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"How many videos?" My voice is shaky.
"Thirty-seven," he replies, and my eyes fill with more tears. I can't believe they did that for me, the two men in my life I love the most. Dom made it possible for my dad to stay with me every step of the way, even now that he is gone in the literal sense.
"Thank you," I whisper against Dom's lips, and he claims me in a passionate kiss.
"I'd do it all again for you, Mrs. Manning," he teases me, and I laugh with him as we fall back on the bed.
My past and my future have just combined in the best way possible. Now, I can see the silver lining as the stormy clouds retreat, revealing a blue, perfect sky.
CASSIDY
"Mom, can I light the candle?"
My little girl reaches for one of the candles we've brought with us, but her brother is eager to get in on the fun as well. "Me too, Mom!" he says, reaching for another one.
"I'll help you," I tell them, and their hands tremble as they each hold out a small candle for me to light.
It might be inappropriate to be doing this, but visiting the graveyard is a weekly tradition. Often enough, we get some strange glances, but I love bringing the twins here, and I don't want them to dread these visits. I try my hardest to make the trip more interesting with story time, telling them all about their grandfather.
"Here you go, Grandpa," Sophie says, placing the candle on my father's grave with a solemn expression. "We think of you every day. I wanted to tell you that Daddy said we can go ride a pony this week, and I am very happy! I wish you could come with us."
Even after all these years, I still have to hold back my tears. But at least they aren't tears of sadness. They are tears of joy for seeing my children connecting with a man who may be long gone physically, but will always be alive in our memories.
"Grandpa, I wish you saw me yesterday, I swam all by myself," Rocco tells him excitedly. "I did a lap in the pool, but I'm too afraid to go in the sea." He blushes, something he's inherited from his mother that I'm sure will drive him crazy in his teenage years, just like it did me.
I kneel next to my son, smiling as I ruffle his hair. "Grandpa would be so proud," I tell him. "He taught me how to swim, you know."
"But I can't really swim," my son sulks. "I only did one lap, Mom."
"Yes, but you will get better each day," I try to console him, then whisper in his ear. "And if your grandpa were here, he'd teach you a special trick – how to float on your back. I know how to do it, and I can show you tomorrow."
His eyes are full of excitement as he looks up at me. "Really?"
I give him a solemn nod and he beams right away, my heart swelling with pride.
"Are you going to tell us a story, Mommy?" Sophie asks with her eyes wide.
"Don't I always?" I say with a smile, and the three of us sit down on the bench next to the gravestone.
My eyes flitter around the cemetery until they land on my eldest, Raina. She is the spitting image of me, and as much as it makes me proud, it also makes my head hurt, knowing she'll be just as rebellious as I was.
"Raina, do you want to come and listen?" I call out to her, and she rolls her eyes, stuffing her phone back in her pocket. She comes over to us, her face contorted in a smirk that is the mirror image of her father's favorite expression.
Sitting down, she sighs like I'm making her do something awful, but I don't let it deter me, because I have a special story to tell today.
"Did I ever tell you that Grandpa is the reason your daddy and I are together?" I ask them and the twins shake their heads, their eyes wide. Raina isn't even listening, or maybe she’s pretending not to.
"Well, I'm going to tell you a secret today," I say in a hushed tone as the kids' eyes grow wide. "You want to know a secret about Grandma Val?"
They nod enthusiastically.
"Well, once upon a time, she was married to another man, not Bert," I tell them.
"You mean Daddy's dad?" Rocco asks in confusion, and I smile at him, proud of my son for being so clever.
"Yes, but she had another husband after that," I say as they urge me to go on. "That husband was Grandpa Tony."
Finally, I have Raina's attention, too. "But that means you and Daddy were brother and sister," she says with her eyebrows raised. I get ready for a barrage of questions, knowing they're about to come out of her mouth.
