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Iris laughs under her breath. “Well, let’s be real. He built that here so he could keep an eye on all the dudes you’re rubbing down.”
“Maybe.” Kenzie glances toward me with a knowing grin. The massages are bothering me less these days. I trust Kenzie and I know she’s just doing her job. That said, I still give her spankings when appropriate.
“Wow, you guys are really getting things all figured out.” Iris’ tone is low, almost sad.
Kenzie sits next to her. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Iris wipes away a tear. “It’s nothing. You’re my sister, and I’m happy for you. Both of you. I just… I don’t know. Cooper and,” she sighs, “it’s never going to happen.”
“Did something new happen?”
She shakes her head. “No, but Bryan invited me on this trip he’s taking. He wants me to watch the kids while they all go and do things. I said yes, but… turns out Cooper will be there.”
“Shit. Can you get out of it?”
“Not really. It’s this weekend. You’re busy with the studio. Collette is driving back from Montana, and so that leaves me.” She pinches her eyebrows together. “It’s fine. It’s about time I bite the bullet, anyway. Nothing is going to happen between us. The sooner I come to terms with that, the better off I’ll be.”
“I can call Bryan. The kids can stay with us for the weekend. We need the practice, anyway.”
“No, thanks. I’m sorry. You guys are excited that you have all these great things going on, and I’m whining.” She stands. “I’m a big girl. I’ll make this work.”
I know Kenzie wants to help Iris. Kenzie wants to help everyone, but I’m not sure this one can be fixed. Falling in love is hard. Falling in love with your brother’s best friend is harder, especially when you're not sure if the feelings are mutual.
“So, do you guys have names picked out or…”
I shrug. “I’m just happy to be here. So, whatever Kenzie wants, she gets.”
“No. No. No.” Kenzie wanders toward me and lands her ass on my lap again. This is my favorite place to have her. “You have to tell me what names you like.”
“I’m not creative. I’d pick Joe and Tina.”
She laughs. “Okay, maybe I’ll help.”
“What about… if it’s a girl we name her Lillian Grace, after my grandma. If it’s a boy… we name him Colin James.”
I stare toward her with a lump in my throat. I’d never thought of naming a child after the friend and soldier I’d lost. Hell, I never thought I’d have a child.
“Is it weird? I mean, I don’t want you to feel bad when you say his name, but… maybe it’s a nice way to honor him, ya know?”
A tear rolls down my face as I stare toward my beautiful wife. “Yes. I love that. It’s perfect.”
She leans into my lips and kisses me softly.
“Okay, gag. Gag. Gag. Gag. You two are gross. Stop.” Iris turns away and opens the front door.
“We are in our house,” Kenzie says with a laugh. “We really need to find you a date.”
“I agree. Can we find someone before this weekend? I need him to erase every thought I’ve ever had of Cooper. Deal?”
Kenzie smiles. “Whatever you say.”
Iris opens the door and heads outside, fish in hand.
Kenzie turns toward me and leans in, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’ll be back fast. Are you going into town to help with the general store or are you staying here?”
“Ah, I should probably go into town. That bear did a lot of damage, but we’re finally getting close to finishing, and I need to do my part.”
She kisses me again. “That’s why I love you.”
“I love you too, sunshine. Be safe. Don’t talk to anybody.”
“Got it.” She fakes a stoic expression and follows her sister outside. “Talk to no one.”
When I was young, I believed that life was a set of trials. If you passed, good things happened to you. If you failed, you had to pay the price. There was no in between, no middle ground, no place of wavering. Failure was failure. End of story.
It wasn’t until my bright ray of sunshine sat on my lap and held me through my pain that I realized failure is only the beginning. It’s the start of something new. An opportunity to start again.
I’ll never be able to go back to that day in Afghanistan, and I’ll never be able to give Colin his life back, but I can hold each day like a gift, thank the heavens that I’m here, and welcome whatever sunshine comes my way.
