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It'll happen. Everything is perfect between us—and only getting better each day.
Matteo and Lauren arrive next, hands clasped tightly, bright smiles on their faces and eyes shining with happiness.
Matteo makes a beeline for Slade, hugging him in a tight embrace while saying, “My son, my son,” as he always does. Having a bonus son will never get old for him.
When everyone is seated at the breakfast table, Matteo holds up a purple muffin. “What kind?”
“It’s blueberry. They turn everything purple.” That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
“Ah yes, beautiful Marin. Thank you.” Matteo grabs a piece of bacon. He holds it between his thumb and forefinger as he studies it, perhaps debating if he’ll allow it inside his body.
“It’s bacon. Just eat it,” Lauren whispers.
Pretty sure Matteo is missing his mother’s amazing cooking.
Matteo and Lauren already behave like they’ve been married for years, when in fact it’s only been three months.
Matteo came for a visit to see his precious Laurie, and let’s just say they hit it off again immediately. Pretty sure there were lots of fireworks exploding. With nothing to hold them back, they decided to marry fairly quickly.
Slade loved seeing his parents so happy. He not only approved, but encouraged them to grasp the happiness being offered to them.
So we went into wedding mode for the second time and pulled off another beach ceremony.
It was an emotional event, the coming together of two people who’ve loved each other for a lifetime. Slade tried to hide his tears, but I reached up and dried them a few times. Seeing his biological parents marry was a poignant moment.
They spent a month honeymooning in Hawaii. Lauren came home rested and looking like a new woman. They plan to divide their time between Oregon and Venice from here on out. Matteo’s job allows him to work from home most of the time, conducting his meetings with clients over Zoom. He can do it as well from Oregon as he can from Venice.
Everything has worked out for the best, like someone tied a neat little bow around the Sheridan family.
Except for Slade and me. We’re the hold-outs. Wedding bells have not rung for us yet.
Matteo and Lauren are just as cuddly as Dex and Joss. We’re surrounded by matrimonial ecstasy. It puts us in an odd situation. We haven’t discussed it, and I’m trying to not let the smell of nuptials in the air influence me. I don’t want to marry Slade just to join the bandwagon. It needs to be the right time for us.
The thing is Iamready. I’m just waiting for Slade to bring it up again. He was adamant about not rushing me. He’s kept his promise.
He also kept his word about helping me to keep my promise to myself about waiting for marriage for intimacy. It hasn’t been easy, mind you. But I love him for never pressuring me. I maintain my stance that he’s perfect. Sans cheating at games. And winking. The winking has to stop.
“I heard the burnt bits are good for your digestion,” I tell Matteo.
This time the entire table loses it. What can I say? My cooking brings us together and makes for some happy family memories. Glad I can help.
Tate arrives, reaches for a muffin, then changes his mind. “I already ate.”
Highly doubtful.
Once breakfast is over, Slade, Dex, Matteo, and Tate head upstairs to get to work.
Lauren and Joss head for Slade’s office. They’re digitizing his old filing system. We’re all pitching in, doing whatever we can to bring Sheridan House back to life.
As for me, I’m going to clean the kitchen, then work on the menu for the next week. Slade is rather amused by my planning. I never deviate. Once scheduled, it’s law. If he’s bothered by my controlling ways, he’s never mentioned it.
There are no guest dishes to do. There are no guest rooms to clean. Because there are no guests. The magic of Sheridan House is temporarily out of order.
My thoughts are filled with Slade as I do the dishes. I sway a bit, exhausted from our late nights. We’ve been falling into our beds late and getting up before the sun has risen. It’s a crazy schedule. If I’m this tired, Slade must be drained.
Currently, there are no game nights. No long walks along the beach. No bubble shows. Life has changed.
I suppose I didn’t realize how sweet the last six months were until we suddenly lost that life. We all miss the days of Sheridan House running like a well-oiled machine, but I miss the perfection of those free and easy days even more. The sweetness of day after day after day of waking up just to spend time with Slade Sheridan was incredible. Once our work was done, the only thing on our to-do list was to be together. Lounging on the beach talking. Staring at the stars. Building sandcastles.
