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“Whatever you think, Murph.” I turn to see Belle and Katherine talking just as Tommy runs into the room with Rocky behind him, but moving much less quickly, and Nattie hot on their heels.
Nat’s got an “Oh shit” look on her face, and I’m bracing for the worst when Tommy opens his mouth. “Belles, did you know Rocky is pregnant? And she’s gonna be a mom in a couple of weeks? And guess what?” he asks as he bounces on his toes from all the excitement coursing through his body.
“I don’t know. What?” Annabelle gives Tommy her full attention.
He sits down next to Rocky and pets her gently. “Rocky needs homes for her babies, and Nattie thought maybe we could give one of the puppies a good home. Wouldn’t that be so cool? We could have our own dog. Please, Belles?”
Damn. The look Belle gives Nattie should have her shaking in her shoes. Instead, she smiles, shrugs her shoulders, and says, “Wait until you see how cute the puppies are gonna be, Belles.” Nattie sits on the floor next to Tommy and tickles his side, making him giggle, but he doesn’t pull away.
When Belle looks to me as if asking what I think, I lift my shoulders and smile. “Why not?”
“What am I going to do with you Sinclairs?” she asks, looking between Nattie and me.
“Love us,” Nat responds.
I wrap my arms around Belle’s waist and whisper in her ear, “Yup. Love us.”
When Belle pulls her head back, a beautiful pink flush covers her cheeks.
Nattie covers Tommy’s eyes. “Eww. No kissing in front of the K-I-D.”
“It’s okay. They kiss all the time.” Tommy hops up and starts to rummage through the Sweet Temptations bag until he finds a cookie for Rocky. “I saw Declan put his tongue in Belle’s mouth.” As if that bomb wasn’t bad enough, he turns to me. “Did she have food stuck in there or something?”
I rub my hand down my face and watch Nattie redeem herself... a little. She holds her hand out to Tommy. “Come on, little man. Let’s go decide where the best place for the touch football game is. You thinking front yard or backyard?”
As soon as Nattie is out of sight, Katherine leans into me and Belle whispering, “Whatever you do, do not eat the brownies. Natalie made them, and they are not good.” Her nose scrunches, and her lips purse before she walks away.
Once the kitchen calms down, I see my opening and grab my dad. “Hey, Dad, can I talk to you?”
He leads me into his office, shocking me. “You finally unpacked?” My eyes roam the office, and I’m floored by the difference in here. There are no boxes anywhere. His jersey is finally hanging on the wall, along with a few different framed shots of him playing and coaching.
“Katherine is a force of nature. She didn’t want me working in a room full of boxes. Something about it not being good for productivity. It was bugging her, so I unpacked.” When I just stare at him, he adds, “Well, she may have helped. Happy wife, happy life. Remember that, son.” He drops into his chair. “So, I see things are progressing with Annabelle. Might want to watch what happens in front of Tommy. Your mother and I got a call from your preschool teacher after you told her that Daddy likes to hug Mommy naked.” He chuckles, “Not a call I recommend having to take.”
“I love her, Dad. I’m not sure if she’s ready to hear it yet, but it doesn’t make it any less true.” I sit across from him before continuing, “She feels like home. Tommy and her. Like this is the life I was supposed to find. Supposed to live. Fate. What’s that saying you like?”
“Amor Fati. ‘Love your fate.’ It was one of my favorite things I learned in my philosophy class in college.” Dad eyes me for a moment before asking, “Are you sure, Dec? It’s awfully fast.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do. What did you tell me after you proposed to Katherine?”
“When you know, you know,” he responds immediately.
“Well, I know. I have no doubt she’s it for me.” I pause and look at the family pictures behind him that rest on the built-in shelves. Pictures of my brother, sister, and me throughout our lives. Pictures of his family. “Annabelle’s it, Dad. I want to marry her. I want to raise a family with her.” I’m relieved when he smiles because I don’t know how he’s going to react to my next question. “I want to know if I could have Nana’s engagement ring.”
Dad’s parents, Nana and Pop, had the happiest relationship I ever saw. They were a true partnership in every sense of the word. They always held hands and danced in the kitchen after dinner. We used to stay with them during the summer, and I always looked forward to it. You saw the love shining in both their eyes until the day Nana died. Pop was heartbroken, but I still remember him telling me that the love of a good woman was the greatest gift any man could ever ask for and you need to make sure you earned it every day.
They were married seventy years before we lost Nana, and Pop left us a few months later. I think he died of a broken heart.
“You’re the oldest, Dec. The ring’s yours if you want it.” He pauses for a moment, then clears the emotion from his throat. “I think Nana would have loved Annabelle and Tommy. She’d have doted on them both. Pops would have made her eat more and helped you teach Tommy everything he doesn’t already know about football. I think it’s an extraordinary thing to give Annabelle your grandmother’s ring, son.”
He stands and walks around the desk and then wraps his arms around me in the kind of hug he used to give us when we were little. “It’s in the safe in my bedroom. I’ll get it for you as soon as I can slip away. Do you know how you’re going to propose?”
I shake my head. “No, I just want to have it when the right moment hits. I’m not sure yet if that’s going to be a grand gesture or a quiet one. Guess I’ve should tell her I love her first.”
“Yeah, you may want to get on that.”
