Page 70 of The Sweet Spot

But Wolseley? She was the cherry on top. The person I needed in my life to balance me. Someone who walked into my life and changed everything in a good way. I couldn’t imagine life without her. How many times had she made me smile and laugh these last few months? More than the thirty years before that put together.

“I did date people.”

Ryan chuckled to himself. “Maybe, but we didn’t meet a single one of them.”

Granted, most weren’t long term. I was more committed to the game than I was to dating. Even when I’d met Wolseley, I hadn’t expected to fall in love with her—but how could I not? She filled the missing piece in my life. Nah, she wasn’t a piece; she was like the other half of me, the good half.

“I didn’t want my life to get complicated with a relationship.”

“I get it. It’s Wolseley. She’s different. That chick always has me in stitches when we talk. She really wants me to cut back on my meat eating, and she’s always findingthe cutest ways to convert me. She tells me these really long and detailed stories about factory farming, or whatever she calls it. I can’t believe I listened to it all, but she’s interesting. She’s a keeper. Don’t fuck it up.”

And with that, he was done. He let out one long exhale and was asleep in minutes.

Wolseley wasn’t in the condo when I got home, but she left a long note about missing me and seeing me in the morning. She also left instructions on how to reheat my late-night dinner. She insisted on leaving the same or similar note every time, even though she knew I could handle it. She said she did it out of habit because Ryan needed instructions with every meal, so I let it go. It was kind of cute.

I ate, caught up with texts, group chats, and the news before heading off to bed. My sister was due the next afternoon, and I couldn’t wait to see her. She wanted to stay in a hotel, but I insisted she stay with me. I hadn’t seen her in such a long time, and though she was going to be busy for part of the weekend, I still wanted to spend every second with her. She’d also mentioned something about being here for my birthday. Having her around would be kind of nice, although as kids, we didn’t do much for birthdays. Mom had a little family party where, for one day we got to feel special.

When I woke up the next morning, I listened for the comforting sounds of the kitchen. The gentle clattering of dishes, the sounds of pots and pans, and if I listened hard enough, and my door was open, Wolseley humming to herself. I didn’t hear much, but when I opened my bedroom door, I was hit with a mixture of the scent of coffee and maybe waffles?

I got to the kitchen, and Wolseley was mixing up batter with a few pancakes on a plate in front of her. I hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

“Good morning,” I said. “It’s been a while.”

“It sure has.”

“How was your trip back home?”

“Good. Spent time with my family and caught up with some of my old employees. Wren, my manager, landed on her feet. I hated how they all lost their jobs.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

I poured myself a massive cup of coffee and tried to work out all my kinks with various stretches before sitting down at the island for part one of my breakfast. She’d perfected protein pancakes, and I was starting the day with those before getting to my hot oatmeal. She’d laid out various fruit choices for me as well.

“I had a talk with my brother that I wasn’t expecting,” she said, putting the plate of pancakes in front of me. I sliced up a banana and threw some berries on them. I finished it up with a touch of maple syrup.

“What about?”

“Our birth parents. Apparently, he looked them up. He said it was more about finding out our medical history now that he has a family, but he’s always been more curious about them than I have. He asked me if I wanted my birth mother’s contact info. He wasn’t able to track down our birth father. I guess I don’t know what I want to do. I told him I’d think about it.”

Usually, Wolseley was so upbeat, but this seemed to be getting her down. The spark and light in her eyes had dimmed a little.

“What does your gut tell you to do?”

“I don’t know. I see that my brother has a point. It’s a goodidea to have that medical history, I guess. But I can get that from him. I don’t need to talk to her.”

“You know that you don’t have to make that decision today.”

“I know. It’s just something to think about. It’s just if I want kids one day …”

She watched me expectantly. I’d never really thought about having kids, but the idea of having them with Wolseley, someone so grounded and sweet, who would keep me in check and make me a better dad if I needed to be, made me reconsider.

“Do you want kids?” I asked, knowing she didn’t want that answer.

“Yes. You?”

Her big brown eyes were staring at me, waiting for the right answer.

“I think so. No, I do want them.”

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