I follow them past the entrance to the underground chamber and through the ruins of the castle. I may no longer be nervous but I’m even more intrigued to find out what’s going on.
Then again, I’m obviously not going to get a proposal if the kids are here. My spirits plunge as I realize just how much I did want that. Part of me was holding out for Theo to do the traditional thing and get down on one knee.
When we reach the stone wall, we sit down, facing a glorious pumpkin and peach sunset.
“Right,” says Theo, “there’s something the kids and I want to ask you.”
He, Callum and Mabel turn to face Archie as if to give him his cue. Clearly, they’ve rehearsed this.
Archie stands up. “Adam, will you be part of our family?”
“We were going to ask you to be our stepdad,” pitches in Callum,excitedly. “But we’re not sure we like that word. And we’re not sure it describes you.”
Wait a minute, soisthis a proposal or not?
“Then we realized we already had the perfect word,” Mabel runs on. “We just didn’t realize it at the time.”
I crinkle my face. “What’s that?”
Archie takes a deep breath. “Will you be our Dadam?”
Mabel hands me a bracelet she’s made from the bead kit I bought her in Lucca. I see they’re all wearing them.
“We made this specially for you,” she says, proudly.
I turn it around in my hands, seeing that it’s lilac, sky blue and bright green.
“We all did it,” says Archie, grinning. “I did the green.”
“I love it,” I say, turning it around in my hands. But I’m also confused. Is this instead of a ring? What’s it supposed to mean?
Mabel must have read my expression. “We wanted to do something different because we’re a different kind of family. And we like it like that.”
“Being the same as everyone else is proper boring,” elaborates Callum.
Theo picks up their explanation. “When I talked to the kids, we realized they like being part of a family we’ve invented ourselves. It makes them feel they’re not restricted by having to conform to expectations.”
“Yeah, what Dad said,” quips Callum.
We all laugh.
“And they’ve realized it’s a privilege,” adds Theo.
“Actually, we didn’t say that,” Mabel corrects him.
“We said it’s asuperpower!” chirps Archie.
“Oh, yeah,” says Theo. “They said it’s a superpower to be able to express our uniqueness in the shape of our family.”
I’m so touched. What they’re saying has been carefully thought out and is so intelligent and wise. But I also feel embarrassed for expecting a traditional proposal. After spending the summer creating something so special, how could I be so basic as to want Theo to get down on one knee and pull out a ring? The kids have asked me to be part of their family—their alternative, unique family—and the way they’ve asked is much more meaningful than if Theo had followed any kind of template.
But part of me can’t help wondering if Theo’s going to say anything. The kids have had their say: is he going to expresshisfeelings?
I tell myself to keep quiet: Theo loves me. He tells me that all the time. The last time he told me was less than an hour ago.
I tug in a breath. “Yes, of course I will. Thanks a lot, guys.” I slide the bracelet onto my wrist and give them my brightest smile.
Everyone cheers. I feel a powerful sense of belonging, of being in exactly the right place with exactly the right people. Then I realize it’s this I’ve been looking for all along.
