Page 108 of Candygrams

“You are so beautiful, my sweet, sweet Taffy.”

I can’t help but giggle. He slipped and called me that in front of my sister and she fell in love with it. She started calling me that and in no time so did the other girls at the bakery.

“I’m as big as a whale, everything is swollen, and your son is kicking the life out of my kidneys. You have a warped sense of what is ‘beautiful’.”

“No. You are growing our child, a representation of me and you and the love we have for one another. You are my wife, my heart, and all my dreams wrapped up in one person. Beautiful does not even begin to do you service, my love.”

I can’t keep my smile from showing. I love this man. He might still frustrate me, even drive me crazy most of the time, but he loves me totally and completely. I can put up with the rest as long as I have his love.

“I love you, Rip.”

“I love you, my beautiful tutor. But I think, this time, I get to teach you something. Be a good girl and listen to what I tell you and you might get a big surprise.”

Laughter rings out in our half-empty house as Rip does exactly what he promises to do. He might still call me his little tutor but in the end, it was Rip who taught me how to love with my whole heart, how to free myself from the past, and gave me the reassurance to be the woman I always wanted to be. Rip taught me how to live and love and slow down to take it all in. And that love is the sweetest reward life could ever give you! It is the sweetest treat ever made!

Epilogue II

Tandy

Ten Years Later

Our nine-year-old runs through the house yelling for his sister to hurry up. They’re excited to be moving into the ‘summer house’ so they can be closer to their cousins. After almost a decade of them knowing the house that me and their dad fell in love with as only a house we spend our summers in, we are finally coming home for good this time.

My husband could have gone longer and could have given a few more years to the game he loves so much, but when we talked about him retiring, he said it was the right thing to do for the family. The game takes a lot from not only the player but from their family too. I think the biggest deciding point was our four little ones and the fact Rip wanted to be home with them more. Not that he’s giving up the game. He’s an assistant coach for the university we both started out at.

His old coach found out he was retiring and immediately reached out to him. Both of them are excited about the upcoming season which makes me happy for my man because he doesn’t have to give up something he really loves. Arms wrap around my waist, arms I would know anywhere. My Rip.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

I turn in his arms with a big smile for him.

“I thought you were going to be at the university all day signing contracts and having lunch with the coach.”

“Hm, we decided to take an early lunch and I told him I was going to go home for dessert.”

“Oh my God, Rip! You did not!”

He laughs and pulls me closer to him, burying his face in my neck and shoulder. One of his favorite things in the world is to make me use that tone on him. Our children finally notice their dad’s back and run to hug and wrestle him. Bonny and Gray come in while he’s powering through three of the kids being on his back and arms. The kids rush to their aunt and uncle the same way they did to their dad. Once they get out from under my hoard, Gray comes over to slap Rip on the back and I get a hug from Bonny.

“We brought food. We thought with all the moving and chaos you guys might like not having to make anything.”

“Saviors. Sweet saviors.”

Me and Bonny smile at Rip’s over-the-top gratitude as I help her find the kitchen through the maze of boxes and bubble wrap. We enjoy lunch with them out on the back patio with me and Rip promising to come over to their place soon.

“We were wondering if maybe the kids would like to come spend the night with their cousins. Maybe give you two some alone time. What you do with that time is of course up to the two of you.” She gives me winks and a big, cheesy grin. Subtle my sister is not. And I love it.

I love that even though my sister is now a famous baker on a very popular food network she is still the same wonderful person she’s always been, still looking out for me and thinking of those people around her.

“I think that would be really awesome, honey. Why didn’t I think of that?” Gray says the words haltingly like he might have rehearsed them.

Now, me and Rip are both laughing at Gray’s bad acting. This is why they really came over. And I love them for it.

Bonny hits him in the arm and starts laughing with us. We visit for a little longer and then the two of them bundle all four kids up and leave me and my love in silence and privacy.

“You know, I would hate to think we wasted the time they were so kind to give us on something like unpacking.”

I roll my eyes at Rip. Turns out Gray isn’t the only bad actor. A smile crawls across my face as an idea pops into my head. I walk to him, dragging my hand up his back and over his big broad shoulders. “That is a wonderful idea, sweetheart.” He nods happily. “If you can catch me!”

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