“Aye, love.”
“A wall of pictures and you lit all these candles? It looks so romantic back here.”
I glance up at my and Roni’s handiwork. It did come out better than I expected. I built the wooden wall once Roni and I covered all the windows leading out into the backyard and put up a tent to work in to make sure Cass couldn’t see what we were up to.
I’ve been collecting pictures of our thirty-eight years together for weeks and Roni helped me make copies of them. Once the wall was up, Roni attached lights to frame the wall and then added the photos.
Putting out all those candles and lighting them took way longer than I thought. I placed them around the pool and the base of the platform I built beneath the picture wall.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. Ye had the grill going?” She snickers. “I wasn’t going to feed ye tonight because ye were pissing me off.”
I chuckle. “I wasn’t worried. I had steaks, baked potatoes, and asparagus grilling.”
She hugs her arms around my waist and gives me a squeeze. I envelop her in my embrace and begin to sway her to the music. The song changes to “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”.
I cup the back of her neck and bend to press my lips to hers, kissing her breathless. She pulls away with a cheeky smile on her face. I wink at her and press a hand to her back as I start a two-step rock as I guide her to move with me.
“I want to look at the wall of pictures,” she says with a smile.
“Come, it’s a wall of memories. I have some of my favorites up there.”
I lead her to the platform and lift her onto it. Once I climb up beside her, I lace our fingers together and we move to the wall lazily. My heart swells as we look over the years of our lives: the day Wyatt was born, our wedding, the birth of Noah, Wyatt’s first birthday, bringing John home from the hospital, Toby and Kamara’s first dance at their wedding—the list goes on and on.
My smile grows as Cass moves closer and touches a picture of Ryan’s wedding day next to a picture of him holding Jordan as Cass looks up at him like a proud, loving mother.
“We did good, Joe. This is why I can’t leave the little fuckers to take a vacation. They’re not so little anymore and I don’t want to miss anything,” she chokes out.
“We’re not going to miss a thing. If you don’t recharge, you will have nothing to give, love. That’s all I’m concerned about.”
She looks up at me and nods. “I know and I love ye for it.”
“Let’s Get It On” begins to play and a cheeky smile comes to her face. I cup her cheek and run my thumb across her lips. I have loved this woman most of my life and can’t imagine my world without her.
“What are ye thinking, love?” I ask, letting my accent slip.
“I think Marvin has a great idea.”
I laugh. “Is that so?”
“Aye, it is, my big lad.”
I lift her into my arms, bridal style and head back into the house. Glad I had the foresight to turn the grill off before heading inside with Roni.
Heading to our bedroom, I get a foot on the first step when my phone rings. I groan and roll my eyes.
“Ye could ignore it. You are retired,” Cass says.
“We have more than one daughter-in-law with a due date looming,” I sigh.
“Fine. Yer right. One of those fucker’s brats would pick now to come.”
I place her down on her feet and pull my phone. Seeing it’s Wyatt, I purse my lips and pick up. His wife is one of the ones due soon.
“Hello,” I say into the phone.
“Dad, Nellie, Bean, and Carmen are all in labor.”
