Page 110 of Truth or More Truth
I give her a quick kiss before paddling us toward more shallow water where I can touch the bottom. I’m in good shape, but there’s no reason to wear myself out when I can move a few feet and stand. We kiss again but keep it fairly chaste, since my daughter is likely watching us through the kitchen window.
“Tell me about the master suite,” I say after helping Melissa peel the wet robe off and flinging it to the pool deck.
“The bedroom is huge—plenty big enough for your California king with lots of room to spare. There’s also an attached living area and a breakfast nook with a mini kitchen. It has two walk-in closets, and the bathroom is enormous. The tub is my favorite part.”
“Oh, yeah? Why?”
She smirks. “Because it’s big enough for two.” Then her smile drops and she covers her mouth with a hand. “Oh, gross. That’s my parents’ bathroom. I don’t want to think about them having a tub big enough for two!”
The laugh that erupts out of me can only be described as a cackle. “It’s funny how you’re grossed out by that kind of thing, but Kelli isn’t.”
“I guess she’s more mature than I am.” She shrugs.
“We can renovate the bathroom if that’ll help. Anything for you, my Pookie.”
“Right back at you, B.S.”
epilogue
. . .
August 1989
Evanston, Illinois
“Kelli, come on! We gotta go!” I yell.
I’m waiting for her in the kitchen of our new home. Well, it’s her new home, but my old home. We’ve been here for almost two months now, and while it’s sometimes strange to be living here without my parents, it’s also the fulfillment of a dream I didn’t know I had six months ago. I had assumed I’d inherit the home when my parents passed away, but I hoped that would still be a decade or three down the road. I also hadn’t been sure I’d be able to afford to keep it, so I didn’t allow myself to think about potentially living here ever again.
My future step-daughter finally careens into the room carrying a gift wrapped in light yellow paper and skids to a stop next to me.
“I hope it’s a girl! I really, really,reallyhope it’s a girl!” She flings her empty arm around me and squeezes tightly.
I extricate myself from her grip and usher her out into the garage. “I know you do, but please don’t be visibly upset if it’s a boy.”
“I won’t. I’m just so excited for Aunt Wendy and Uncle Randall!” she gushes as we load into the car, where Nanette is already waiting for us. “Are Aunt Andrea and Emily on their way?”
I start the car and back out of the garage. “Their flight from Little Rock will arrive in a couple hours. Your dad is going to pick them up from the airport and bring them straight to the hospital.”
As soon as Kelli met Wendy and Leslie, she started calling them her aunts. And she decided that since Andrea is Wendy’s sister, she’s also an aunt. The kid now has more aunts and uncles than she knows what to do with, and they all spoil her rotten. Bobby and I are hoping that with the arrival of this new baby, the focus on Kelli will die down a bit, since it’s starting to go to her head. We want her to love her new “family,” and we’re glad they immediately accepted her as one of their own, but we need some normalcy around here, and the extravagant gift giving really needs to stop. The kid has more than she’ll ever need already. But it’s really hard to complain about how happy she is to be here and how seamlessly she and Nanette have both fit into everyone’s lives.
While we make the short drive to the hospital, Kelli keeps up a monologue from the backseat about all the things she’s going to do with and for the baby, as she has declared herself the official babysitter of Baby Hamilton.
Nanette and I smile at each other, happy at how excited she is. I thought Nanette and I would get along and probably be friends, but it turns out we’re kindred spirits, as Anne Shirley would say. We share a lot of the same interests, we have a similar sense of humor, and she’s been a great resource for me when trying to figure out how to deal with all of Bobby’s various moods. Instead of us being rivals, she’s more of a mentor to me in that area. It’s a strange friendship, but it works for us.
“I feel bad for Tonya and Sonya,” Kelli says with a sigh. “They both have to leave for college next week, so they won’t get to spend much time with their new niece or nephew. Of course, I start school the week after that, but at least I’ll still get to see the baby every day.”
Though Tonya and Sonya are the sisters of Kelli’s new “uncles,” she doesn’t call them her aunts, as they’re not much older than she is. They’ve also adopted her and have spent more time with her than I would imagine most older teen girls would.
“Kelli,” her mom says, “you’re not going to see the baby every day.“
“But why not? I already love her … or him …,” she reluctantly amends, “so much! I won’t be in the way, I promise. I can help change diapers and give bottles and?—”
“You’re going to be a great help,” Nanette cuts in. “But not every day. They’ll want time together as a new family of three, and Wendy and Randall will need time to bond with their baby without other people running in and out all day every day. You’ll get plenty of time with them and the baby, though. Don’t worry.”
When we arrive at the hospital waiting room, the place is in a state of minor chaos. Wendy’s parents are here, along with Ruth and her new boyfriend, Tonya and Sonya, Ash, Diego, and now the three of us. Randall and Leslie are both in the delivery room with Wendy. She asked if I’d like to be there, too, but I declined because she doesn’t need the room cluttered with onlookers. I’m hoping Leslie isn’t having to spend more time keeping Randall calm than supporting Wendy, but I think that might be too much to hope for.
Diego is pacing and muttering about how Wendy needs to push this baby out before he has to head to the stadium. I’m thinking he should just be glad today’s game is at home and is a rare night game, so he can be here now, but I’m not about to state my opinion on that. Nanette is trying her best to calm him down, but she’s only mildly successful.
