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While I begin scooping ice cream into three bowls, Lee grabs the fudge and caramel from the fridge and warms them up.
Olivia hops down from the counter and asks, “Is everyone else home? I want everyone to see.”
“Rowen and Ace should be home soon, and Eli is downstairs in the gym,” I say, handing Lee the bowls of vanilla ice cream so she can scoop spoonfuls of fudge and caramel on top of them.
As if on cue, Eli walks into the kitchen wearing basketball shorts, using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“Hey, kid.” He smiles, seeing Olivia. His relationship with her took me by surprise. He’s never liked children, and it’s interesting to see how much they adore each other. He probably wouldn’t admit it, but she’s grown on him, and he loves her.
“Eli, look.” She happily shows him the grade on her test.
Eli looks at the paper and nods, a faint smile spreading across his lips. I watch silently as he walks to the fridge, removes the butterfly magnet I gave Lee as a joke, then uses the magnet to hang the paper on the refrigerator. “I’m proud of you, kid.”
“Hey, baby.” He kisses Lee’s cheek, then opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water before walking toward the table and sitting down, Olivia running after him.
While they chat, I help my butterfly finish the ice cream. I laugh when I see how extreme she made the sundaes. They’re loaded with fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
“Don’t want to ruin dinner, right?” I tease, placing a spoon in each bowl.
She shrugs. “My girl got an A. Look how happy she is.” She picks up two bowls and carries them to the table, placing one in front of Olivia, then sits beside her and begins eating her ice cream.
We’ve just finished our ice cream when Rowen and Ace join us in the kitchen. Ace carries boxes of wings and a salad, while Rowen carries pizza boxes.
I’m sure that Lee texted them and told them to bring dinner home since, instead of cooking, she decided to join Olivia and me for ice cream.
They set the food in the middle of the table and wash their hands before rejoining us.
Excited, Olivia wastes no time telling them all about her day at school and the grade she received that Eli proudly hung on the fridge door.
For years, our family dinners have consisted of just Eli, Rowen, and me. And now, our family has grown by three, and I couldn’t be happier.
Ace, Lee, and Olivia complete our family.
We’re one big, unconventional, happy family, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I’ve always dreamed of having a big family. Having a woman to share my bed with and hearing a child’s laughter in my home. I wanted it, but I never believed that it would ever happen to me.
Little did I know that one day it would.
I don’t know how the fuck a guy like me got so God damn lucky, but I’m counting my blessings every single day.
After dinner, we’re all sitting at the table talking about our day when Olivia takes us all by surprise and says, “Lee, I don’t want to call you mommy.”
It’s entirely out of the blue, and silence washes over us.
Lee reaches for her hand. “I didn’t ask you to, Olivia. What brought this up?”
“I already have a mommy, but I was wondering…” She pauses, looking around at us shyly.
“It’s okay, sweet girl. You can tell me anything.”
She takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if I can call you mom. I want you to be my mom and me to be your daughter.” My jaw drops, my eyes quickly looking toward my butterfly, who sits there silently, her eyes welling with tears.
Unable to speak, she nods her head. “Y-yes. You can call me mom,” she chokes out, wiping away the tears that dared to fall.
Happily, Olivia wraps her arms around her mother and hugs her with a huge smile.
Pulling away, she looks toward Eli, Rowen, Ace, and me.
