I point to the figure at the bottom of the statement. “I sold the house that Simon and I bought in Weldon. It was full of so much happiness and joy that I couldn’t stay there after he died. Simon and I took out life insurance policies when we had Ben. Neither of us expected the worst to happen, but we didn’t want the other to struggle if it ever did. That’s why that number is so big.”
“That’s money for your future,” Murph says quietly, pushing the statement back toward me. “Not for buying a house because you feel?—”
“That Ben and I have a future with you in Rios, and because I love you?” I gently cut in.
He sits back in his seat, crossing his arms and studying me through hooded eyes. “It’s a big decision, Rose, is what I’m trying to say.”
“Which is why I took my time making it,” I counter.
He holds my gaze for a beat, then closes his eyes and tilts his head back, pointing his face up to the ceiling. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I think she wants us to say yes,” Win says, stunned. “But I just don’t… I don’t understand how?—”
“How I can want to build a life with three men who make me this happy and love my son as if he were their own?” I ask. “You really can’t understand that?”
A tiny smile tugs at the corners of Murph’s mouth. “Came ready for battle, huh, sweetheart?”
I grin. “I knew you would have some arguments and probably wouldn’t accept right away, so I’m prepared to fight dirty if I have to.”
Joel tilts his head to the side. “What does fighting dirty look like?”
Leaning back from the table, I shout, “Ben! Can you come here for a second?”
“I fold,” Win says immediately.
“Me too,” Joel says.
“Me three,” Murph adds.
“Really?” I ask, stunned that they agreed so fast as Ben wanders into the kitchen, still in his pajamas, looking adorably confused.
“That’s a pretty big gun to unleash on three unsuspecting guys who love this guy to death,” Win says, grinning at Ben.
“Like taking a tank to a knife fight,” Joel adds with a smile.
“Mommy, who’s fighting a tank?” Ben asks.
I laugh. “No one’s fighting a tank, baby. Come here.” I hold out my arms, and he crosses over and settles into my lap. “How do you feel about buying this house and living with Win, Joel, and Murph?”
“YAY!”
“Oof!” I wheeze, winded by a sharp elbow to my side as he flings both arms up.
Honestly, lifting him onto my lap before I asked him such an exciting question was not the best idea I’ve ever had.
Once my eyes are no longer watering and Win, Joel, and Murph have stopped asking if I’m okay, Murph says to Ben, "We’ll never try to replace your dad, okay?"
Ben nods. "I know."
"Your dad loved you very much, and that love will never go away. But we—" Joel motions to Murph and Win. "We all want to be there for you and your mom, and to build a different kind of family. We love you, too."
“I know,” Ben says. “Instead of a daddy, I’ll have a Win, Joel, and Murph.”
I kiss the top of his head.
Ben wiggles in my lap. “Can I go watch cartoons, Mommy?”
I release him. “Ten more minutes, then we’re getting you dressed for the day, okay?”
