Page 31 of Feels Like Home

What we have already isgreat.

I’ll take the rest as slowly as weneed.

But when those divorce papers are signed, I’ll have a hard time not speeding that timelinealong.

I won’t do a thing until the divorce is final, though. Even if our marriage ended long ago, I won’t do that to Christine. Or me, for that matter. I’m not a cheater and having the ink dried on the papers is just something that I need to have before I move that one final stepforward.

I blink at the boys and look around thehouse.

The house we’ve turned into our home over the last fewmonths.

No sign of Heatheranywhere.

They won’t let me put up any pictures of theirmom.

Tess came over and helped make it, in her words, not a stinky man cave, but otherwise it’s allus.

Our living room issimple.

Chocolate brown oversized leatherfurniture.

Large flat screen TV with a sound system setup.

Video game console on the rustic wooden TV stand I builtbelow.

On the wall, there’s a collage of pictures of theboys.

In the corner is the stand for the aquarium that houses the boys’ turtle, Harry. How ironic his name is, is not lost on anyone, trustme.

Something Heather always said no to, but they had been wanting foryears.

Their wish came true on Christmas morning, and the joy on their faces was worth it. I had been dreading that day since their birthday came and went without a single call from theirmother.

Having Christine help me get the final touches of Christmas gifts ready helped more than I think she would everknow.

Christmas Day proved that they were moving on when they were happy, laughing. Despite her absence. When neither of them asked forHeather.

And I could do thesame.

“Yo! Dad!” I hear Aidan’s voice interrupt my thoughts, laughing atme.

“What’sup?”

“What’s up with the weird looks you’ve been getting on your facelately?”

I decide not to tell him that on more than one occasion they’ve caught me daydreaming aboutChristine.

“You ready?” I ask them bothinstead.

“Yup.”

That’s when I really look at them. I do a double take and have to press my lips together to suppress the laughter threatening to bubble up out ofme.

Reece has on khaki pants and a tucked-in button-down shirt, his hair gelled up with what looks like an entire bottle of hair gel. The strands of his dark blond hair sticking up in what I assume he thinks is stylish but because of the amount of gel looks more like he stuck his finger in a lightsocket.

Aidan looks similar, but his hair doesn’t have the same amount of gel in it. Probably because Reece used it allup.

And then I get a whiff ofthem.

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