“That guy over there is telling Winnie that he’s sorry and he loves her, but he’s at the wrong house,” said the girl. “I feel really bad for him.”
“What?” The man’s chest puffed out further and he squinted in my direction.
Then Winnie’s mom appeared on the porch, pulling a cardigan around her. “Is everything okay?”
No. Everything was not okay.
“Who is that guy?” her dad asked, and by his tone I could tell what he meant was, Who is that fucking idiot?
“Is it Dex?” Frannie leaned forward and squinted. “Is that you, Dex?”
“Yeah. It’s me.” I’d never wanted a sinkhole to open up and swallow me as badly as I did at that moment. If my kids hadn’t been there, I might have taken off on foot.
Just then, a car pulled into their driveway, and my stomach lurched when Winnie jumped out of the passenger side. Her friend Ellie got out of the driver’s side and looked back and forth between Winnie and me. “Holy shit,” she said.
“Dex?” Winnie started walking down the drive and stopped at the sidewalk, gaping at me kneeling in the spotlight from the streetlamp above. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Hi, Winnie!” Hallie and Luna started jumping up and down and waving like mad. “Hi!”
And then, because apparently there wasn’t a big enough audience, another car pulled up in front of the MacAllisters’ house, and a second teenage girl jumped out. “Bye!” she yelled, waving as the car drove off. Then she noticed everyone outside. “Oh, crap. Did I miss curfew or something?”
“No,” the first teenage girl said, hopping down from the porch. “Omigod, Emmeline, this is amazing. Kyle was just leaving when this man pulled up, jumped out of his car, and starts shouting to Winnie that he loves her and he wants another chance—but he was yelling at the Wilsons’ house, not ours. Not that it mattered, because she wasn’t even here.”
“Audrey, be quiet!” Winnie put her hands on her head. “Dex. What is this? Why are you on your knees?”
“We told him to do that!” Hallie shouted proudly. “Because that’s what the ogre would do!”
“He was begging you for another chance, Win,” Audrey said eagerly. “Are you going to give it to him?”
“Audrey, enough.” Frannie put a hand over Audrey’s mouth from behind. But nobody else moved.
Reluctantly, I got to my feet, took both girls by the hand, and crossed the street. When we reached the sidewalk, I told them to stay put and moved closer to where Winnie stood frozen at the end of the driveway.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This was supposed to be a big romantic gesture, but it turned into a demonstration of public humiliation.”
“Oh my God.” She wrapped one arm around her middle, bringing the other hand to her mouth.
“But I guess I’m too far in to turn back now, and you know what?” I shook my head. “I don’t want to.”
“Because he loves you,” Luna said from behind me. “Daddy, you have to say that part again, because she didn’t hear you.”
“Because I love you,” I repeated, looking her right in the eye. “I know I’m too old for you, and you could have anyone you wanted—someone with a bigger bank account, someone younger and smarter, someone with way less baggage.”
“Someone less hairy,” said Hallie.
“That doesn’t snore,” added Luna.
“As I was saying,” I went on, throwing a brief but menacing glance over my shoulder at my kids, “I know you could find someone better for you. But you won’t find someone who loves you more. Or wants to be with you the way I do.”
“But what about all the things you said before?” Winnie asked with tears in her eyes. “About how we should go our separate ways?”
“I said things to push you away because I was scared,” I confessed. “You ignited a fire in me I couldn’t put out. I couldn’t control my feelings for you, and I’m someone who likes to be in control all the time. But Winnie, that fear was nothing compared to how scared I’ve been that I lost you forever. I never should have let you go without telling you that I love you, I want to be with you no matter where you are, and even though you were in fucking kindergarten when I graduated from high school, you’ve taught me something incredible.”
“What?” she whispered, tears falling freely now.
I smiled at her. “To believe in happily ever after.”
“Now you kiss her!” crowed Luna.
“And the spell will be complete!” Hallie finished.
I cradled Winnie’s face in my palms and pressed my lips to hers.
“Holy shit,” Ellie repeated.
“Dude,” said the teenage guy.
“What do you say?” I whispered. “Can I have one more chance to make you mine?” I glanced back at the girls. “Or maybe ours?”
“Yes,” Winnie said, laughing and crying at the same time. She melted into my arms, and held me tight. “I love you too, and yes.”
The girls rushed forward and circled both of us in their arms, and my heart had never felt so full. After a moment, we turned to face the stunned crowd.
“I got that whole thing on video!” shouted Emmeline, holding up her phone.
“You know,” said Winnie’s father, scratching his head, “something about this seems very familiar.”
“I thought so too,” said his wife, slipping an arm around his waist. “And I think this calls for some cookies and hot chocolate. Who wants to come in for a minute and let these two have a moment alone?”
“Me!” shouted Hallie and Luna, racing toward the porch.
“Thanks, Mom,” Winnie called. “We’ll be there in a minute.” We watched as the MacAllister family, Kyle, and the girls trooped inside the house.
“I’m going to head out,” Ellie said. She gave Winnie a hug and shook my hand. “Dex, that was . . . something else.”
My face was hot. “Yeah.”
“I’m just glad I was here to witness it. And you.” She pointed at Winnie. “Owe me the thing.”
Winnie groaned. “Shit, I guess I do. When?”
“We’ll talk. Night, you guys.”
She got into her car and drove away, leaving Winnie and me alone—finally. When I took her hands, she shivered.
“Are you cold?” I asked. “Let’s get in my car.”
“No, I’m not cold.” Laughing, she shivered a second time. “I’m just shocked and happy. Is this a dream?”
“For a while there, it felt like a nightmare.”
“You poor thing, over there on the Wilsons’ lawn.” She threw her arms around me and clung tight. “But no one has ever done anything like that for me.”
“What, made a total fool of himself?”
“Yes. It means everything! When I got out of that car and saw you there on your knees, my heart melted. I was mush.”
I kissed her nose. “But you still made me give the speech.”
“Of course I did—running through the street is only half the big romantic gesture. The guy still has to say all the things.”