“How could I not? You guys are pretty damn amazing.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
She yawns.
“You should get to bed. I’ll head home,” I tell her.
She sighs. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I kiss her. “I’ll be here to make breakfast first thing.”
“There you go, being perfect again.”
“Only for you.”
Once upon a time, Halloween used to be my favorite time of year. I loved dressing up, getting candy, looking at all the houses decorated, and seeing all the different costumes. I loved it so much that when I got older and I stopped going trick-or-treating, I would hand out candy. It was a whole vibe that I was obsessed with.
So the first Halloween that Tanner was alive for, I was ecstatic. I can vividly remember what happened when Evan came home and saw our son dressed up as a baseball. He had on this round costume that was a sleep sack. It was white with red stripes that looked like laces on a baseball. I had put a little whitecap on his head and everything. My plan was for us to sit in the driveway and hand out candy. It was supposed to be so simple until Evan deemed it wasn’t okay—and by deemed I mean he beat the hell out of me for dressing his son up.
After that, I never tried again. I didn’t buy costumes for fear he would find them. If I knew he would be out of town for the holiday, I would throw something together and take the kids out to a neighboring town so no one we knew could report back to him.
He stole an American childhood staple from our kids just because he could.
Not anymore, though.
Evan doesn’t have control over any of us now. We don’t have to listen to his demands. We can do whatever we want without fear of repercussions. In honor of such a change, I might have gone a little overboard with the costumes this year, and I have zero regrets thanks to the way the kids are smiling.
“I’m never taking this off,” Emily says in awe as she spins around.
She has on the cutest Moana costume I could find. The top is white with red and gold detailing and one strap over the shoulder. The skirt is deep red with black and gold on it. To make it better, it has an underskirt that is meant to look like straw. I borrowed a super tiny curling iron from Kelly and painstakingly curled each strand of Emily’s hair so that it looks all big and curly. Paired with the costume jewelry, she looks adorable, and it was totally worth the hand cramp I got.
“This mask is so cool,” Tanner mumbles.
I look over my shoulder and watch as my son comes toward me, dressed up as Darth Vader, red lightsaber and all. I can’t help but smile as I look at both my kids.
This.
This is what Halloween is all about. It’s what I’ve always loved about the holiday. I mean, who doesn’t love dressing up as someone else for a few hours and living in a fantasy world?
I hear the sliding glass door open, and my eyes move to the kitchen. I can’t help but smile when I see Mac. He’s got on his usual uniform of jeans, a T-shirt, and his leather cut, but today he’s painted his face to look like a skull.
“You shouldn’t leave the back door unlocked,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “I unlocked it a few minutes ago when you told me you were about to head over.”
Emily runs over to him.
“Mac, do you like my costume?” she asks as she sways from side to side.
“I do. You look like you’re ready to give the heart of Te Fiti back,” he tells her.
I can’t help but close my eyes and smile.
This man.
He listens in a way I never thought was possible. He pays attention when he doesn’t have to.
“What about me?” Tanner asks.
