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her on the back of the neck.
“Mmmm,” she hums. “Grease, oil, and…sawdust? My favorite designer cologne.”
“Hey, you know me,” I chuckle. “You forgot the overpowering scent of testosterone.”
The kids have their backs turned, so I take the opportunity to pinch her on the ass, causing her to jump. “Hey!” she whispers. “Your children are around!”
“They didn’t see anything,” I whisper back. “And don’t pretend like you don’t love it.”
She checks behind me to make sure the kids are out of range and nods, a naughty gleam in her eye. “You know I do.”
After everyone’s washed up, we have family lunch at the table. Benji tells Mom about his meteor, and Kate and Grace come up with a back story for her little stuffed rabbit and come to the conclusion that she was probably a princess in a fantasy land before coming to live with Kate.
I steal glances at my wife, and she sends me back little secret smiles like we’re still dating and about to sneak off behind our parents’ backs.
After lunch, Grace puts the kids down for their naps while I clean up. Once I’m finished, I go into the living room and find her standing there, her arms crossed below her breasts, one hip cocked out to the side, with an expression on her face that makes my blood go warm instantly.