Page 114 of Right in Front of You

CARTER, TWO YEARS LATER

“That’s the esophagus.” I pointed to the colorful diagram in one of Molly’s medical journals.

Gabi, our oldest daughter, giggled and then sneezed, showering the page with spit. I wiped it with my sleeve before Molly noticed that we’d ruined a book.

“Carter, she’s only one.”

Molly stood in the doorway, rubbing her eight-month swollen belly. Yeah, we hadn’t waited long after the birth of our first one to get pregnant again. We didn’t want to. Actually, we didn’t plan on having a second kid so quickly, but I couldn’t keep my hands off Molly, and well, most times, she had a difficult time keeping her hands to herself as well, especially when it rained.

“Never a better time to start teaching them than now. Did you know that kids soak up information like little sponges?” Holding tight onto her, I turned to Gabi and smacked a wet kiss on her cheek. She squirmed in my embrace, giggling.

“Is that why she won’t stop saying ‘Daddy’?”

“Daddy,” Gabi squealed as if on cue. I might have been repeating the word to her since the day she was conceived, hoping it’d be the first word out of her mouth, and it was.

“Mommy,” Molly said, sitting back on the carpet beside us.

“Daddy,” Gabi replied and I held back the laugh.

“Don’t worry. She’ll get it one day.”

“‘Mommy’ was supposed to be her first word.”

“I may have cheated a little,” I said, now feeling a little bad for my wife. We’d married shortly after Jo and Nick. What was the point of waiting when you knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate? “I promise that Mommy’s the next word that will come out of her mouth.”

“Daddy,” Gabby repeated.

“You better be quiet, sweetheart, or Mommy won’t let Daddy make sweet love to her tonight.”

“Carter! You can’t tell her things like that.”

“It’s not like she can understand.”

Someone cleared her throat, and I turned around to see Sarah standing in the doorway, with a batch of fresh cookies. “I know they’re not as good as Mackenzie’s, but she’s a good teacher.”

Daisy and Molly’s little cousin was finally healed. Raising money with our calendars had become an annual event. It was all donated to the children’s unit at the hospital. This year was the third one, and requests for specific photographs were still coming through.

“I’m sure they’re delicious, Sarah.” I patted the spot on the couch. “Thank you for helping out with Gabi’s birthday.”

“Carter? Is it okay if I think of Gabi as my cousin? I mean, I don’t have many other ones.”

Once Sarah was in remission, Daisy’s mom, as well as her sister and niece, had all moved back to Hope Bay. The quiet town, a new united family and Molly’s constant aftercare for Sarah was exactly what they needed for the little girl to make a full recovery.

“Of course, Sarah. You’re family. You always will be.”

We sat down by the fireplace. Christmas would arrive in two weeks, and I couldn’t stop looking at the love of my life and the miracle we’d created that was now crawling on all fours toward the plate of cookies Sarah was holding. I steered Gabi away from the table where a battery-operated candle was lit. Molly had agreed that until our kids were older, there’d be no fire in the house, except for the gas-burning one on the far wall. Our house was officially fireproof, child proof, bug proof, and everything proof, as well as decorated in Christmas ornaments from top to bottom.

“Carter, look! It’s snowing.” Molly grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and we all came to her side by the bay window.

I picked up Gabi, took Sarah’s hand, and joined Molly on the seat. We sat there watching the flakes float to the ground. I looked to my beautiful wife and her joyful face as the white stars hung above us reflected in her eyes. Rain days weren’t my favorite ones any longer. Neither were snow days. Any day with Molly and my family was my favorite one. From now on, even our cloudiest days would be filled with sunshine.

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