Page 39 of This Is Why

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The daywith Gabe is good. We work on his Lego house. We throw the football in the backyard. We eat a man lunch of meat and cheese. When Gabe gets tired, he hangs out on the couch while I bombard him with questions about his interests and he returns fire with questions about being a Marine. By the time Lexi arrives home, I feel like either one of us could pass a trivia test on the other with flying colors.

“How are my two favorite men?” Lexi asks as she dashes her keys on the table near thedoor.

“Good,” we call out in unison and then start laughing.

She comes around the corner, catches my eyes, and gives me a thumbs up and a massivegrin.

“Is that a yes?” I ask, sitting up straighter and taller, excitement building in my stomach.

“That’s a yes.” She paces into the living room and perches on the edge of the couch next to me. “I can’t believe it, but they gave me a full three weeksoff.”

“What? I thought you said you had just under three weeks.”

“I know.” She bites her bottom lip, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I did. But when I explained why I wanted the time off, the department head was so taken with the story, she told me to take three. I’ll pay for it when I get back, of course, but for now, I don’t evencare.”

“That means you guys will be there for the Fourth of July. I’ll take you out to Magic Island to see fireworks. Although, I have to warn you, it’s so beautiful there, it’s not my fault if you fall completely in love withme.”

“And what if you fall completely in love with me?” Lexi’s tone of voice is lighthearted, but the look in her eyes is way more complicated than that. Did I stumble into a landminehere?

I opt for a lighthearted response in return. “That’s totally your fault. Of course.”

Lexi bobs her head. “Right. Of course. How silly ofme.”

I put my hand on hers. “So, just to be super clear, this is happening?” A list of all the things we need to accomplish has already started forming in my head. Plane tickets. Packing. It’s a lot and we have very little time, but I’ll make itwork.

“This is happening.” Lexi nods, her eyes wide and full of wonder.

Gabe, who has been sitting quietly next to me, watching the conversation with confused interest up to this point, sits forward. “What’s happening?”

I look to Lexi who grins. “Oh, you know. Not much,” she says, as her grin becomes a full-on smile. “Except we’re going to Hawaii withTy.”

Gabe leaps to his feet. “For real?” We nod and he does the most ridiculous happy dance I’ve ever seen in my life. When he finally comes to a stop, he tilts his head to the side and says, as seriously as can be, “What’s Hawaii?”

* * *

The official listof shit to do just got significantly longer. I’m packed. That’s no big deal. But Lexi and Gabe need to pack for three weeks and we need to figure out last minute flight arrangements and I need to make one more trip out to see my sister and her son who came home from the hospital yesterday. I want Gabe and Lexi to come with me to meet Paige. My sister wanted a cousin for Leo, and well, it’s in my nature to give my sister what she wants.

To the average citizen, this might seem like an impossible amount of stuff to get done before we drop Gabe off at the Carmichael’s for an overnight this evening--thank you Michelle for small favors--but I am not your average citizen. I snap into badass leader mode and start checking shit off the list at a near franticpace.

Plane tickets? Done.

Three weeks’ worth of clothing packed for two people? Done.

Snacks and entertainment planned for a long-ass flight with a six-year-old? Yep. That shit’s done, too.

“You didn’t think I could do it, did you?” I ask Lexi as we lock up her house on our way to see Paige.

“I had my doubts. That was an impossiblelist.”

I place my hand on the small of her back and lead her to the car. “I keep tellingyou—”

“Nothing is impossible,” she says, laughing. “I know, I know. The best part is, I’m starting to believeyou.”

Paige lives across town, which doesn’t mean much in Brookside. Eight minutes later, we pull into the driveway in front of her quaint little ranch-style house. It’s small and dated, but well cared for, although the grass could use cutting. I knock on the door and then let myselfin.

“Your grass is a little long,” I call out as I hold open the door for Gabe and Lexi to enter. Lexi looks appalled, but I just shake my head. Paige knows I’m full of shit and can dish it out just as easily as Ican.

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