Page 57 of Big Bad Single Wolf Dad

As we bid our farewells and I turn away, I smile to myself, knowing I did the right thing by coming here. I don’t want my relationship with Sarah to be sullied with bad blood and as long as I can trust that Sarah is loyal to me, and she can trust the same, then I know we’ll be fine.

As for Eric, I suddenly can’t believe he managed to cause so much damage with something he considered so innocuous. But then again, if Sarah and I had just been honest with each other in the first place, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.

I have to laugh at myself as I slide into my car and drive back home. For all my talk about werewolf negotiation skills, I wasn’t particularly good at employing them when it came to the early conflicts between me and Sarah. But I’ve learned my lesson.

Driving home, I think again of Sarah and the kids, of the family we’re creating together, and of all the inevitable challenges that will come our way. I never want something like this to happen again, though, and I resolve to make communication a priority going forward.

Maybe I need to invent a conflict-resolution frisbee or something. Or, better yet, Sarah and I can invent it together. I decide to talk to her about it when I next see her.

31

SARAH

I try my best not to cry as Noah, Lily, and Ollie hand over their cards, but it’s an impossible task. The first one, hand-drawn by Noah, says, Welcome to our Family in painstakingly printed letters and features a drawing of all seven of us.

Lily’s card is covered in glitter and features a bright red heart surrounded by a dozen more heart stickers.

And Ollie’s features a sloping portrait of me that reminds me of my own kids’ lovingly crafted drawings from when they were his age.

The tears flow freely as I accept each one, broken only by my giant smile.

“Thank you so much, kids,” I say, pulling the three of them in for a hug. “These are so beautiful.”

“There’s one more thing,” Noah says shyly, but he can’t bring himself to say more.

I glance up at Greg, who’s standing proudly behind them and he just gives me a little nod.

“What is it?” I ask gently.

Noah blushes but still doesn’t speak up. Instead, he nudges Lily who steps forward.

“Is it okay if we call you Mom?” she asks timidly, and I have to really force myself not to start bawling this time.

“Of course you can,” I say, trying to control the happiness that brings me. “And I hope you know I’ll never replace your mom, but I will love you like my own kids.”

I pull them in for another hug and as I do, I catch sight of Greg smiling down at us. He’s not just smiling, he’s really beaming and I can see this brings him the same joy that it brings me.

“And Mia and Ethan have something for you too,” I say, as I release Noah, Lily, and Ollie.

“We made this for you,” Mia says proudly as the two of them step forward, both clutching the crudely-wrapped gift they insisted on taking charge of themselves.

Greg leans down to their level, smiling from ear to ear and taking the gift from their eager little hands.

He unwraps it with true excitement and when he sees what it is, he almost starts crying too. I thought I’d be able to keep it together since I helped the kids make this gift myself, but the tears start flowing again when I see the framed photo of all of us, snapped by Lisa at one of our park outings. The kids have painted the frame with tiny circles meant to represent frisbees and accompanying it is a letter with compliments about Greg and his three kids.

“This is such a thoughtful gift,” Greg says, pulling Mia and Ethan in for a hug. “Thank you.”

It’s a beautiful sight and I can’t help myself. I gather Noah, Lily, and Ollie into my arms, adding the four of us to the group so we’re all held in a big family hug.

Lots of squeezing and squealing and laughing later, we emerge, all of us with huge smiles on our faces, and it’s at that moment that the doorbell rings.

“I’ve got it!” yells Mike, and I hear him banging into things as he runs to open Greg’s door.

Our door, I correct myself.

“Ready?” Greg asks me, taking me by the hand.

“Ready,” I say, smiling back and kissing him softly.

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