Page 114 of The Guy in the Alley

The fuck.

“Gimme my ring back,” I told him.

He shook his head, smiling like only my jackass could, and brushed our noses together. “It’s gonna be great.”

“Not even if we were billionaires would I get married there.”

He unleashed his humor, and we laughed into the next kiss that thankfully lasted much longer. God, how I fucking loved this man.

* * *

I didn’t know who was more nervous, Ben or me.

I stayed back as he woke up Alvin, and I bit on my thumbnail. Only to catch a glimpse of my ring. Fuck me sideways. It was never coming off.

We’d have the best goddamn reception; I was sure of it. For the ceremony, I bet we’d hit the courthouse with a few witnesses, but the party afterward? It was gonna be lit.

“I’m tired, Dad,” I heard Alvin complain.

“I know, small fry, but I think you wanna see this. We’re at the ocean, and the sun is coming up.”

That caused a reaction. Alvin stiffened a little and cracked his eyes open as much as he could. His eyelids looked heavy.

“We’re here?”

I smiled.

“I can smell it!” The kid sat up straighter and blinked, as if trying to shake the cobwebs of sleep. “It smells so salty!” He accepted his glasses from Ben and put them on.

“Come see for yourself.” Ben eased out of the truck and extended a hand.

Alvin wasn’t interested in the hand. He scrambled out on his own, eyes growing larger and larger.

“Morning, bud.” I gestured at the path between two sandbanks. “Right this way.”

“Oh my God,” Alvin breathed. Then he took off in a sprint. “Is it deep?”

“No, it’s very shallow in this area,” I said, following.

Ben did the same, and we ran after.

Damn, the kid was fast. We only caught up because Alvin stopped to kick off his shoes before he was on the move again. Running, pulling up his sweats as he went, and tugging off his socks.

“Look at all those sandbanks and tide pools!” he called.

He slowed down as he reached the water’s edge, and with the first baby wave rolling in over his feet, he grew confident enough to stride out there. And it was the most precious fucking sight. Ben and I came to a stop, and we just watched him.

Alvin turned out to be the sweetest giggler. He bent down and touched the water, and he kicked at it a little.

“It’s so warm!”

Sure, compared to Lake Michigan.

I’d wait for the sun to heat up the depths before I joined him.

Ben threaded our fingers together, and I squeezed his hand, knowing I’d never been this happy before. I lost my fucking words, and a Kalecki never lost his words.

“I’m gonna explore every tide pool,” Alvin swore. “Dad, the sand is so soft.”

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