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Vivian: Be there in 20 minutes, packing overnight bags now.
Me: Drive careful, but hurry. U should never leave my house, my love, and then I would never have to wait.
Vivian: Lol. Good luck with that, my dear sir. I have to come up for air at some point. See you soon!
Brook: Not soon enough, Clover.
Vivian: ☺
I lay my phone on my dresser and call out to Grace. She has been in her room, doing the typical magical princess girl-shit that I pretend to not enjoy. If anyone ever caught me wearing the tiara and feather boa that she demands that I wear during our tea parties, I would never live it down. Lakin already thinks that I’ve become pussified since I started dating Vivian; I couldn’t imagine the ration of shit that he would heap upon me for playing dress-up as well.
Decked out head-to-toe in Cinderella garb stands my three-foot-tall raven-haired beauty queen. Tapping her foot, she makes it obvious that I’ve interrupted something vitally important in the kingdom of Grace. I attempt to hide my amusement, which only serves to agitate my princess.
“What’s so fu
I grab her and tickle her sides until her attitude melts into fits of laughter. “Really, is that right?” I say, continuing my attack.
She screams in between giggles, and I finally release her. Grace immediately straightens her gown, and I pick up the tiara that fell to the ground and place it on her head in a very majestic ma
“There, perfect, Princess Grace,” I add with an extra bow.
“You’re so silly, Daddy. What’s up? I really need to go help Barbie.”
I sit down on my bed and pull her onto my lap. “I needed to talk to you about something important before everybody gets here. Besides, I’m sure Barbie can fend for herself. I saw her moves in Toy Story, and she can kick some butt.”
That earns me a heart-melting grin that throws my train of thought off for a second. I’m nervous about her reaction. I need her approval, just as much as I need Blake and Emma’s for my plan to move forward. This little girl is my absolute world. With all of the women that I have used as fillers, Grace has been my constant, and soon I will turn her world upside-down by almost tripling the size of our little family.
“Lovebug, how would you feel if Vivian, Blake, and Emma lived here with us?”
“Like our sleepovers?” she asks as she begins to twist my tie around her tiny fingers.
“Well, kind of, but instead of it being sometimes, they would be here all the time. Emma and Blake would be your new brother and sister.”
Grace drops my tie and looks up at me, her eyes huge and tears building in them. “You mean, Vivian would be my mommy?”
“Would that be okay with you?”
“I’ve never had a mommy; I would love for Vivian to be my mommy,” she says excitedly, but then her enthusiasm dwindles, and she begins to fiddle with my tie again.
I nudge her chin upward. “What’s the matter, baby?”
“It’s just, my own mommy didn’t stay; do you think Vivian would really want me?” I see the quiver in her lip, and I realize just how much I’ve fallen short. No matter how hard I’ve tried, nothing can replace a mother, and my little girl has felt the consequences of those actions. It tears at my heart, and I want more than anything to make this right for her.
“Oh, Lovebug, the woman that had you is not a real mommy.” I kiss her forehead and begin to stroke her silky hair as I try to ease her heartache. “Mommies do the things that Vivian does for Emma and Blake; they take care of their babies. The woman that had you isn’t your mommy, sweetheart. She is the woman who agreed to give me the best gift I’ve ever received. You. But I promise, Grace, Vivian would love to be your mommy, because she wants to take care of you forever.”
“You promise?” she asks; her voice is hopeful once more.
“Yes, baby. Vivian adores you, and she would love to be your mommy. But I don’t want to ask them to be a part of our family unless you want them to be. It has to be okay with you.”
“Are you go
“Yes, I bought her a ring.” I pull it out of my jacket pocket and crack open the box; the light reflects off the stone, causing glimmers of white sparkles to bounce around the room. Grace inhales sharply and her eyes widen at the sight.
“It’s so sparkly!” she squeals. “She is go
“I hope so,” I say as she runs her pointer finger across the solitaire and down the band, examining each stone.
“Oh yes, she will; it’s so pretty. Will you buy me one, Daddy? My birthday is coming up, or maybe Santa could bring me one.”
“No, honey, these rings are special. When you are old, like forty, you will fall in love with a boy, and if I like him, I’ll let him buy you a ring like this.”
Grace backs away scowling, her nose scrunches in disgust. “No way, boys are gross!” she insists. “They fart all the time and play with bugs. One boy in my class picks his nose and eats it. No, Daddy, I don’t want to fall in love and get a ring from a boy.”
I stand and pat her on the head, thankful for her epiphany about the opposite sex. “Just keep thinking boys are nasty and we will be just fine, kiddo.” I laugh as I snap the box shut and place it back in its protective spot. “Come on, munchkin, they will be here soon; let’s get everything ready. And not a word about our conversation; this is supposed to be a special surprise. You can’t tell Blake or Emma, not even Katie, and especially not Vivian. Can you do that?”
“I pinky promise,” she says as she holds out her petite pinky for me to seal the oath.
“Okay, pinky promise. Now let’s get downstairs.”
Vivian
The second we pile through his front door, I can tell that something is off about Brooks. He seems nervous and jittery, he’s fumbling with his words, and he’s constantly rubbing his hands on his pants. I’ve asked him several times if he was feeling sick, but he reassures me that he is fine. I would push him more if it wasn’t for Grace, who has been glued to my side since our arrival. If she isn’t upset, then I figure that whatever is bothering Brooks must not be that big of an issue.
I never imagined when I saw Brooks again that he would have a child, nor did I ever think that I could be someone’s stepmother, but Grace is truly something special. She is sweet and fu
I can hear the three of them playing outside from the kitchen where I’m working on di
I turn around to see Brooks cross the kitchen, his usual confident demeanor slightly back into place; his illness or anxiety or whatever he had going on seems to be lessening. “Well hello, handsome, you look like you’re feeling better.”