“Good. And damn, I’d thought saying that was going to be harder than that toast, but it turned out to be so simple.” Chuckling, he shook his head, beyond cute in his relief. “I really do love you.”
“I believe you. Dance with me?” I tugged on his hand. I needed to cement this song in my memory, the rhythm and lyrics, and the way this man made me feel.
“Public speaking and dancing in the same evening?” Calder faked horror even as he let me tug him into standing. “Yeah, we can dance. I don’t promise to be good at it.”
“That’s okay. We can be bad together.”
And as I led him to the dance floor, I knew, deep in my bones, that this wouldn’t be the last time we danced together. Wouldn’t be the last time I’d see him in a tux. My heart was wide open, a reflection of the future I wanted to reach for. And contrary to my tease, we’d be good together. So good.
Chapter Forty-One
Calder
Fall
“Are we there yet?” Charlotte asked from the back seat. I was stretched out in the passenger seat, trying to snatch a little nap because I’d put in some early hours to ensure I could have the weekend for them and Felix. He and the girls had been listening to the soundtrack for a movie musical we’d all gone to the week prior. Felix sounded good. He sang a lot more these days, his performer side coming out in ways other than the bedtime stories he was so good at.
“You think you’d know this route by heart now.” Felix laughed as he navigated the country roads. I knew the route too, and my own pulse sped up as we gained elevation and the trees became thicker.
“Oh, I do.” Charlotte shifted in her seat. “I’m just excited to see the cabin.”
It had been a busy few weeks, and the cabin had been booked with rentals as well, making it harder to find a time to visit.
“Me too.” Slowing for a turn, Felix lowered his voice. “But Calder’s trying to rest.”
“Calder’s awake.” I wasn’t sure anyone heard me though because Charlotte was already onto her next question.
“Think it will snow?”
“Probably not yet.” Felix’s patient tone said they’d likely been over this point a number of times before I’d arrived at his place so we could all ride together. “The sledding area won’t be open until closer to Christmas.”
“I can hope.” Charlotte’s bouncing around resulted in her kicking my seat. If I hadn’t been already awake, I would be now.
“You do that.” Madeline had been reading a thick fantasy novel, but wasn’t going to miss a chance to try out her newfound tween sarcasm. “Besides, we don’t need sledding. We have a hot tub now. I can’t wait to see.”
“The maintenance company sent pictures after the install, but I can’t wait to test it out.” Felix sounded as excited as the kids. Which was good because I had all sorts of plans for that tub after the girls were asleep. Felix. Moonlight. Hot tub. Yeah, it was good I’d napped. I was going to need my strength.
“I told Rose about the new hot tub.” Charlotte mentioned a new friend from her class. This school year was going smoother for her. Fewer complaints. More friends like this Rose. “Can we bring a friend next time?”
“We’ll see. There is an extra bed. But I should probably meet her mom first.”
“I already told her about how we have two dads.”
I made a choking noise and sat up straighter.
“You told her that?” Madeline asked before either Felix or I could speak.
“Well, Uncle Felix is our dad. We don’t have to call him that for him to be the dad.”
“He is. And a good one at that.” I still wasn’t sure anyone was hearing me, but it needed saying. Felix was their dad. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them, and I remained in awe of his devotion to them. Every kid needed a parent like him.
“And now we have like an extra bonus dad.” Charlotte sounded almost bored, like this was simply another fact alongside everything she knew about bones and anatomy.
“You think so?” Felix’s voice was all mild in contrast to my coughing and sputtering.
“Uh-huh. After all, Christmas—”
“Charlotte. Some things are surprises.” Felix turned stern. I turned to try to study his expression more. His eyes were on the road, but his cheeks were pink.
“Christmas, huh?” I had a surprise of my own, but I’d been thinking New Year’s Eve. My mom was having a kids-only New Year’s sleepover, and I’d been researching various dinner options. But if Felix had a surprise brewing, I was most definitely intrigued.
“We’re going to Anacortes.” Of all of us, Charlotte was probably most looking forward to the big Christmas celebration at my folks’ place. Derrick and Arthur were flying in, and it promised to be a crowded but memorable holiday. More so if Felix had something planned. “See? He already shares his family. And he already has a key.”
“There is that.” She’d insisted on being around when Felix had given me a key to his house to make it easier for me to come and go as my duty schedule allowed. It wasn’t possible to spend every night in Queen Anne, but I tried for as many as I could. And the key thing had been a big deal for me too, another sign that Felix intended to keep me around and that he trusted me.
“And he and Nana watched us when you went to your doctor meeting.” That had been a fun weekend. Felix had had a big national geriatric psychiatry conference, and Gabrielle and I had joined forces to take care of the girls so he could go. And we were doing another tag-team effort so Felix could audition for a community theater thing he’d been eyeing. “That’s totally a dad thing. Or extra uncle. Whatever. You said he’s family now—”
“Charlotte.” Madeline slapped her book shut. “You’re gonna ruin Uncle Felix’s plans.”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly before this could devolve into a sisterly argument.
Felix made a frustrated noise as he turned into the cabin’s drive. “Act somewhat surprised on Christmas? Please?”
“Oh, trust me, I’m surprised.” I wasn’t lying. If the surprise turned out to be a proposal, I’d been expecting to have to do a fair bit of wheedling and sweet-talking on my end to get him to agree. We discussed the future more readily these days, but I still expected him to go skittish if I brought up a more permanent commitment.
“We’re here!” Charlotte crowed as Felix parked. “Hot tub time!”