Page 81 of Simply You & Me

Tate's playful yell draws my attention to where he runs at the slowest pace possible. Behind him, Joey runs at his version of breakneck speed, stumbling like a baby deer after his dad.

"Noooooo," Tate draws out the word when our five-year-old grabs hold of his sweatpants with a battle cry. Slowly, oh so damn slowly, my blond husband falls to the ground, laughing as Joey climbs him like his own personal jungle gym.

I giggle. Apparently, the movement was too much for my fifteen-year-old to handle, because she huffs and sits down beside me rather than hanging around my shoulders. I lock eyes with Wyatt for a beat, enjoying the sparkle he gets when arguing over tech shit with our daughter.

Julian was right. They’re still best friends.

Oh, my hell.

It's happening. It's here. The future my ginger haired husband hoped and dreamed for.

Needing to see him, I whip my head around to find him sitting on one of the patio couches, already watching me. I blush, my eyes heating with moisture. Happy emotions.

I was holding my tummy in his letter and holding Rory's arm in his dream. Instead, I'm trailing my fingers over the scar on my left forearm and instead of Zach taking a nap, he is, in fact, ruling over the grill. A fat fucking stack of burgers sits beside him like we're having people over, which we are not.

Zach closes the lid, and to my relief, plops down beside Julian and rests his head on his shoulders. A head with a few more grey hairs in them nowadays, but I love it. Just as I love all their laugh lines around their eyes.

He's not napping, and I'm not reminiscing about giving birth to Joseph or thinking of the future.

I am smiling, though. And I'm so beyond happy.

I'm feeling and thinking about how truly immeasurable my gratefulness for this life I'm living is. Just a few minutes longer, and I wouldn't have made it. I wouldn’t be studying fashion online. I wouldn’t be witnessing Julian and Zach running their own gym or Tate follow his dreams of becoming a doctor. Wyatt helps wherever he’s needed, which is everywhere, for everyone, especially for Rory. He’s her tutor, teacher, and guide all in one. They are truly inseparable. Just one wrong turn and Joey Bean wouldn't be here.

But we are.

Five minutes and thirty-two seconds.

Each of them saved me.

Zach's immovable pressure.

Julian's warmth.

Tate's sweet words.

Wyatt's focused strength.

They saved us both.

And now, we’re living the dream we fought so hard for.

It's no longer simply Rory and me.

Wherever we go, they go too.

Wyatt, Zach, Tate, and Julian, they'll follow Rory, Joey, and I to the ends of time.

We're a family, forever and always.

The End

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