Page 39 of The Pucking Single Dad

“Yes, my dear,” Luna said softly to Adam.

“Luna, everyone in these cartoons has a mommy and a daddy. Can I call you mommy?”

Luna turned her eyes to Hunter. She looked at him, waiting for his response to Adam's question. She did not know what to say. She was elated that Adam wanted to call her his mother, but shedid not want to overstep and make Hunter feel as though she was trying to erase Adam's biological mother from their lives. She could never erase Hunter’s former wife from their lives. She was a part of both Hunter and Adam. She had brought Adam into the world, after all.

Things were going well for Hunter and Luna. Their relationship was growing stronger and more serious, and Luna often thought about spending the rest of her life with him. She hoped that one day Hunter would propose—she had imagined it many times. She loved him deeply, and she knew he felt the same. But she couldn’t help wondering if he would ever consider marriage again. The loss of his first wife had changed him profoundly.

Having Adam accept her as his mother would be a good step in the right direction for all of them. It would be a necessary step to spend the rest of her life with Hunter and build a family together with him. Hunter stayed silent for a moment before speaking. Then he looked over at Luna with love in his eyes. Luna felt relief washing over her body. What could have been an awkward situation was turning into a beautiful moment. He nodded his head up and down.

“Yes, Adam,” “Yes, of course you can call her that.”

Luna smiled to herself. She was so happy that so much joy could be felt during such a difficult time in their lives. Luna walked over to the side of the bed and sat down. She leaned down and hugged Adam.

“I would be honored to be called your mother,” she said lovingly.

Ella, who had been watching all of this unfold, felt joy in her heart, too. She knew that Luna had spent so much time tryingto find herself after immigrating to America. It seemed that she was finally finding her way, and as a good friend to Luna, she was thrilled to see her so happy. She watched Hunter, Luna, and Adam embrace each other as one happy family. Her own heart was full.

A doctor came in and asked Adam how he was feeling. Though he was cheerful, he still winced in pain every now and then. Adam said that his pain was a seven on a scale of one to ten. This concerned the doctor, and they all agreed that Adam should stay and be monitored further. Within an hour, Adam was asleep and resting again. Hunter and Luna let him sleep. They thanked Ella for her help and for looking after Hunter. Then, they walked to the hospital cafeteria and got a bite to eat.

“How are you holding up?” Luna asked Hunter seriously. “I know it must be hard to see him like that.”

“It is,” Hunter replied. “Regardless of how hard it is for me, it is even harder for him. He is the one who has to deal with the pain physically. But that was a big moment back there, huh?”

“Him wanting to call me mom?” Luna asked with sincerity. “That meant a lot to me.”

Hunter paused for a moment before speaking again. He had envisioned being with Luna, but marriage was something that was a different story. He had never seen himself getting married again once his wife died, but Luna had come around and changed that. The way she was with Adam and her support of him made all of the difference. He needed to know if she was on the same page as him, though.

“Did you ever see yourself being a mom?” Hunter genuinely asked Luna. “Did you ever see yourself as a wife?”

Luna took a bite of her apple, chewed it, and sat in thought. She could not believe that she was having this conversation in a hospital cafeteria, but she also knew that, given the day’s earlier events, this conversation was inevitable.

“I have,” she said honestly. “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that for you, it is different. You had a beautiful marriage to a beautiful woman, and she was taken from you too soon. Hunter, here is the thing, though. No matter how much I love you, I do not want to be in second place. No one can replace your first wife, but I also don’t want to feel that I am in a role I can never fulfill. Do you think you can ever fully move on and be a husband again?”

Hunter sat and thought for a moment. He knew that he loved Luna, but she did bring up some valid points. Part of him still lived in the past. The part of him that had guilt for moving on with someone else ruled a big part of his life. He missed his wife, but he also loved Luna. His heart was torn between two worlds. His heart broke for both the present and the future.

Suddenly, the doctor walked into the cafeteria. He sat down and explained to Hunter and Luna that Adam’s pain level had decreased within the last hour. This was the most wonderful news. They were going to be able to take Adam home with them soon.

By that evening, Adam was released from the hospital. Luna and Hunter happily took Adam home to rest. The family continued to adjust to this new way of life. Over the next three months, Adam’s health seemed to improve, and he had no flare-ups. The topic of marriage did not come up between them again. However, they still thought about the topic individually but kept their thoughts to themselves.

Luna had come to terms with accepting that her idea of a conventional family may never happen. She had accepted that Hunter may never want to marry again. She believed she could still be happy if their relationship stayed as it was. She still had both Adam and Hunter. That was a family, even if it was not a traditional one.

Hunter, on the other hand, thought about his love for Luna and his former wife. He wondered how much longer he could hold onto the past and whether or not he was hurting his son by not going all in with Luna. He wanted his son to have stability. Was he keeping that from him? Was Hunter keeping his own happiness at bay out of fear and guilt?

After contemplating these topics, Hunter grabbed his coat and walked into the living room, where Luna was on the couch reading. Ella had taken Adam to the park, and it was just the two of them in the apartment.

“I am going to go to the ice rink,” Hunter said to Luna. “I will be back soon.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked him concerned. “No, I just thought that I would catch up with the team. That's all. I love you, darling. I will be back soon. I promise.”

Hunter leaned down and kissed Luna as she lay on the couch. Luna felt that something was off with Hunter, but she decided to let it go. She told him that she would see him soon and to have fun. Then, she went back to reading her book.

Hunter left his apartment and took the elevator down to the lobby. Outside, he flagged down a cab. Once he settled into the back seat, the driver asked where he wanted to go. Hunter took a deep breath.

“Take me to the cemetery on Southeast and Seventh Street, please,” Hunter said to the cab driver.

The driver took off from the curb and traveled to their destination. Very few people would have understood the rationale in Hunter’s mind, but for him, this was important. Hunter needed to go to the cemetery to get closure. Hunter needed to talk to his deceased wife.

Chapter Fifteen: An Ode to Love Lost and Found

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