Page 79 of Stolen Dreams

“Yes.”I don’t even skip a beat.“For now anyway.I love her, always have.”

Lucy smirks.“I knew it.

“Are you two getting married?”Lucy looks at each of us.

“I want to marry her,” I admit to Lucy.“Want to be her husband more than anything.”

“Do you want to marry my dad?”She looks at Lilah, who has tears now in her eyes.

“Very much,” she whispers to her, trying not to cry but then giving in to the tears.“I very much want to marry him.”

“Then you should get married,” she says as if it’s not a big deal.

“There is more to it than that,” Lilah replies, and I tilt my head.

“You love Dad,” Lucy states to Lilah.“You love Lilah.”She looks at me, and I nod.“So now you can get married.”

Lilah laughs.“I guess it is as easy as that.”She looks up at me.“Are you okay with all this?”She turns back to Lucy, who looks at her like she’s confused.“You know, me staying here.”

“You stayed here before.”She shrugs as I walk over to make her a breakfast sandwich.“You just sleep with Dad now.”

“Yes,” Lilah says, turning and walking to the island in front of Lucy, “but it was you two, and then I just came in.”

I watch Lucy.“You know I love you, right?”I tell Lucy, who whips her head toward me.I can see she doesn’t know what to do with that information.“You know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, right?”Her bottom lip quivers.“You’ll never doubt how much I love you, Lucy, never.”

“I know,” she says softly, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away as the phone alarm rings, meaning we have to leave to get her to school.

I move my hand to shut it off.“Do you know that I love you?”She looks at me, my chest feeling like my heart is about to literally push through and come out.

“I had hoped,” I answer her honestly, “I really freaking hoped.”

She laughs at me.“Now, either you go get your things, and you eat in the truck, or you’ll be late.”

“I can’t be late.”She pushes away from the counter.“Can we eat in the truck?”She jumps off her stool.“I’m going to get my bags.”

I wait for her to be out of the room.“Well, that is one way to tell her we’re getting married.”I look over at Lilah, who starts rushing around the kitchen, getting Lucy her breakfast.“I have to get dressed.”I look down at my shorts, walking to her.“Kiss me.”She looks up, trying to hide the smile before her lips fall on mine.“I love you,” I whisper, “more than life.”

“I love you,” she declares.“Now go and get ready.”

Ten minutes later, we rush out of the house, getting into the truck and waving goodbye to Lilah.

“We should be on time.”I look over at Lucy, who is in the back eating her breakfast.

She looks out the window, and two minutes later, she finally talks, “Did you love my mom?”

I close my eyes at the question.“I enjoyed spending time with her.I didn’t really know her that well.But I love her for taking care of you the way she did.I love her for raising you to be the best kid I know.I love her for giving me you.”I look in the rearview mirror to see what she thinks.Her eyes are still on the road.“She was the best mom.”

“She was,” she admits.

“She loved you so much.”She nods.

“I still miss her”—she takes a deep inhale—“but it’s not as much as before.”

“It’s okay to talk about her.”I look over at her.“Whenever you want to talk about her, it’s okay for you to do it.”

“You won’t be mad?”She looks down at the half-eaten sandwich in her hand.

“No,” I say breathlessly.“I want to know everything about you.I want to know all about the time I missed with you.I want to know it all.”I pull the truck up to the school.“This weekend, how about we look through some pictures and put some around the house?”

---