“You know I will be. Now, are you ready to go over there?”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head and looking back out the window at the young man.
He’s handsome, with dark hair, golden skin, and a long, lean frame that makes me think of his dad. I watch him as he takes a drink of coffee before setting it on the table, lifting his wrist to look at his watch.
“He’s waiting for you, baby.”
“I’m so scared,” I say quietly, sitting back in my seat. My stomach in knots from the anxiety.
“My warrior is never afraid of anything, and if she is, she knows I will be there to fight along with her.”
I look into his golden eyes, the same eyes I fell in love with all those years ago, and smile, feeling tears fill my eyes. I have no idea how I got so lucky. I lean forward, this time putting my hand behind his neck and pulling his face forward so I can reach his mouth.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.
“Anything for you.”
I smile and open the door to the truck, hopping out before he can make it around to my side.
“What did I tell you about waiting for me?” he grumbles, grabbing my hand.
I shake my head but don’t reply; we would be arguing for the next hour if I did. We walk across the street, and the second we hit the sidewalk, Dane’s head lifts, his eyes lock on mine, and I see for the first time that his eyes are blue.
“Autumn.” He says my name, and tears pool in my eyes.
I nod and squeeze Kenton’s hand so hard that I’m surprised it doesn’t break.
“Kenton.” Dane’s says, sticks out his hand, and gives it a shake before pulling back. “Can I get a hug?” he asks me, and I feel my body shake but nod anyways.
His arms come around me and I realize how big he is. I would guess his height to be around six two; it’s hard to think that he was once growing inside me. Our kids now are still so small being just ten and seven. I start to cry harder and feel myself being transferred from him to Kenton, and as soon as I smell my husband’s familiar scent, my anxiety starts to ease and the tears start to lessen. I pull my face out of Kenton’s chest and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.
“Sorry,” I whisper, shaking my head.
“It’s okay.” He smiles, rubbing my shoulder.
Tears sting my nose again as I wonder what his parents must be like to have raised such an amazing man.
“Let’s sit down.” Kenton says and I feel his hand on my lower back as he leads me to a chair.
“Tell me about you,” I say as soon as we’re seated.
“Well, I’m in law school and work part time at a firm. I play soccer and run track. Really, I’m kind of boring.” He shrugs.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask.
He laughs, running his hand along his jaw. I can’t imagine girls his age not falling at his feet.
“What?” I ask when he doesn’t reply.
Kenton says, “Babe.”
“You sound like my mom,” he tells me. Then he looks like he thinks he shouldn’t have said that.
“Tell me about your parents,” I say softly. I hate that I couldn’t raise him, but I hope that the people who adopted him really wanted a child and loved him fiercely.
“Mom’s a schoolteacher and Dad’s a fireman. They met when my mom’s house caught fire and my dad rescued her. They were married not long after they met and started trying to have kids soon after, but it never happened for them, so they gave up and decided to adopt.” He shrugs, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Funny thing is, about a week after they brought me home, they found out my mom was pregnant, so I have a younger sister.” He smiles, and I can see how much he loves his family. “They’re really great parents.”
I nod and feel Kenton’s hand give my thigh a squeeze. “I’m so happy you had a good childhood.”
“Kenton told me a little bit about what happened and why you gave me up for adoption. I want you to know there are no hard feelings or anything.” His hand moves to his hair, running through it. “I’ve had a really great life.”
“I’m glad. I just never wanted you to hate me,” I tell him quietly.
“I didn’t, and I don’t. My parents have been upfront with me since I was little, explaining that I was adopted. I was always curious about you, but I have never been upset when I’ve thought about you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, all the fears I’ve held inside since the day he was taken from me releasing with the words he spoke. I was so worried that he hated me, and I never wanted that.
“Kenton told me you have two kids, a boy and a girl?”
“We do.” I smile at him then over at Kenton, who leans in, kissing the side of my head.
“I would love to meet them. And maybe bring my sister with me, if you don’t mind.”
“I would love that.”
“We’ll set it up for a weekend when I have time to hang out for a while.”
“Okay,” I agree with a smile.
He stands and so do I. Then he pulls me in for a hug. I hug him back, memorizing the feeling. He steps back and gives Kenton’s hand a shake.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Talk to you soon,” I say as I watch him walk away before facing Kenton.
“Cool tattoo!” I hear yelled from behind me.
I turn around, seeing Dane standing on the other side of the street with his hands in his pockets. I put my finger to the skin behind my ear and bring it to my mouth, kissing it before waving goodbye to him.
We get into Kenton’s truck and I lay my head back against the seat before rolling my face in his direction. “Thank you for that.”
“Anything for you, babe,” he says, and I nod and look out the window as I listen to the truck start up.
I sit forward and put my hand over his on the gearshift. “Anything for you too. You know that, right?”
“You’ve already given me everything,”
I press my mouth to his and kiss him with every ounce of love I have for him. Then I pull back and get back in my seat. “Let’s go home.”