“You probably shouldn’t squish the buildings, Ms. Monster.”
“Grr!” Emily enthused. She twisted around in her seat and glommed onto Matthew’s side. “I’mscaryMs. Monster, Daddy. I can fly and everything. I’m gonna squish ’em real good!”
Matthew gathered her hair and let it slip from his fingers slowly. “How can I get scary Ms. Monster to be friendly Ms. Monster?”
“Hmm.” Emily screwed up her face in thought, then laughed. “I’m always gonna be friendly to you, Daddy. I love you soooo much. I’ll make sure you’re not in any buildings before I stomp them!”
“That’s very sweet of you.” Matthew gathered her hair again and smoothed it between his fingers.
“And your boyfriend, too,” Emily decided after some thought. “I’m only gonna squish him if he’s mean to me.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
Emily beamed.
Demolishing half of New York aside, Emily had been exceptionally well-behaved on their trip from Aurora to New York. She’d settled down quickly in their plush first-class seats and had been sweet to the flight attendants, who’d stopped by more than once to treat her to cookies, juice, and a much-loved box of crayons she’d used to color several of the airline’s napkins. Even now as they descended, she didn’t cause a fuss. While she didn’t outright say it, Matthew was certain that she was as excited to meet Damien in person as Matthew was to see him again.
“Does your boyfriend have a doggie?” Emily asked as the flight crew made one last sweep, collecting garbage and making sure that all passengers were seated and strapped in.
“No.”
“Can you make him get a doggie?” Emily’s eyes sparkled at the prospect. “A dalmnation?”
“Dalmatian,” Matthew corrected.
“Dalmnation,” Emily crooned.
One day she’d either grow out of it or grow up to be a television evangelist. Time would tell. “No, I can’t make him get a doggie.”
“What about a kitty?”
“No.”
“A bunny?”
Matthew laughed. “No. I can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“But you’re his boyfriend.” Emily looked at him like his relationship was a lie. It was a lot of judgment from so small a package. “You gets’ta make him do stuff.”
“Does he get to make me do stuff?”
“No!” Emily furrowed her brow. “Only Daddy and Grandpa and Alex and Grammie and S-Grammie get to tell people what to do.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“So my boyfriend can’t tell you what to do?”
Emily made a face of utter disgust. “No! And if he does then I’ll chop him!”
She chopped the air to demonstrate. Matthew had to pretend to sneeze to keep from dying of laughter.
Before long the airplane landed, and not long after that Matthew held Emily’s hand as they made their way beyond the security zone to baggage claim. He hauled their carry-on luggage and Emily’s car seat under his arm. When they arrived by the carousel, Emily burned off her excitement by rocking on the balls of her feet while she waited for their bags to appear, but Matthew had no such outlet. His excitement remained trapped inside, and—caged as it was—it grew fiercer.
They’d made it to New York.
While distance still divided him from Damien, it wouldn’t for long. Right now they were sharing the same air and living in the same time zone. If they looked up they’d see the same clouds, and when they traveled, they’d do so on the same streets. He’d get to see the condo Damien routinely messaged him from and discover the foods that Damien liked to keep in his fridge. He’d get to know the scent of Damien’s favorite laundry detergent and memorize the cityscape as it appeared through Damien’s windows. And maybe, once he and Emily were settled, Damien would start to notice those small but pivotal things about him, too. He’d learn what brand of shampoo Matthew preferred and get to know his bedtime routine. Their lives would meld and click, and they’d be happy.
