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She’s all smiles as she assesses her new vantage point, practically eye level with Jaromir now. “I’m on top of the world!” She jumps in place on the table, and I’m about to correct her when Jaromir waves me off.
“On the count of three, okay?” Jaromir winks at me as I come over to join him in catching Tina. She lifts her arms and is about to leap onto us when Jaromir motions for her to turn around.
“Part of the trust fall is that you can’tseeif someone’s behind you,” he explains while Ryan backs up and out of the way. I smile, knowing my safety tips are sinking in.
“I’m next!” Ryan calls.
“Ready?” I ask Tina, and she raises her thumbs over her head.
“I think that’s a yes,” Jaromir says, looking into my eyes as we both hold our arms out for Tina.
“One, two,” Tina counts.
“Two and a half,” Ryan adds, and I’m proud when his sister ignores him.
“Three!” She jumps back, and Jaromir and I both have to adjust to catch her. “That was the best trust fall!” she says.
“That was more like a trust jump.” Jaromir taps the top of her head a few times.
Tina beams. “Still. I’d give it a ten out of ten.”
“Fair enough,” Jaromir laughs, and I wonder if the orc has ever had the chance to be anything besides the one doing all the catching. Though a silly game, there’s something about it that’s thrilling and safe at the same time. Sort of like Jaromir himself.
“Your turn, Ryan,” Tina says, walking over to take her brother’s place as spectator, pushing him toward the pool table. “You gotta close your eyes, though. That’s the fun part.”
Ryan obliges, but at the last minute, spins onto his belly to face us as we catch him in our arms. A tiny oof escapes him, and I know he’s just found a new favorite game to play.
“Wild!” He and Tina both ask to go again, but the stew is ready and the leftover rolls for our meatball subs won’t be getting any softer.
“Next time,” Jaromir says, and I love the way the kids agree.
He lets them stand, jump, climb, sit, and even eat on everything in his house, so it makes me proud to know they can respect him long enough to take him seriously. Especially if this is going to keep being a thing. Me and Jaromir, that is.
Next time.I think the words all through dinner, savoring them just as much as the thick and perfectly spiced panacea.
“I love stew,” I say as soon as he joins me downstairs again. The kids had asked Jaromir for a bedtime story, something made up and full of foosball, which he obliged as I made my first and only fire. I watch the flames lick and spread across the fragrant wood.
“I love you,” Jaromir says as my next words completely escape me. Did he just say love? Like love, love? He’s said it in the bedroom, which isn’t quite the same as this admission he drops so confidently. “And I mean, love-love you,” he adds.
I laugh because the answer is perfect. And easy to reply to. “I love-love you, too.” It feels good to say the words, almost as if I’d been holding them in all this time.
His hand finds its way to the back of my neck, and I lean into it as he presses his lips to mine. I melt a little more than normal and wrap my arms around his waist to steady myself.
“Then will you marry-marry me?”
The ring’s in his hand before I can do more than blink. I raise my hand to let him slip the sparkling princess cut on my finger. I almost can’t believe the fingers I’m wiggling are mine. I don’t think I’ve ever sported a ring worth more than a car, even when I played dress up as a kid and got into all my grandmother’s jewelry.
“I will. Of course I will.” He smiles and gets up, gesturing for me to do the same. He scoops me up into a hug and spins us around the room until my leg knocks over a lamp.
“Worth it,” Jaromir says as he scoops me into his arms, over the shattered lamp, and into the master bedroom.
31
JAROMIR
“You look like a million bucks, Mr. Melody,” Tina teases, adjusting my bow tie while standing on the couch of our suite in the greenest Mary Janes an eight-figure salary can buy.
It’s been six months since I proposed to Melody, three since my kid-to-be started calling me Mr. Melody, and two and a half since my other other kid-to-be decided to be a follower and copy his sister.
