Page 15 of Kimbra
Focus woman. Alright, I’ve got two more patients, then I can go home for the weekend. I’m ready to be off work and spend time with the people I love. This should be a good and uneventful weekend.
Ben
Pouring two mugs of coffee, I take the time to fix one just how my woman likes it. I take a sip of mine. The house is still pretty quiet, with only Bailey being awake. I’ve got her watching someprincess show that she likes to watch on repeat. Branson and Bentley were both still dead to the world when I checked on them.
I take Kimbra’s coffee cup and head into our bedroom. She doesn’t know it, but today’s a big day for our household. I, for one, am ready to get it started. I’m barely through our bedroom door when Kimbra moans from the bed. “Do I smell coffee?” I walk over to her side of the bed and set it on her nightstand. “You do, and I even got it the way you like it. You’ve got plans today, and I’m making breakfast in a few, so you have to start attempting to become awake.” I lean down and kiss her temple. She opens one eye to look at me. “What plans do I have?” She complains how Branson takes a while to wake up, but he’s just like his mom.
“Jane’s declared a girl day. Says since you had to work this week and she was home with a sick kiddo for part of it, that you two and I think maybe some of the other gals are going to do a, and I quote, ‘a mani-pedi day with a lunch that us men wouldn’t like.’ She said she would pick you up at ten, and when you guys finish your day, you’ll meet us at the clubhouse. Now you get up and do your thing, and I’m gonna go make some breakfast.” I head out of the room to start on breakfast, but I do catch her mumbling something about how she could get used to this. Well, she’s going to if I have any say over it. I might not make breakfast every Saturday, but I could see myself bringing the family toMillie’s some of the time, too. There’s nothing quite like a diner breakfast, in my opinion.
I get into the kitchen, finish my first cup of coffee, and refill it. I get the bacon and sausage out of the fridge and get both going. I grab the electric skillet out of the cupboard and get it set up. I grab a bowl and am about to head to the pantry when I’m greeted by a half-awake Bentley and Branson. “Morning, boys. Breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes or so.” Bentley sits on a stool at the counter, but Branson goes to the pantry, gets out the pancake mix, and hands it to me. “You might want to make a lot. I’m supposed to go to the batting cages in a bit with Logan and Asher, and that always burns a lot so I need to eat a lot.” Before I can say anything, Kimbra comes out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her head and her coffee cup in her hand. She’s wearing leggings and a t-shirt. The outfit tells me that she’s not done getting ready, but her need for more coffee is more pressing. “What are these plans you speak of? We were together all evening, and you didn’t think to mention them or, I don’t know, ask if you could go?” While she’s been talking to Branson, she’s filled up her coffee cup and got out milk and juice from the fridge.
Branson gets up and starts getting plates out of the cupboard. Bentley follows and starts getting silverware out. Branson answers his mom. “You’re going out on a girls' day, so I figured it would be fine. I was gonna ask Ben to drop me off so he’d knowwhere I was.” Kimbra looks at Branson in a way only a mom can. “Even though it’s family, you still need to ask. It’s probably always going to be okay if it's with family, but you never know what plans I might have made for us.” I can see he wants to argue with her, but I elbow him and whisper, “She’s giving you what you want. She just wants you to remember in the future to ask. It’s a win, take it, bud.” He huffs. “Fine, I will. Logan said he was going to text you about it, so I assumed you already knew.” Kimbra looks a little chagrined. “I haven’t looked at my phone since I plugged it in before we did movie night.”
As I’m starting to cook the pancakes and get the sausage and bacon off when it’s done, she goes over to her phone. “Oh dang. I’ve got like fifteen texts. Most look like a group chat with Jane and the other gals who are all goin’ today.” I hear Bailey coming into the kitchen. “Ohh, are we having pancakes? Can we have whipped cream on them?” I nod as she goes to get her cup out of the clean dishwasher. “As long as your mom didn’t use it all up, you can.” I can feel the glare aimed at me, and I don’t even need to look at Kimbra. “I only used a little in my coffee, and we always have more since I buy it at Costco.” I can’t help but smile. This woman and her little quirks. I love them all. She bumps me with her hip. “What are you chuckling about?” I turn toward her and kiss her nose. “Doc, I think you are the only person on earth who uses the spray whipped cream in your coffee on a daily basis.” Her glare intensifies, and she gets a smile onher face that’s slightly terrifying. “Do you know everyone on the planet, Mathis? I think not.” She turns and walks away from me, gathering a couple bananas and oranges to cut up to go with breakfast. This banter, this morning, this home and family. All of it has been what I’ve wanted for so long and was too afraid to wish for. Yet if everything goes my way, by the end of the day, I’ll have this secured for the rest of my days. Pretty fucking sweet for an old biker like me.
I just got a text from Anna saying they are heading here now. Kimbra ended up being one of the ones who drove in case she needed to head to the hospital, as she had a patient who was worried she would go into labor. Turned out to be a false alarm as the doctor on call checked her, and she wasn’t, but as a first-timer, I’m told that can happen pretty often. Anna lingered a bit, so the other car with Jane, Linnea, Kierstie, and Madison had a few minutes head start. Logan just came in saying they just pulled up. He’s got Branson on watch duty for Kimbra. I swear Branson is going to ask me to prospect by the time he’s thirteen. I look around the room and see that all the brothers are here and that Rory and Hanna are ready to play and sing the song that is going to be perfect for her.
A couple of minutes later, Branson comes running in through the door from outside. “Mom just pulled up, it’s time!” I watch Bailey run up to Pres and pull on his hand. “Come on, Bossman, you gotta help us make Mommy say yes!” Since I introduced Jonas Bossman to Bentley, he and Bailey will only call him that. I think it tickles him because they always get a rare smile from Pres when they call him that.
Jon hurries with her over to the other side of the room, lifting her up on the table so she’s ready to shine. He even fixes her tiara and tutu so she looks just right. He takes the flowers from Jane and hands a bunch to Bentley and Branson.
Jane gives me a wink, and right next to her, Logan gives me two thumbs up. Next to them are Mike and Tripp, my oldest friends in the world. I realize that in this moment, everyone who means the most to me is in this room, well, will be as soon as my woman walks through that door.
I hear a sound on the other side of the door, and knowing her, she just tried to push the door open. A couple of seconds later, the door opens, and the woman who’s taken my heart walks in. She won’t think she’s sexy, but I love seeing her in jeans and a sweater, comfortable and still the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
She lifts her sunglasses up and rests them on top of her head. I see the moment she figures out something is out of the ordinary. I watch her scan the room, getting to her boys and Bailey standing next to me. “What’s going on?” Rory starts playing the guitar, and Kimbra’s face changes in recognition after the first few bars. Rory starts singing, and Bailey joins in. After the first few lines, both boys and I join in. I walk toward Kimbra,toward my forever. I hear more people join in singing a slowed-down version of one of her favorite ABBA songs, “Take a Chance on Me.”I reach her, and I can see her eyes are watering. She whispers, “What’s going on?” I take her hand and squeeze it, pulling her toward the tables. We walk up together, holding hands, and get to Bentley first. He hands his mom the first bunch of flowers. “Take a chance on him, Mom. He’s the only one who’s ever sat and taught me things about machines. His fries are pretty good, too.” I smile. The kids decided on what to say all on their own and didn’t tell me beforehand.
Bentley starts singing again, and we take a couple of steps to where Bailey is standing on the table and singing her heart out. She takes her tiara off her head and puts it on Kimbra’s head. “Take a chance on him, Mommy. Let him make you a queen like he always makes me a princess. He even chases the monsters in the closet away.” Kimbra is smiling bigger than I’ve ever seen her, but with a steady stream of tears rolling down her cheeks.
I squeeze her hand as we move in front of Branson. He hands the flowers to his mom and has his say, which, if I’m honest, I was most nervous about since he seemed to be the last to accept me. “Take a chance on him, Mom. It’s the first time I can ever remember you smiling and laughing every day. He’s not just giving us a dad whoactuallyreally cares. He’s also giving us you back. He’s made us a family again.” Well, shit. Color me surprised and touched.
Kimbra lets my hand go, pulls Branson in for a hug, and whispers something to him. It gives me a moment to get down on my knee to ask the most important question I think I’ve ever asked. I have a ring, but I don’t have it out, wanting her full attention to my question first. I watch as Branson turns Kimbra around, and our eyes connect. I hold out my hand, and she immediately takes it. I love seeing the smile that lights up her face. “I love you. I love you with every single cell in my body. I love Branson, Bentley, and Bailey because they are a part of you. I love your intelligence and how much you truly care for your patients. I love that you can’t tell your left from your right when driving. I love that you have an obsession with good purses, olives, and ABBA. I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I want my future to be so intertwined with you that no one in generations to come can separate us. Will you marry me and make me happier than I ever thought possible?” Through her tears, she nods and pulls on my hand, helping me up. As soon as I’m standing, she crashes into me, hugging me. “That was the most thoughtful, sweet, and beautiful thing. Including the kids and your whole family…I know some people want the romance of twinkle lights and just two people, but this… shows me just how much you know me and how much you get me. Saying I love you isn’t enough…the words are just words people say, but they’ve always been morefrom you. I can’t wait to spend every tomorrow with you.” I kiss her and know that all of this was worth waiting a lifetime for.
Kimbra
I can’t believe he did all this for me. He got my kids involvedandmanaged to have them keep a secret. He had them play ABBA, and what he said, I could tell, came straight from his heart. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I’m just going to be forever grateful that the sexiest man I’ve ever met in real life, with amazing broad shoulders, a panty-melting smile, and a heart so big it brings tears to my eyes, has seen something in me. I can’t wait to marry him. He breaks the kiss, but I’m not ready to just yet, so I kiss him back. When he breaks the kiss this time, he puts his forehead to mine. “You’re stuck with me now, Doc.” I don’t think my smile has left my face, and my tears haven’t stopped, either. “You’re the one that’s stuck, Mathis. Stuck with me and stuck with all of us.” I can tell he smiles at that. “I will be happy for the rest of my life then. I’ve waited for this, and even though I didn’t know, I think the gods knew it was you who was meant to come into my life and give me everything I was too afraid to wish for. I love you, Kimbra, and I can’t wait to marry you.” Damn it, the tears keep coming. “I love you, and I can’t wait to call you my husband.”
Our moment is interrupted by everyone coming to congratulate us. Both Jane and Logan give me a hug and welcome me to the family. Bentley’s busy jumping up and down, “I’m gonna have cousins now!” Branson rolls his eyes at him but can’t keep a smile off his face, which tells me he’s really just as excited. Bailey comes up to us, and I see her tug on Ben’s flannel. He looks down, and she holds her hands up in the universal sign for “pick me up.” Sucker he is, he picks her up. I watch as she pats his beard-covered cheek and chews on her finger for a second before she takes it out and asks him a question. “‘Cause you’re marrying Mommy, you’re going to be family and live wit’ us foreber, right?” Ben smiles at her and nods. “Yeah, I am.” He doesn’t say anything else, as we both can tell she’s got more to say. “Since you’re gonna marry Mommy, you're gonna be our dad too, but since we have Dad and we call him Dad, I think you need a different name.” She puts her little hands on each side of his face, cupping it. “I think your name should be Daddy.” I thought my tears were done for the day. Ben looks over at me with glassy eyes, silently asking if I’m okay with it. I give him a smile and a nod. He looks back at Bailey, and with a tremble to his voice that I’ve never heard before, he tells her, “I’d be honored for you to call me Daddy if you want.” I hear sniffling next to me and I look over. Jane’s next to me with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you for giving him this. He’s been a great uncle, and he’s been happy, but this—” She points to Bailey still in Ben’s arms as hetalks to Bentley. “This is what his soul’s desired for so long, and I’m so happy he’s found you. You and your kids just became part of this big family, and there’s no turning back now.” What she doesn’t get is that I’ve always wanted a family like this. A family that accepts us for us and embraces our individualities. They love without judgment, and that’s something I’ve wanted since I was a little girl. Anna walks up to me and embraces me in a big hug. “I know what you’re feeling, and it’s going to keep hitting you for a while. As someone who came from a very small family and a fucked up one at that, it’s hard to grasp just how hard this family loves. They love without question, they don’t judge, and they’re there for anything you might need. They’re going to be there for every game, recital, and awards ceremony, and for any emergency trip, they’ll come along or hold down the fort, whatever is necessary. If you were hoping for a solitary life with Ben—” The damn tears are still falling. “No, I didn’t have much of a family growing up, and since the kids were born, it’s only been them. This is…Ben, the family, all of it. It’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for.” Anna lets me go and looks at me with more knowledge and wisdom than I could ever hope to have. “You’re gonna have a day. It could be next week, or it could be next year, but it will happen. You’re going to have a day where all the kids and Ben are driving you absolutely batty, and you need just two hours of silence for yourself. You call or send me, Linnea, or Jane a text, and within minutes, you’ll have yourhouse to yourself. We love our men and our kids to the ends of the earth, but there are moments where you just need a few minutes. That’s what we’re there for. We get our men to contact yours, and magically, they all go to the hardware store. Sometimes ‘they’ decide to go have breakfast at the diner together. I can’t tell you the number of times Linnea and I have done that for each other over the years, and most of the time, our guys don’t even realize what’s happening.” That I can believe, and it has me laughing. “I can believe that. You and Linnea run this family. It may go unsaid, but we all know it.” Anna nods and leads me over to a table where a bottle of wine and glasses sit. “I knew you were smart, but I’m very happy to see just how observant you are. We can always use that in this family because our men aren’t. Hell, I get asked to look for something daily that I only have to move one thing to find. Having raised two boys and a girl just like you’re doing, I know you know all too well what I’m talking about. Buckle up, darlin’, ‘cause the teenage years only get more challenging.” I know she’s right, but I also know that thanks to Ben and his-ourfamily, I won’t be facing those years alone. That right there is one of the biggest gifts I could’ve ever been given. Seriously, he is my unicorn.
CHAPTER TEN
You can do whatever you want for our wedding, I just ask that I don’t have to wear a suit and in the end, I get to be married to you. Oh, and the wedding night is just you and me.
~Text from Ben to Kimbra~
Kimbra
It’s been three weeks since our engagement, and I’ve almost got everything figured out for our wedding. I don’t want something big and fancy, but fun and full of our family and friends. I have agreed to let Bailey get a poofy dress, and I want to find a simple wedding dress. The boys are just happy they don’t have to get super dressed up and can look like Ben with jeans and a button-up shirt.
Today, though, is about enjoying the warm sun and having fun. Thankfully Doctor Hammond has mostly removed the stick that was up his ass and is a bit easier to work with. Since he’s now got his patient load and eased our loads, I was able to take todayoff. It’s Friday, and the kids have it off for some teacher in-service day. I decided we were going to have a day just the four of us. I want to check in with them and make sure they’re not overwhelmed by all the changes that have happened recently. Ben has to work but is going to join us later for dinner.
We just finished lunch at the local sandwich shop that Madison owns. The kids love going there because they get to order whatever they want on their sandwich and watch them make it. I think Bentley adding egg salad to his turkey sandwich didn’t sound appetizing to me, but he ate it all. I love going there because I don’t have to ask any more for a clean knife and board to be used. They see us coming and automatically change them out and know to complete whatever we order with no tomatoes anywhere at all.
We ate there and are now headed to the local park where Bentley and Bailey can play on the playground, and right next to that are the batting cages so I can see Branson while he does what he loves to do.
As soon as I pull up to the park, all three of the kids pile out. Bailey spins back toward me for a moment. “Mommy, can you push me on the swings?” I nod. “Yeah, I can. Go pick which swing you want.” She takes off at a run, and I walk because, let’s be honest, me and running don’t belong in the same sentence.
Ten minutes later, Bailey’s over the swing and climbing the structure with Bentley. She may love all the girly things in life,but she’s never been afraid to get dirty and try to keep up with her brothers. I go sit on the bench so I can watch all three. It’s been a good while since we’ve been able to do this, and I love to sit and watch them play. Branson would stay in the batting cages for hours if I let him. Bentley will inevitably find a bug or a leaf or something that requires him to examine it and try to figure out what it is. Bailey will make friends with whatever kids might show up, as she’s my little social butterfly.
