After patting his knees for a moment, she plopped onto all fours and crawled over to her blocks. I watched her, that wistful, wanting feeling growing inside me that had taken over so many of my waking hours recently, and then threaded my fingers through Sam’s.
“I love you.” When he said it back, my heart thumped harder. “This is exactly what I’ve always wanted my life to be like. Ever since Evie came into the world… it’s like my heart grew up. I can’t imagine not having her and you to fill it.”
When he leaned against my side with a sigh, I knew the time had come. “Move in with us. I mean, we should get a new place, and all move in together.”
Sam’s gasp cut short when his lips crashed into mine. “Yes, Gil. I want that so much. I’ve been going over my budget and think—”
I cut him off with another kiss. “We can talk about the particulars later. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, baby.”
On the other side of the room, Evie tossed her pink block, tipped over to place her hands on the floor, positioned her feet, popped her butt in the air, and stood up.
“Did she just—”
“Oh my gosh, did you see—”
Before Sam or I could finish our questions, Evie turned toward us, hands waving and toothy smile splitting her face, and wobbled forward one step after another. We both stretched our hands out as she took her first steps across the room. She crowed with delight when she reached us, and I swept her up into my arms as I jumped off the couch.
Sam did the same, and I wrapped my free arm around him and pulled him close. The three of us danced around in a goofycircle. “You walked, Evie. You’re such a strong, amazing girl!” I had no idea I was crying until Sam kissed my wet cheek.
“I love you both so much,” he said and squeezed us more tightly, his head resting on my shoulder. “I want to be there for every single milestone going forward. Gil…” He met my eyes, and I saw his glistened with unshed tears, too. “You’re the answer to every dream I’ve ever had.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Evie twirled around as quickly as her toddler legs could go, her little purple coat swinging out around her. “Poppy!” she yelled as soon as I rounded the corner. “Cocoa!” She waved her new brown-striped stuffed cat, the one she’d hugged all Christmas afternoon a few weeks earlier, at me as if I could ever forget her new plushie’s name.
Gil held a cup of the chocolate drink of the same name in each hand, now undoubtedly as chilly as the breezes meandering across the town square. His eyes lit up when he spotted me, and he stood up to steal a kiss.
“Kiss me, Poppy.” Evie bounced in her little boots. “Daddy, up!”
“My hands are full, sweet pea,” he said with a laugh.
I set the bag of muffins on the bench and took one of the cups. Before taking a sip, I bent down to give Evie a smooch on one pink cheek. “I missed you and Daddy. Did you have a good lunch?” An emergency meeting with a fifteen-year-old whose parents kicked him out of the house after finding lipstick in his room called me away from our family outing.
“It’s yummy. Cocoa!” She pointed her cat at the cups and climbed up onto the bench to reach for it. Our girl certainly made her desires known.
Gil handed one over carefully, tossed the other in a nearby garbage can, and wrapped his arms around me. He lowered his voice. “Did everything turn out okay?”
I sighed and squeezed him a bit tighter. “Moni put the wheels in motion. His friend’s parents might take him in, and he actually talked to me for a while, so I think he’ll be okay.” Not every young person who found themselves in trouble wanted to talk to a counselor. Showing up when Prism House needed me and volunteering with the family at other times made it easier. Commitment helped them trust, and I liked to think seeing a happy, successful gay family gave them hope for a brighter future.
Speaking of commitment… I pulled away and met Gil’s eyes. “Just two weeks to go.”
His smile stretched wider and made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. “This is the easiest wedding I’ve ever had to plan, you know.”
Laughing, I smacked him on the arm. “That’s because you didn’t plan it.”
“What do you mean? I had to call all the vendors, tell them what we wanted…” Gil had done a bit of that, but his full-time assistant, Denise, handled most of the preparations.
The afternoon on the lakeshore had already felt like the most perfect day in my whole life. I’d gotten my master’s degree two months earlier, and the internship at Prism House was the perfect fit for my career plans. Paige had disappeared again – her attorney contacted Giovanni with the particulars -- and a lingering weight lifted off Gil’s shoulders. Even his business was on an upswing. The four client couples kept him and Denise busy, but a sense of ease balanced the hard work. Hiring her had been a smart decision.
We each held one of Evie’s hands and stood on the pathway looking out over the blue water. I didn’t expect a thing when Gil nudged my shoulder, met my gaze with a nervous smile, and simply said, “Marry me.” It was the easiest decision I’d ever made. Now only two weeks remained until we’d both become Mr. Barron-Burkhart for eternity.
Late that night, after a particularly wild and dirty love-making session, we discussed the possibility of me adopting Evie after the wedding. Nothing would make me happier that to be her father for real, but it meant more court and dealing with Paige again. We didn’t have to rush anything. Our glorious, love-filled, sometimes chaotic lives kept us busy.
“All done,” Evie said and slid off the bench. She toddled to the garbage can and dropped the empty cup inside. “We go home now?”
Gil swung our daughter up onto his hip and pulled me close to his side. “Yes, sweet pea. We can go home now that the whole family’s here.”
