Marriage Material

I look down at Charlotte. “You think I’d forget that?” I ask her, and she gives me a smile. Robin spent a chunk of time finding her and Charlotte matching Christmas outfits. I thought it was adorable until she got me a sweater that matched, too. I know I’ll never hear the end of this when her brothers see me, but at the end of the day I don’t give a shit as long as it makes her happy.

It doesn’t take us long before we’re all packed up and headed to her parents’ house.

“You really did a great job on the lights,” Robin says as we get out of the car.

Her brothers and I did everyone’s house in the family. Somehow along the way I became one of them. I still laugh when I think about the night of our wedding reception when Kent thanked me because he doesn’t have to chase men off his sister anymore. Apparently, it was a lot of work. His comment made me laugh and want to punch someone at the same time. It’s a good thing he told me after the wedding because I would have dragged us off to Vegas to seal the deal faster and Ma would have murdered me.

I get Charlotte out of her car seat and she reaches for Robin. “Mama,” she says.

Robin comes over and takes her from me. I think Charlotte is already seeing she can get anything from Robin right now as long as she keeps saying Mama over and over. I guide her over the steps of her parents’ house, but before we can get to the door it’s already being opened up for us.

“You’re here!” Ma exclaims as if she didn’t see us last night. She hugs and kisses us before pulling us into the house.

“What are you wearing?” are the first words out of Kent’s mouth.

“Shut it,” Robin tells her brother as she walks by him.

I fight a smile when Kent gives me a hard look as if I tattled on him. I shrug, unable to fight my smirk. I watch as everyone falls all over Charlotte and she eats up the attention. My heart always warms watching everyone with her. All of these people love her, and even though this family is big and can drive you crazy, I know there will always be someone there for her. Never again will there be a chance of her falling into the system. She’ll always have someone who loves her.

I pull my wife into my lap as everyone starts opening gifts. She leans into me and I nibble at her neck before kissing the spot. She wiggles, and my hand comes around to rest on her belly protectively.

“Mama!” Charlotte says as she crawls over to us.

Robin lifts her into her arms and holds our baby girl close. My whole world is sitting in my lap and I take deep breath, trying to get my emotions under control. I never knew life could be this good. Before them I’d built a life so I could never be hurt again, but little did I know what was ahead.

“We have news,” Robin says over everyone.

The room grows quiet and everyone turns to look at us. I smile, knowing that this won’t be the last time my wife shares news like this. I’m going to make this family as big as my wife will let me, and this is only the beginning.

Epilogue

Robin

Five years later…

I put the pancakes and bacon on the breakfast bar and the lump in my throat won’t go away, no matter how hard to try to push it down. I knew this day would come, but it still feels like it’s too soon. My baby girl is growing up so fast. I swear it was only yesterday that she said her first word. I can hear her giggles in the other room and I know Anderson is doing her hair. He’s trying to help get her ready for the morning because I’m a mess. Also there’s no way the man could do breakfast. It’s the one thing he really hasn’t mastered.

A moment later I hear her feet running down the hallway right into the kitchen.

“Mommy, you need to do my hair,” she whispers.

She points at her head then runs over to me and turns around. I fix her braid fast before Anderson comes walking into the kitchen. She scurries over and climbs up the tall kitchen stool and sits down at her plate.

“I think I’m pretty good at this whole hair thing,” Anderson says proudly as he puffs out his chest a little.

“Prefect, Daddy.” Charlotte beams up him, nodding and never letting on that I always fix it when he’s done. I will say he’s getting better at it, but it still needs some work. I’m sure in no time he’ll have it down, even if he has to watch fifty YouTube videos to do it.