Page 100 of Cross My Heart
Tate propels himself forward, and I have no choice but to catch him. “I love you, Dad,” he says right before he starts squirming to get away.
I set him down and he turns me toward the playroom where Lanie is standing with her back to me. My heart is pounding so loudly in my ears, I feel deaf. I am definitely shaking now, and the sweat dripping down my spine reminds me how much I want this to be real. How much I need this to be real.
“Lanie, sweetheart, you’re killing me here. I’m about to have a heart attack, I think. Please, baby, put me out of my misery.”
She slowly turns her head, tears flowing down her cheeks but a smile that could light up the darkest of days.
“Lanie, please, baby.”
Winking, she starts to turn her body. When I see the wordSTAYS! I run to her, holding her damp cheeks in my hands.
“I’m going to need to hear you say it, sweetheart. Tell me this means what I think it does.” Lanie is crying still, and the splash that hits my arm tells me I am too. She nods her head through her tears, but it isn’t enough.
“No, Lanie, I need you to say it out loud. I need to hear it.” I tell her.
Through sobs, she says, “I’m staying, Dex. I’m staying for as long as you’ll have me.”
“As what, Lanie? What are you staying here as?” I ask her, hoping she’ll say mine and not the nanny.
With a wink and her best Vivian impersonation, she says, “What do you want me to be?”
On a growl, I capture her lips with mine. Every time I taste her, she is sweeter than the last. This kiss will forever be my favorite, it’s the first one where I know she isn’t going anywhere. The first one that makes her mine forever.
Pulling away, I tell her, “Mine, I want you to be mine forever.”
Before I can finish, Tate comes tearing into the room. “Mine too, Lanie, mine too!” he says, jumping up and down. Looking behind me, I see all the red shirts lined up.The Thing About Lanie Is She Stays.
“She stays,” I repeat.
“She stays,” Lanie says, staring into my eyes. This is a day I will never forget.
MLM Accomplished!
Dexter: I did it. Lanie is mine, she is staying forever. She is officially my girl.
Trevor: I am literally standing two feet from you.
Preston: I’m blocking you now.
Loki: Good to hear, man. Happy for you.
Dexter: Loki, you back?
Loki: I am, and I have about 4,000 texts to go through.
Preston: Don’t bother, all you need to know is he got the girl.
Julia: But their story is a pretty good read if you want to spend a few hours catching up.
Julia: Congrats, Dex. I’m happy for you both.
Dexter: I know I have driven you all crazy this year, but thank you for standing by me. All these messages will be worth it when Lanie opens her Christmas present.
* * *
Christmas is in a few days,but Lanie hasn’t been feeling well. I’ve spent days trying to get her to go to a doctor, but she keeps refusing. She keeps telling me she gets this way sometimes before her period, but she has a slight fever, and the upset stomach is becoming more frequent, so I decide to call in the big guns.
Putting the phone on speaker, I walk into the family room where Lanie is laying on the couch.
