“Never leave donuts unattended in these parts.” She grinned. “You’ll learn.” She passed me the baby wipes. “You’re on sticky hand and face duty. We can’t let them in the house like this.” I took the wipes as Rose started giving orders. “All right, donuts down, and get your little behinds out of the truck and line up.”
They all did what she said with no hesitation, all lining up in front of her like tiny soldiers. Maybe it was because she was a kindergarten teacher. “You’re up, Luke,” she ordered, then climbed into the truck.
I handed each kid a wipe for their hands, then went down the line wiping their silent, guilt-ridden faces before doubling back to check their hands.
Was I supposed to laugh at this? Or was I supposed to givea time-out or something dad-like? Finally, I cracked and let out a laugh. I couldn’t help it. They were all so cute with their hang-dog expressions. “I’m not mad,” I announced.
Dylan hugged me. “I’m sorry. We came out to say hi, but you weren’t here. Then we saw one million donuts and we wondered if they had sprinkles. We just meant to peek at them. I don’t know what happened,” he said.
Mikey picked this moment to offer his two cents. “Yeah, you really shouldn’t leave that many donuts around without a grown-up to watch them. Kids can be unpredictable when it comes to sweets.”
“We’re sorry,” Mike and Mara chimed in.
Little Madison was still just staring at me. I smiled at her, and she gave me a tiny grin. Rose hopped out of the back of the truck and tipped up Madison’s chin. “How come the littlest kid always makes the biggest mess?” Rose brushed sprinkles out of Madison’s pigtails. Madison shrugged in response. “Maybe you’ll be in my class when school starts,” Rose said. Then she looked at me.
“Bad news, Luke. Every box was opened, and every donut was tasted or licked.” She grinned. “Luckily, all the truck needs now is a whisk broom and a vacuum. And we’ll have to be on tummy ache watch for a few hours,” she added.
“Thanks, Rose. I’m going to steal Dylan for a bit and find Lily.”
He took my hand. “Okay, Dad.” I was a dad. It was beginning to feel real. The more time I spent with Dylan and Calla, the more I felt myself getting comfortable with it. As soon as Lily was my wife, it would be irrevocable. Everyone would know they were mine. My heart burst with pride and love. I felt like he could fill my truck with a million sprinkles and get sticky handprints on everything I owned, and I wouldn’t care because my heart melted every time he called me Dad. This boy and his baby sister owned my heart right along with their mom.
“Let’s find your mom. We have something to tell you.”
“Okay. She was asleep when I got up. Let’s go upstairs. Are we going to go live with you? Can I have my own room? Can I bring my Xbox One? Can I have a Nintendo Switch? Mikey has Mario Kart and the new Zelda. We can play together. I’m sorry we messed up your truck. I kind of knew it was a bad idea. But seeing all the different donuts all lined up in all the boxes made it hard to make a good choice. We wanted to taste them all. I’m pretty sure we were all crazy for a few minutes.”
When I was sure he was finished talking, I attempted an answer, something fatherly and adultish. My father had been a shit dad, so I thought of Ben. What would Ben say?
“I forgive you. I can understand being tempted by something you think you can’t resist. But it could be dangerous to get into a vehicle without an adult. Did you think about that?”
He shook his head.
“Next time try to think before you do something. Can you promise me you’ll try?” I asked.
“I pinky promise.” He held out his hand. After locking pinkies, I swung him up into my arms. He was so innocent and cute and could ramble on and on when he spoke, but he was also astute and self-aware.
“Hey, guys!” Lily was at the top of the stairs with Calla in her arms. She wore a yellow-flowered sundress and high heels that did things to her legs that made me wish we were alone. She was like the sun. She brought the warmth back to my heart. The ring sparkled on her finger, shining like a little sunbeam, telling me she was mine. “Everyone is outside. Let’s talk up here.” We followed her the rest of the way to settle on the sectional couch.
“What’s going on?” Dylan demanded. “Are we going to live with Luke now?”
“I have a very important question to ask you. Would it be okay if I marry your mom?” I asked.
“Yes!” he shouted, then hopped up to face Lily and me. “We can be a family together. You won’t have to live in that huge house all by yourself. Oh, and can Rocky sleep in my room? I saw you guys kissing so many times when you thought I wasn’t looking. I guessed this would happen, and I was right!”
Lily melted into my side with Calla in her arms, then Dylan stood up and threw himself at me, I caught him with a smile. We sat there, holding each other, when Dahlia suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” she asked. Lily stuck her hand out and waved it around as an answer.
Dahlia gasped. “You’re wearing Diana’s ring. Are you...? Does this mean...? Oh my goodness.” She burst into tears, rushed over, sat on the coffee table, and joined our hug.
Dylan pulled away and patted her cheeks. “Don’t cry, Grandma, we’re all going to be a family together now.”
“I know, honey. I’m just so happy.” She shifted Dylan to her side and grabbed Lily’s hand, examining the ring on her finger. “Diana used to call this her ice rink. We used to laugh at how huge and ostentatious this ring was, but it’s never looked more beautiful than right now. She would be so happy for you both, and I’m overjoyed, and I am planning your wedding. Oh, and I’m throwing the engagement party too. Don’t argue. I’ll go call Ben.” She got up and rushed down the hall to her room.
Lily laughed. “How long do you think it will be before everyone knows?”
I shrugged. I had what I needed. As far as I was concerned, the rest was just details.
Footsteps bounded up the stairs. “Lily, Luke, oh my God!” Rose shrieked when she reached us.
