“Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!”
I laughed as the crowd chanted, but they didn’t have to do it for long. Ana nodded her head as tears streaked down her cheeks, and it launched me from the floor. I wrapped my arms around her and crashed my lips to hers, bending her back as Brody yelped with excitement.
“My parents are getting married!”
I laughed against her lips before I settled her on her feet. Then I plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. I wrapped her up in my arms and kissed her one last time, pulling another cheer from the crowd before the music struck back up. Then I took her hand and the hand of my son and escorted my family off the stage.
“Are you moving in now?” Brody asked.
“I think so, Son.”
“Can we have movie nights every night?”
“Of course we can,” I said.
“Can we camp in the backyard and have sleepovers, too?”
“I bet we can even convince your Mom to go camping in a national park with us,” I said.
“Will you, Mom? Will you come camping with Daddy and me?” Brody asked.
“I suppose it depends on when you want to go,” Ana said.
“We can go anytime you want,” I said.
“As long as it’s within the next three months, we’re good. Otherwise, it might not be a good idea,” Ana said.
“I think we can make within three months happen. What do you say, Brody?”
“Yeah! Camping with Mom and Dad!”
Ana wrapped her hand around my wrist and guided my hand down her body. It graced her chest and slid down her stomach, then stopped right at her belly button. I furrowed my brow as my eyes caught hers, and then everything slowly fell into place. The water. Picking at her food. The sleep in her eyes that had kept her from dancing.
The next three months.
“Oh my gosh,” I whispered.
“I think this one’s going to be a little harder on me this time,” Ana said.
“Oh my gosh,” I said.
“What is it, Daddy?” Brody asked.
“Are you really?” I asked.
“Is Mom what? What’s going on?” Brody asked.
“Sweetheart, how would you like to have a little brother or sister?” Ana asked.
My jaw hit the floor as her eyes fell to Brody.
“You’re going to have a baby?” he asked.
“I am. Is that okay?” Ana asked.
Tears filled my eyes as I drew her into my arms. I couldn’t believe it. Ana was pregnant. Our family was growing and we were getting married. I laughed into the crook of her neck and spun her around, kissing her shoulder as my tears dropped onto her skin.
“You’re pregnant,” I whispered.
“We’re pregnant,” Ana said.
“We’re going to do it right this time,” I said.
“I know,” Ana said.
“We’re going to do it right from here on out.”
“It’s going to be perfect, Tyler.”
I settled her back down on her feet before I hoisted my son into the crook of my arm.
“We’re going to do this right,” I said.
“I’m gonna be a big brother?” Brody asked.
“You are, sweet boy,” Ana said.
“And Daddy’s gonna live with us?” he asked.
“I am,” I said.
The second Brody wrapped his arms around both of us, my life finally fell into place. I had my son, I had my business, and I had the woman I loved. We were creating a family. We were creating a legacy. We were creating a history I had always known we would.
It was everything I could have ever wanted, everything I had dreamed of in college.
And then, even though I didn’t think it could, it got better.
“I love you guys,” I said breathlessly.
“We love you too,” Brody said.
I looked into my son’s face as a smile crossed his cheeks.
“You love me?” I asked.
“You’re my dad. Of course I love you,” he said.
Hearing my son tell me he loved me for the first time made an already perfect moment even better. The only thing I knew to do was celebrate, to commit every single moment of this night to memory. So, I pulled my family out onto the dance floor and put Brody on my shoulders as people clapped and smiled, cheering us on.
It was time to create some true family memories.
***The End***