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I can hear my wife and her friends laughing but I’m dead serious. Rooney is liable to set himself or the cabin on fire before he gets it going.
“I’ll get it,” I tell Rooney and he shrugs, but I can see the grin. He likes scaring the crap out of me.
“Food’s almost done!” Coraline calls, and he and Harvey head inside as I stack the logs to start the campfire.
It’s getting dark and I know we’ll probably eat out here since there isn’t enough chairs or room inside. If these camping trips become a regular thing, we’re going to have to buy a new cabin or build onto this one.
“I made you a plate,” Caroline says as she comes outside and I kiss her, taking the plate and smiling as Charlotte takes the chair next to me.
“S’mores,” Charlotte whispers as she shoves a huge bite of hot dog into her mouth and I laugh.
“Soon,” I promise her and she smiles.
Charlotte and I have grown closer over the last year. She loves to be outdoors, so I try to pick her up from school at least twice a week so that we can go hiking or sledding in the winter. I think she likes that she gets time alone with me and I like that I get to share something special with her.
Caroline takes a seat on my other side and I smile, passing her the water bottle I grabbed for her earlier.
“Thanks.”
She leans over and kisses my cheek and I finish my food, leaving her the chips that I know she’s been craving lately.
“You’re the best,” she says when I put them on her plate and I laugh.
I rub her neck as she eats and look around at our friends. I was always a bit of a loner, but now I have friends, a daughter, and another kid on the way, as well as the woman of my dreams. I have this whole family and it’s more than I could have ever hoped for, but it’s exactly what I need.
“Ready for s’mores?” I ask, and I can’t help but laugh when Rooney and Charlotte both shout yes.
Life with my girls is perfect.
ChapterNineteen
Caroline
Ten Years Later…
“Ready for date night?” I ask Heath as I come into the bathroom where he’s brushing his teeth and he nods enthusiastically, causing me to laugh.
“Me, too. It’s been too long,” I say as I tie my hair up on top of my head.
I’m already dressed and we need to drop the kids off at Gracie and Ken’s place in a few minutes so they can babysit for us. Our kids are best friends with theirs, so it’s really more like a play date. We take turns, switching off every other month so that we each get a bit of a break and some alone time with our husbands.
Heath and I have been married for ten years now and have three wonderful kids. Charlotte loves being the big sister and she’s so patient with Calvin and Rhys.
“Come on, Mom and Dad!” Rhys yells from downstairs and I grin at Heath in the mirror.
“Ready?” he asks and I nod, letting him take my hand and lead me downstairs.
The kids talk excitedly about what they’re going to do over at the Coleman’s. Some new movie just came out and they can’t wait to watch it. They practically jump out of the car before we’ve even parked and I laugh as I walk them up to the front door.
“Hey guys!” Gracie says as she opens the door and the kids yellhias they dart past her to catch up with their friends.
“Hey,” I say and she laughs.
“The kids are jumping on the trampoline now that it’s not a hundred degrees out.”
“They’ve been talking about coming over all day. Thanks so much for watching them.”
“Of course! You two have fun. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
