Leon walked back in the house, said hello, and sat down at the piano in between the girls. Rory looked at me and casually walked upstairs.
“Enjoy your lessons, girls,” I said before I followed Rory up the stairs.
****
It was hard to believe that my father had been deceased for about five years. He passed away just before Ashley and Ariel’s second birthday. Those little girls brought him great joy and I believe that was why he hung on as long as he did, considering the chemo didn’t help him much. I had a hard time when he died and Rory helped me through it. I fully understood what she went through and what she felt when Stephen passed away. I arranged it so that Richard’s grave was next to Stephen’s so that when we visited, we could visit both at the same time. The girls enjoyed visiting every week because they liked to put the flowers down on each grave.
Rory and her father bonded over the past several years and he ended up marrying Rosie. It was a small, simple Vegas wedding held in a little white chapel. I, too, had become close with my mother. She and Richard had spent quite a bit of time together during his illness. There’s always forgiveness somewhere inside us, even if things that are done are unforgivable.
Rory and I had forgiven Andrew for his past mistakes. He’d been in therapy for about five years and then ended up marrying a girl named Olivia. She was good for Andrew because she was a strong woman who didn’t put up with any bullshit. She kept Andrew on a tight leash and that was exactly where he needed to be. We never fully recovered our friendship, but we would occasionally meet up for dinner for a couple of hours and then I wouldn’t see him again for months.
Mandy and Andre got married, and she and her daughter ended up moving to Paris. Rory was ecstatic because now it gave us an excuse to go to Paris more often. The two of them had a baby boy of their own. We visited them two to three times a year and we would Skype with them about once a month. Ashley and Ariel loved Paris and were so excited to go every time.
Rory was sitting up in bed reading a book when I climbed in and wrapped my arms around her. I began kissing her neck as she smiled and wrapped her legs around me. Suddenly, we heard the pitter patter of little feet heading towards our room. Rory and I quickly sat up and looked at each other and laughed. The girls always had perfect timing.
“Mommy, Daddy!” they yelled as the door flew open.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as they both climbed into bed with us.
“We’re scared,” Ashley pouted.
“Yeah, we’re scared,” Ariel said.
“What scared you?” Rory asked.
“Umm…” Ashley said.
“Umm…” Ariel copied.
“Just stuff. We want to sleep with you.”
I looked at Rory and she looked at me. We both laughed because we knew they just wanted to be with us. They weren’t scared. This was something they did about once a month.
“All right, get under the covers.” I smiled as I tickled them both.
I leaned over and gave Rory a kiss, Ashley a kiss, and then finally, Ariel.
“Good night, my queen and princesses.”
“Good night, my king,” Rory said.
“Good night, my wonderful daddy and mommy.” Both girls giggled.
I lay there, in my king-sized bed with the love of my life and my daughters. I smiled because this was exactly where I wanted to be. I turned to face Rory at the same time she turned and faced me. We both extended our hands to each other over the girls and interlaced our fingers.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you more,” she whispered.
The End