Taylor might not have had Tate’s last name, but he’d given it to his daughter,DelaneyMarie Shea.
Epilogue
TATE
FIVE YEARS LATER
As I stood in line at the concession stand, I dialed Blair.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m dipping my toes while she swims in the kiddie pool.”
“The kiddie pool, eh? Looking for a hookup?”
“You’ve got my number, Theodore Delaney.”
I chuckled. “We’ll head over there, then. See you in a few.”
After I hung up, I turned to Nicholas. “Mom and your sister are at the kiddie pool. I need you to help me carry these drinks over there, okay?” I handed him one tray as I lifted the other.
Nicholas nodded, always eager to help. Since the line was so long, I’d ordered enough drinks for an army: four iced coffees and four slushies.
Nicholas and I each carried a tray over to where Blair and our daughter, Destiny, were just stepping out of the pool. Water droplets glistened on my beautiful wife’s arms.
Blair’s eyes widened as Nicholas and I approached. “What’s with all the drinks? We’re a party of four, not eight.”
“These will last us the afternoon. I didn’t know what you girls would want, so I brought a variety.”
Blair dried our daughter off and got up on her tippy toes to kiss me. “I want the hot dad,” she whispered in my ear.
“Some things never change.” I winked. “Don’t you find it ironic that when you met me you assumed I was someone’s dad, and now Iamthe dad to your two kids?”
“That’s one ofmanyironic things about our story, but yes.”
“Very true, baby.” I smiled.
This was our first family vacation since Destiny—whom we called Dessy for short—had been born three years ago. Midnight Key seemed like the obvious choice, not only because it cost us next to nothing, but because Blair and I hadn’t been back here since the time we’d met. Our triumphant return to the place where it all started had been long overdue.
Nicholas was now eight, and I was having the time of my life raising these kids. Blair and I had gotten into a real groove over the past few years. I’d coordinated my work schedule around the three days she worked twelve-hour shifts as a labor and delivery nurse. That way one of us was always with the kids.
About a year after we’d gotten engaged, we got married. We had a traditional church wedding and reception—the whole nine. Blair had said she didn’t care about all the fanfare, but I still found myself self-conscious abouthaving taken opportunities from her, and didn’t want her to miss out on anything. So I’d insisted on the big wedding, afraid she’d regret it if we didn’t. I still struggled with occasionally feeling like I didn’t deserve her or this life, but nevertheless, they were both mine, and I never took that for granted.
Taylor had been my best man at our wedding. I think becoming a father to Delaney had helped him to see how imperfect we all are as parents, and my granddaughter was the glue that helped put our family back together. I’d always be thankful for Taylor’s forgiveness and the true second chance he’d given me after working through his issues with Blair and me. Taylor and I hanging out in the yard with our two little girls was always a sight to see. Every day with my family felt like a gift.
I looked over as Nicholas reached for a napkin and wiped his sister’s bathing suit after she spilled some of her red slushie on herself. He was a good big brother and coming into his own. Nicholas loved flying drones and building stuff, while dancing was Dessy’s thing. I’d sometimes take her to toddler dance classes on the afternoons Blair had to work. That was about the last thing I’d imagined I’d be doing in my mid-forties. But Blair’s father’s curse had fully come true, and with every year that Dessy got older, I braced myself. Of course, she had to look just like Blair, except with my dark hair. I was gonna be in trouble someday. At least she had two older brothers to back me up.
Blair took a sip of her iced coffee and turned to Nicholas. “Did you know this is where I met your daddy?”
His eyes went wide. “Midnight Key?”
“Yup.”
“How old were you when you met him?” he asked.
Oh boy.
