Page 23 of Manny for the Alien
“Have a good day, Hun,” he said, patting her.
He gave me a curious look and then went back to the other two.
On our walk, Azalea was quiet for a minute before the questions began.
“Are you in love with Marco?” she asked.
I considered.
“Possibly. I think I’m starting to be.”
She looked up at me, her expression guarded.
“Does that mean he’s going to be my other daddy?”
I shrugged.
“It’s still early to tell, but maybe he will someday... would that be okay with you?”
She took her time thinking about it before answering honestly.
“I like Marco,” she said firmly. “I guess it would be nice.”
I hadn’t realized how much her stamp of approval meant to me, but a tension I hadn’t known was there eased within me.
“I’m so glad,” I said and bent to hug her before she ran off to her friends.
When I got home, Marco was sitting in the living room, quietly helping Iris with a puzzle because Aster had fallen asleep in his arms.
Just like that first day, watching them together did something to me. It made my insides feel warm and fuzzy andcomplete.
I walked over and sat down next to him without a word, putting an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into me, letting his head rest on my shoulder for a minute before speaking.
“I’m surprised you’re being so open in front of the kids already,” he said.
“When you know, you know,” I said simply.
Marco pulled back far enough to look at me. For a long time, he searched my face and then he smiled.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “You do, don’t you?”
It was all the confirmation that I needed that Marco felt the same way that I did.
For the first time, my heart and home felt full and complete. This was my family now and I believed for the rest of our lives.
EPILOGUE
Marco
Six months later...
I heard Hyacinth coming down the stairs and even six months of being together did nothing to quell the butterflies in my stomach as he neared.
In fact, the more time I spent with him, the more my love grew. The more I got to know him and understand him, the deeper my appreciation went.
When he entered the kitchen, I was just taking the basket out of the steamer, so I didn’t turn around.
He waited until it was on the counter to wrap his arms around my waist and hold me close to his chest.
