Page 68 of Takedown

“Thanks for being there, Mellie.” He kisses my head.

Jason’s best friend and his wife walk in. He’s holding a huge bouquet of pink flowers and she has a big brown paper bag in her hand. My mother and Addison walk in right behind them.

“Mommy!” Addison screams. She pulls her hand from my mother’s and starts to run to Alex, but Jason catches her before she can get a chance to jump on the bed.

“You have to be careful and not jump on Mommy,” Jason says to her. He walks to the bed and gently lays Addison next to Alex.

“So, I’m glad everyone is here. We had a bit of a scare today, but my sister saved the day.”

“All I did was drive her here Jason,” I say.

“You did more than that. You stayed calm. You had a clear head and Alex told me you made sure she didn’t freak out.”

Adam puts a hand on my shoulder and gently massages it.

“So, now that we have everyone here, we want to introduce you to baby Dupree.”

“Please tell us you finally gave this baby a name,” Jake says.

“She’s always had a name. We just wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well, tell us, Son,” my mother orders. “What’s my new granddaughter’s name?”

“Everyone, meet Melanie Christina Dupree.” I let go of the balloons and they hit the ceiling. Both hands cover my mouth as I look around the room. I look at Alex, and she smiles and nods her head.

“If this is because I drove—”

“We picked this name as soon as we knew she was a girl,” Alex says. “Melanie after Jason’s sister and Christina after mine.”

“It’s beautiful,” Sandy says.

“Yes, beautiful,” Tina agrees.

“Mellie and Adam, we want you to be the godparents,” Jason says.

“Can I hold her?” Alex nods, and I walk to the hospital bed. Adam drags a chair close to the bed, and Alex places the tiny bundle in my arms.

37

My wife: I’m picking up groceries so I can make dinner.

Me: Just hurry up and get here. We can order dinner.

My wife: Almost done. Already in line. And we need to cut back on ordering out.

I toss my phone and sigh in frustration, but I pick it back up when it vibrates against the table. It’s a picture of the long line at the grocery store. Of course, the line is long. We’re bracing for another snowstorm in late March, and my wife has completely lost her mind. True to her word, she’s packed me a lunch every day except Fridays. Between our wedding, honeymoon, and saving for a house, she makes sure every penny is accounted for.

The good news is, we’re due for a warmup in a few days, so the snow won’t last long, but all I want now is for my wife to come home so we can cuddle on the couch and ride out the storm together.

It’s barely three in the afternoon, but the skies have turned gray, and flurries are already falling.

Instead of looking outside and waiting for my wife, I decide to take care of the rainforest she’s brought into this apartment. I water the string of pearls hanging above the kitchen window and check the soil of the English Ivy and the aloe. I watered the ones in the bathroom earlier, so I know they’re okay. I sit on the couch and cross my arms, desperately missing Mel.

We spent almost the entire night downstairs. Jason had to go into work due to a car accident, and Little Mel spent the entire night crying. We all took turns rocking her to sleep. Now, I’m sleepy but can’t fall asleep without my wife in my arms.

Who knew being married could be so amazing? Even the nights that we spend on the couch watching TV or talking are better than anything I’ve ever experienced. To kill some time, I leave the couch and busy myself straightening our bedroom and bathroom. I’ve never been a slob, but Mel likes everything to be extremely neat.

Fifteen minutes later, I cheer in excitement when I hear a knock on the door. Expecting to find my wife on the other side holding several grocery bags, I yank the door open without bothering to look through the peephole. The smile on my face slips as soon as I look into the familiar blue eyes. I see those eyes every time I look in the mirror and every time I see a picture of my father. And now here they are. In the flesh. I push the door closed, but he grabs it and steps inside.

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