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My head was swimming, and I felt euphoric, like I was high. All the anguish I’d experienced over the past few days seemed like the stupidest waste of time. I cried a little more and he kept kissing me, kept whispering to me, begging me. “Please. Please stay. Don’t go. Don’t take my boys away from me.”
“Okay.” I whispered. “I’ll stay… on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“Youreallyneed to get better at talking to me.”
He threw his arms around me and crushed me to his chest, breathing against my neck. I felt the dampness from his eyes against my skin.
“I mean it, Andrew,” I said against his neck. “You don’t have to be good at talking, you just have tofrickingtry.”
“Oh damn, she’s cursing. You are serious, aren’t you, Sugar.”
“Dead serious.” I looked up at him and reached for his face to thumb away the few tears on his cheeks.
“Stop that,” he muttered, batting my hands away and rubbing his eyes on his sleeve. “Come on, you crazy woman, get in the car.”
“Oh,I’mcrazy,” I laughed, as he moved me around to the passenger side of the car. It was currently stuffed full of diaper bags and snacks, but I managed to fit in around the mess.
He climbed into the driver's side. “Yes, you’re crazy,” he muttered under his breath. “Hooking up with a man ten years older than you and then making him fall in love with you.Damn it.”
I laughed again. Nothing felt real, but I knew it was. It had to be. I felt like I could breathe again.
Andrew checked behind him carefully, reaching back for a second to squeeze the boy's feet, and then pulled out onto the highway again, switching lanes.
“When we get home, you’ll have to call your mom, let her know you’re not coming home.”
“Oh my god, Drew… I promised to help her.”
“What’s going on with her? Why does she need your help?”
As we drove, I explained the entire situation to him; about my dad being controlling, about him not letting her visit me, and about how she hasn’t worked in years because he wanted to keep her in the house. She needed to get out. She deserved someone who didn’t resent her.
“Okay,” he nodded. “I’ve got an idea. Don’t you worry your head over it, I’ll take care of it. I promise.”
“You know, I could get used to you communicating with me.”
He rolled his eyes and turned the music up. ABBA came on and I felt myself laugh as the familiar tune brought me back to that day in the dining room, dancing with my unborn twins.
We drove for a few minutes before I realized he hadn’t yet turned around.“Drew, where are we going?”
He turned the radio up, singing loudly – and badly – as he ignored my question.If you change your mind, I’m the first in line. Honey I’m still free, take a chance on me…
CHAPTER NINETEEN
It didn’t take long to figure out where we were going. Drew was still singing under his breath when we arrived at the courthouse, completely ignoring my demands to take me home.
“Not a chance, Maria,” he said finally, catching me by the wrist. “You’re beautiful, you’re perfect, and I’m not going to give you an extra moment to second-guess yourself. Let’s go, boys,” he said, hitching Jacob on his hip and basically throwing Matthew over his shoulder. He kicked the car door shut andwalked confidently towards the courthouse, not even looking back to make sure I was following him.
I shook my head in astonishment at my situation, and then jogged after him.
“Andrew, this is ridiculous!”
“I told you, you were a crazy woman.”
“Well that makes you a crazy man.”
“Well, at least you know what you’re getting yourself into.” He stopped in front of one of the clerks. Andrew was sweating and holding two infant children practically upside down. The boys thought it was a game, and giggled hysterically.
