Epilogue
COOPER
Eight Months Later
A year ago, Granddad had told me to come home. It took a while, but Rosewood Heights was the home I didn’t know I needed. Angel and Mehki had opened up my heart and set up residence there. I wouldn’t tradethislife for anything. And, today, I hoped to make it official.
I didn’t move in with them, per se. But I was at the house every day, and most mornings. Angel was a stickler about overnights, especially after Mehki walked in on us getting it in on top of the Monopoly board.
After I convinced Angel she wasn’t a bad mother, we decided to keep the overnights to a minimum—at least while Mehki was there. Which meant we’d gotten very creative with our attempts to have some… alone time.
Mehki was thriving in Rosewood Heights. He loved his school and he loved the town. He’d recently joined the youth basketball league. Lil Man had a good hook shot. Angel and I agreed he’d found his sport.
“Cooper?” Mehki put his tarantula in its cage. He’d dropped themisterafter they moved into the house. “Can we have a talk? Man-to-man?”
“Do you want to talk in here?”
“Sure.” He walked over to the table in the corner. “Have a seat.”
Smiling, I pulled out the little chair and sank down in it. When the chair nearly buckled under my weight, I decided it might be better to sit on the floor. I slid onto the carpet. “Is everything okay, Lil Man?”
He nodded. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?”
“I’m seven-years-old now. I’m not getting any younger.”
I covered my smile, trying to keep my serious face on. “Understandable.”
“Mommie isn’t either. She needs stability.”
Unsure where this was going, I said, “Right. We all need stability.”
“You come over every day. I see you kissing her all the time. When are you going to marry her?”
I leaned forward. “Actually, I was going to talk to you about that today.” I pulled out the ring box I’d been carrying around all day and opened it.
His eyes widened. “That’s a diamond.”
“It is. I want to give it to Mommie.”
“You’re going to marry her today?”
Laughing, I said, “No. I want to propose to her today. But I need your help.”
Mehki frowned, as if in deep thought. “I can be the best man.”
“Naturally.”
“And I can help make sure there are no spiders around. Mommie hates bugs.”
“Good point.”
“What else can I do?” he asked.
“I just need your permission,” I said. “You’re important to both of us, and I want to be sure you’re okay with me marrying your mom, moving in, becoming your—”
“Daddy. You will be my new daddy.”
