Page 112 of The Single Dads Club
I give her a surprised look. “That excited for trick-or-treating?”
She chuckles. “Sorta. Actually, I’ve just been craving those chocolate-peanut-butter-cup thingies.”
I laugh and shake my head at her. “Then you shall have them.” I make a mental note to stop at the store on the way home and grab some extras.
Corrigan turns that bewitching smile on me and reaches over to squeeze my hand. “All the changes ahead of us ... there’s nobody I’d rather go through them with, Lex. I love you.”
I bring her hand up to kiss it, my lips brushing the cool, smooth gold of her wedding band. Our first anniversary was just a few months ago. I still haven’t stopped being awed at the fact that Corrigan is actually mywife, that our life together is real and not just an amazing dream, and I hope I never will get used to it. It feels like I just placed that ring on her finger yesterday ... and yet it also feels like we’ve been married since the beginning of time, her presence a comforting force that I can’t remember living without.
“I love you too. And I can’t wait to see them all together.”
Corrigan rises to her feet and begins clearing the plates away. “Now, if you’re done eating, let’s take a picture for Grandma.”
“Even though we’re seeing her in less than eight hours,” I say under my breath.
My wife gives me alook, so I promptly shut my mouth.
“We’re gonna carve pumpkins and brew witches’ slime,” Grier says to me while executing a little dance around the kitchen.
“Absolutely, and it’ll be great.” I scoop her up. “And then what?”
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, gimme somethin’ good to eat!” A renewed burst of wiggles and giggles springs out of her.
“Dinner first, but you’ve got the gist.” Corrigan steps beside us and fiddles with her phone until all three of us are onscreen, then taps the button. “There. And ... sent. To Dak and my parents too.”
Grier squirms. “I wanna gooooooo.”
“First you gotta brush your teeth, then we’ll leave.” When I let her down, she crams one last apple slice in her mouth and scampers off to the bathroom. I look at Corrigan. “Speaking of Mom, do you remember when we told her about us?”
“Oh yeah, every detail. The first thing out of her mouth was, ‘I’m so happy you’re all settled now.’” She chuckles. “As if she knew what was coming the whole time, and we were just dragging our feet getting to the good part. Then she told you, ‘Now hurry up and propose so I can see you two married before I go. Can’t miss my only child’s wedding, even if I have to come with a bald head and wheelchair and all.’”
I laugh aloud. Little did we know, she didn’t need to be in a rush at all. Everyone except Mom was surprised when she lived long enough to see us married, well past the six months she’d been told, but even she hadn’t expected to just ... keep going.
The cancer started slowly shrinking away shortly before Grier’s third birthday, and two months ago, Mom’s oncologist declared her officially in remission. And not just healthy either, but strong and fit as a fiddle. She’ll be playing with Grier and cheerfully meddling for many long years to come, and I’m so happy she gets to stick around and be part of our lives. When I first got that phone call in New York from her with the grim news, I never expected so many happily-ever-afters were in store for me, but I love that I was wrong.
I bring my arms around Corrigan and pull her close. “Love you, sweetheart.”
She brings her mouth to mine for a soft kiss. “If you really loved me, you’d drop off those peanut-butter cups to me at lunchtime.”
I chuckle. “Understood, wife of mine, understood.”
The Dare
Copyright © 2020 Kendall Ryan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
Edited by Tanya Saari
Developmental Editing by Rachel Brookes
Note: This book was previously published with the title Hard to Love. It has been edited and modified from its original version.
About the Book
A good girl.
