Page 70 of Chasing Storm

I carry her to the aisle, set her down, and when they call Teagan’s name, we both shout “Congratulations,” except Lily’s comes out more like “Contuaton.” Once Teagan is handed her diploma, I run close to the stage and take her picture. It’s clear that she has a fan club because there’s a lot of whooping behind us. Teagan comes down the stairs, so I jog forward to give her a quick hug.

Lily comes barreling down, tripping over her own feet, and falls into Teagan, saying, “Mama.”

The crowd oohs and aahs over the exchange. I walk to our seats with Lily waving to Teagan over my shoulder. She starts crying for her mommy, so Teagan gestures for me to put her down. Lily shoves through seated people until she’s on Teagan’s lap, where she remains for the rest of the ceremony.

I reserved an entire back room for Teagan’s celebration. If it were up to me, I’d rather have it at the house, but Teagan earned a day out at a restaurant, not worrying about serving people. Glass encloses the entire room. There’s also a little dance floor to the side, and I hired a DJ.

We’re all gathered in the room, and Teagan stands, holding up her glass of water. “I want to thank all of you for coming to my graduation.” She dabs at her eyes with a napkin. “You have no idea how much it means to me to have all of you here. My family.” She takes a couple more intakes of air and continues. “This toast is for you. I wouldn’t have graduated if it wasn’t for each of you. From babysitting to quizzing me to holding my hair and rubbing my back when I had morning sickness…” This has everyone laughing as she looks down at me and smiles. “All of those things allowed me to continue and persevere. I’m the first in my family to graduate college.” Everyone claps. “And I want you all to know…” her throat locks up, and she swallows down her tears. “…that I love you so much.”

Cheers erupt, and I stand, rubbing my wife’s five-month pregnant belly, and kiss her. Erin’s at the same pregnancy stage, so the two of them are reveling in it non-stop. The DJ plays a Taylor Swift song. My wife drags me to the floor, places my arms around her expanding waist, and rests against my chest.

“Thank you, Joey.”

“I didn’t do anything, Love.”

She looks up at me, nods to Lily, her belly and back to me. “No?”

“No. You gave me everything I’ve ever wanted. You. Lily. And now another on the way. My life meant nothing until we were forced into our marriage. For once, our shitty world did good. It brought us together.”

I hold her jaw, tilting her face upwards, and give her a deep, slow wanton kiss. Lily comes screeching toward us, wrapping her pudgy arms around our legs. Picking her up, I hold my pregnant wife in one arm, and my daughter in the other. I sway to the upbeat music with my favorite girls. This is all I’ve ever wanted. My mom, Teagan, and a life away from the Chicago underworld. We just so happened to have gathered a group of friends along the way that we call family.

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