Page 24 of Dean Daddy

“We’ll be there in ten minutes, love.”

“Good because I don’t think Mattie is going to hold out much longer.”

“She’s perfect just like her mother. She hasn’t made a peep for hours,” I reply.

We pull into the driveway and James rushes from the house to meet us. I step out and shake his hand.

“I thought you might need some help,” he tells me.

“Thanks, we sure can,” I reply, opening the trunk so he can help with the bags while I collect Michael from the backseat.

Inside, Emily, Sharon, and my father are seated around the fireplace in the living room. Sharon and Emily both see the kids and spring from their seats. It feels good to see how they respond to my little family. Marcie hands Mattie over to her mother and a smile lights up her face. I love that smile and would drive a thousand miles for her just to see it.

“Guess what, Mikey? I made cocoa and cookies for Santa but I made sure there was extra for us,” Emily tells my son. “Ask your dad if we can go to the kitchen for a snack.”

“Daddy, please?” Michael beams.

“Let’s take off your coat and boots first, little man,” I tell him.

My father comes up and hugs me, “Merry Christmas, son. You have a beautiful family.”

“Merry Christmas, Dad. Glad we can all spend it together this time.”

Sharon sits with Mattie on her lap and Michael is busy in the kitchen with Emily, so I go out into the hall to look for my lovely wife. I find her browsing the photos that sit on the mantel in the dining room.

“Look,” she tells me. “There’s Emily’s wedding photo, and there’s ours. They even framed Michael’s first birthday photo and the picture of Mattie from the hospital.”

I stand behind her with my arms around her waist and say, “They love us, princess. We’re their family.”

“There was a time when I thought they would never feel that way about us,” she sighs.

“And I told you then that everything would be okay. Didn’t I tell you that they would come around?”

“You did, but, why were you so sure?”

“Because I knew that we were meant to be together, and there was no way that they could see how in love we were and still be against it. They just needed to know that we were serious.”

“And you knew that from the beginning?”

“Baby, I knew that when you walked into my office on day one.” I kiss her on the neck and whisper, “I love you.”

“Merry Christmas, daddy. I love you, too,” she replies.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

MARCIE

Ten Years Later

Michael and Mattie put the finishing touches on the cake we decorated while I give Molly her bottle. Mason will be home any minute, and the kids are bursting at the seams to wish him a happy birthday. As the head of the Science department, I can take a little more time off now, so I came home early to prepare for this celebration.

I have a little birthday surprise of my own that I’ve been dying to give him and practically squeal when I hear his key in the front door.

“Mommy, Mommy!” Mattie cries.

With a huge smile on my face, I say, “Go, and don’t forget to say happy birthday.”

Michael and Mattie rush through the house and scream, “Happy birthday, daddy!”

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