Page 123 of The Problem with Falling
“Can I?” Molly asked, her voice cracking.
“Always.” I placed little Harry Jr. in her arms, and he wiggled a little. His perfect little mouth, his button nose, and his blue eyes that matched his father’s were staring straight into her heart, and I could tell she’d love that baby forever.
“He has the Langford messy hair,” she joked.
“And the Langford heart,” I added in.
“Yes.” She held Harry Jr. close and breathed him in. “He has that, too.”
“Grandma, look,” Jensen said, running over to the window. “There’s a rainbow in the sky.”
Molly held Harry Jr. close to her chest as tears filled her eyes. She nodded slowly, uncertain how to take in the magnitude of what she was witnessing. PaPa was there with us, yet that shouldn’t have been a surprise.
He promised to always be around for the big moments.
By that point, everyone was crying.
When Dad held Harry Jr. for the first time, it was like watching my greatest hero hold my most prized possession. Howlucky little Harry Jr. had been to have a lifetime of my father’s love.
“You know how big my love is for you, Little Bird?” Dad whispered to Harry Jr., placing a gentle kiss on my son’s forehead.
“Bigger than the sky,” I softly stated.
“Yes,” Dad agreed, looking at me with tear-filled eyes. “And deeper than the sea.”
Theo
One Year Later
WatchingWillow become a mother was the greatest gift I’d ever witnessed. Seeing her look over our little boy healed a part of my soul that had been broken since childhood. I might not have been able to pick my mother, but I was able to choose the mother of my children, and I’d made the greatest choice when I chose my wife.
My wife.
My beautiful, silly, quirky wife.
Our wedding ceremony took place on our land, right on the dock of Westin Lake, where our love story first began. Avery and Yara were Willow’s maidens of honor—Anna was her maid of honor.
Watching Anna and Willow’s friendship heal over the years was the greatest blessing. Willow kept saying it was as if no time had passed between their connection, and Anna was such an amazing addition to Harry Jr.’s life.
We were loved to the fullest.
One of my favorite moments of the wedding day happened right before the wedding ceremony took place.
Michael stopped by my dressing room to speak to me. He came with a flask of alcohol and a smile on his face. When it came to great parents, Michael Kingsley was at the top of the list. When I was younger, I used to dream of having a parent like him, yet my mind believed that outside of my grandparents, great parents were only made in storybooks. That was until I saw the way Michael loved his daughters.
It was the definition of unconditional love.
“I just stopped by my daughter’s dressing room,” he told me, taking a swig from the flask. He held it out toward me. I took a swig, too. Whiskey.
It burned slightly on the way down. “How is she doing? Is she having cold feet?” I semi-joked.
“Not in the slightest,” he said as he slid his hands into the slacks of his dress pants. “Now, listen. Before you exchange your vows and whatnot, I wanted to take a second to say thank you.” He pulled one hand from his pocket and flicked his finger across the bridge of his nose. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter. Thank you for loving her with all that you have. Thank you for becoming her home.”
“She taught me what love is, Michael. It’s all that Willow is—love. And I have a strong feeling she got that trait from you.”
He smirked slightly as his eyes flashed with tears. “I never wanted much from life. I’m a simple man. I don’t care about much of anything, but there was always one thing I always prayed for.”
“What was that?”
