Page 102 of The One I Want
And I hit delete.
Chapter37
Wes
“The car is leavingin five minutes! If you’re not down here, ready to go, Hank and I are leaving without you!”
Hank looks at me, confusion all over his face.
“Why do they take so long to get ready?”
“My son, that is a great mystery of the world. One that I don’t think will ever be resolved.”
Hank and I sit down on the couch as we wait for the girls to finish getting ready. We have plenty of time, but for them, five minutes really means fifteen, which will get us out the door on time to the annual Rolling Hills Spring Fling. Every year, the kindergarten through sixth grade building holds a dance for parents and kids. All the money made goes straight back to the teachers for everything they’ve done for our kids throughout the year.
“Are you excited?” I ask Hank. “We never got to have anything like this when I was in school.”
“I think so,” he says. “Except I really don’t know how to dance.”
“That’s okay, neither do I,” I say. “I mean, you saw my touchdown dance.”
He shakes his head. “It was cool then, Dad. Please don’t do that tonight.”
“Because you’re my favorite today for being ready on time, it’s a deal.”
We shake hands as Emerson comes down the stairs.
“Where are the other two?”
“Filming a quick video. They said they’d be down in a second.”
I look at Emerson, and it hits me straight in the heart how much she has grown up this year. I don’t even know if I realized it until now.
She’s wearing a baby blue dress that makes her look seventeen instead of twelve. Her long brown hair that she gets from my side of the family has soft curls through it. She pushes the hair back behind her ears, revealing small sparkling earrings. Thank goodness she’s not wearing heels. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.
My little girl is growing up. And while I’d like time to stop, I couldn’t be prouder of the young woman she’s becoming.
“You look beautiful,” I say, bringing her in for a hug.
“You think so?”
“I know so.” I place my hands gently on her shoulders. “Also, I never thanked you.”
“For what?”
“For everything you’ve done.” I take a breath, wanting to get through this without having her see me get too emotional. “You had to grow up fast this year. You never flinched to be there for not just your brother and sister, but for me. You helped Gram and Grandpa when you guys had to stay with them. You helped Betsy get acclimated.”
She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Just doing what I needed to do.”
I shake my head. “But you didn’t have to. And you did. I love you kiddo, and I don’t know if I tell you that enough.”
“You do.” She takes a step forward, wrapping her arms around my waist. “But I’ll always want to hear it. And I love you too.”
I hug her back, saying fuck it to the tears welling in my eyes.
We stay that way for a second before letting go.
“Okay, enough mushy stuff,” she says. “It took Betsy anhourto do this makeup. And I’m not sitting through that again.”
