Say It's Not Fake

“Come with me. I’ll show you.” Whitney waved her inside.

“I told her not to carry that heavy cake, but she won’t listen,” Lena’s husband Jeremy complained carrying their daughter Daisy.

“I’m not an invalid, you moron!” Lena hollered from the kitchen.

“She acts like me caring about her physical well-being is a bad thing,” Jeremy snipped, but you could tell he didn’t mean it. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

“Upstairs with my mom getting ready. You can take Daisy up there if you want.”

Daisy was wriggling in Jeremy’s grasp. “I think that’s a good idea. This monkey is full of energy today.”

I clasped his shoulder as he walked past. “Glad you’re here,” I told him.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Jeremy replied.

Over the next hour, Meg and Adam arrived, their two-month-old son Tyler asleep in his car seat.

“Whit put up the porta-crib in our room, Meg. Katie’s baby monitor is already plugged in up there,” I told my friend.

“Perfect. Thanks, Web.” She kissed my cheek. “Has my mother showed up yet?”

“She’s inside cutting up vegetables. Leo went out to get more hamburger buns but should be back soon.” Whitney’s mother June and Leonard Ship had progressed in their relationship to full-blown dating. They were talking about selling Leo’s house and moving into June’s. Whitney had signed over the property to her mom a few months ago now that she was living here.

“Hey, buddy, where’s the beer. I need one,” Adam asked, looking haggard.

“The new parent gig is no joke, right?” I pointed to the cooler sitting in the shade at the far end of the patio.

“Tyler has been waking up every two hours to eat. Meg’s breastfeeding, but I’ve been getting up with her so she’s not up all by herself. I fell asleep eating cereal this morning.” He yawned. “Anyway, I have good news.”

He pulled up an email on his phone and passed it to me. It was from Josie’s attorney. It was the official notice that she had dropped her bid for custody of Katie. The visitation order still stood, but I hadn’t heard from Josie since she had gone back to Florida after the accident.

It sucked, but it was better this way. Adam said that there was no way she’d be able to fight me for custody in the future now. And that’s all I really cared about. Maybe one day down the road, she’d get it together enough to want to be a part of Katie’s life, but that was on her. My baby wouldn’t suffer for it. Because she had parents that loved her and put her first. Always.

Things had changed for the better since the accident. Whitney quit her job at the law office and took a position as head of makeup for an independent movie shooting at Sunlight Studios. It was a low paying gig, but it obviously made her happy.

“The best thing is I get to come home every night,” she breathed in my ear before kissing me in that way that always led to more.

What had once been a fake marriage was 100% real. We were in this for the long haul. I loved her, and she loved me. And we both loved Katie more than anything.

Skylar showed up next, followed by Robert. Ever since Skylar had told me about Robert, I had been looking at the quiet man in a new light. He was definitely an enigma, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was crazy about Murphy. Even if she staunchly refused to speak to him. The thing about Skylar was once she had written you off, it was damn near impossible to change her mind.

But it was a shame because I could tell she liked Jenkins. They spent more time pretending not to watch each other than anything else. Maybe one day they’d get it together. After all, it had only taken Whit and me fifteen years.

“Hey, the kids from Katie’s daycare are starting to show up. Your mom is bringing her downstairs now. Battle stations,” Whitney whispered into my ear, her lips touching my skin.

Before she could move, I grabbed her, held her tight, and kissed her. The way I could anytime I wanted. Because she was my wife, and we loved each other.

“I love you, Mrs. Webber,” I said with a smile.

“I love you too, Mr. Webber,” she said, smiling back.