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And I know she’s not talking about her insistence on babysitting.
I have always thought my purpose was to take the Racketeers to a championship win. What I realize now is that’s a goal—my purpose is to love my wife and build a family with her.
It’s the most important thing in my life.
Sometimes that also means letting my wife handle things her way, which is tested an hour later when most of the guests have left and I see her in the back of the restaurant having a heated conversation with her mother. I’m about to storm back there and intervene when Crew grabs my arm.
I glance over at him. "What?"
He shakes his head. "Let her handle this, Boss."
Michael is behind him. He nods. "He’s right."
"But that doesn’t mean we can’t get closer and listen in case we do need to put Mary in her place," Crew says, swiping a macaron on his way past the dessert table. He gives me a smirk as he shifts closer to where Dani is standing.
"You’re being obvious," I tell him, dryly.
"That’s the point. Show of strength."
I glance back at Michael. He just shrugs. "We have to load all the gifts into the car anyway," he says. "They’re standing right by the gift table."
He has a good point. I reach the gifts and finger a pack of the tiniest socks I’ve ever seen in my entire life. There’s going to be tiny feet in these socks. My heart is so damn full I almost can’t take it.
"Mom, I appreciate you being here," Danielle is saying to Mary. "But I don’t want you to come to important events in my life if you’re not actually happy for me."
"I’m happy you’re happy," Mary says tightly.
"But you’re not happy for me. That’s very clear. I’m having a baby, Mom. A child. Who is going to pick up on all your cues and passive aggressive comments and judgment about my life and my relationships. I will not expose my child to that. Crew, Nathan, and Michael are my child’s fathers. I will not allow you to disparage them in any way. Not anymore. Not in front of our child, not in front of anyone. Because if I allow you to do that it implies that in some way I think we are doing something wrong, and we’re not."
I glance over again. Danielle doesn’t look angry or overly upset. She’s just being firm, determined. Setting boundaries that I’m thrilled with. I make eye contact with Crew. He gives a nod of approval.
She keeps speaking. "You’re allowed to have your opinion. You’re allowed to disapprove. But not around me, and absolutely not around my child. So you have a decision to make. You’re either with me, fully and sincerely, or you’re not in my life. Period."
Michael gives a little grunt of approval.
I smile back at him. "Our wife has found her inner mama bear defending her cub."
"I don’t think anything could be sexier," Michael says. "This needed to happen. I just hope her mom makes the right choice."
"She will," Crew says. "Who could possibly live without our girl?"
"None of us, that’s for damn sure."
He laughs. "No fucking way."
Mary is hugging Danielle with tears in her eyes so that seems promising, though I can’t hear what she’s murmuring in her ear.
A moment later, Mary moves past us. She squeezes my arm, pats Michael on the shoulder, and shocks us all by pulling Crew into her arms and giving him a hug, tears rolling down her face.
"You’ll be a wonderful father," she tells him, her words tight and low.
Then she quickly heads to the front of the restaurant and leaves. We all stare at her retreat, then immediately turn to Danielle.
"Are you okay?" Michael asks her immediately.
She nods. "Completely. I should have done that before the wedding. But I did it now, so we’ll see how it goes. She says she’ll do better."
Crew cups her cheek and kisses her. "Good girl."
