Our house has been filled with kids and dogs and so much love. And while Jimmy thought he would crush the stay-at-home-dad gig, Shep proved to be the master at that role. He kept the pet store but rarely took a shift unless someone was sick. He had kids to raise, dogs to train, and best friend code to follow.
To this day, he still has that wrinkled piece of paper that he occasionally pulls out of a drawer and reads with his reading glasses. Then he glances up at me while I’m crocheting something, and he says, “I still can’t believe you said all these words when you only meant to say three.”
I hold his gaze for a few moments. Even our stare-offs are competitive. He waits. And I surrender. I no longer care to fight with him; I only fight for him. “I love you.”
The End