Part 35 (1/2)

I scooped her up, always quick to move at her command. ”Demanding little critter, aren't you, Katie-bug?”

She shook her brown curls before give me a big, wet smacker right on the chin. ”I wuv you!”

Still having trouble with her L's and missing a couple of front teeth wasn't helping her much. But Katie was such a sweetheart, my heart melted straight through. ”I wuv you, too. How's that horse working out for you?”

Katie giggled and held up her stuffed pony. It was half as big as she was and from what I'd heard, she refused to leave the house without it. ”He's good. I fed him some hay so he wouldn't whinny during your fraduwation.”

”Graduation, honey,” Uncle Mike said.

I grinned at him. ”And you thought I meant a real pony.”

Aunt Julie kissed my cheek. ”All I can say is thank G.o.d. The thought of cleaning up after a pony in addition to the twins made my head hurt.”

Said twins-Brent and Toby-proceeded to blow spit bubbles at each other in their stroller. I had a feeling they were showing off for their mom. ”Yeah, I can imagine a pair of two-year-olds qualifies as a hazmat event.”

”You have no idea,” Uncle Mike said. ”Yesterday, I found a dirty diaper in-”

”And that's not a story we want you to finish here. Or ever,” Mom said. She nodded at Dad making his way through the crowd. ”I wondered where he wandered off to.”

”I'm proud of you, son,” Dad said. Smiling, he shook my hand, then took his place by Mom. She blushed and smacked his arm. I couldn't be sure, but I thought he pinched her a.s.s.

Finally, Ella came, her auburn hair blowing in the breeze. I stared for a moment, enjoying the view. She caught me gawking and rolled her eyes, but smiled too. Some things never changed.

”Hey, beautiful,” I said. ”Everything set with the new school?”

”Yes. The princ.i.p.al even showed me my cla.s.sroom. Teacher prep starts the last week of August.” She twisted her engagement ring around her finger. ”Sorry to miss the party last night. You packed?”

”Yeah. Will said he'll help get us moved. I think that means he's paying movers to hand-wrap all our c.r.a.p and carry it to Maryland on the backs of golden llamas,” I said. ”b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

”Well, we have one thing he doesn't-the summer off. He has to go to training camp.” Ella wound her hands around my neck. ”Two weeks from now, we'll be in Hawaii.”

I kissed her, long and hard, ignoring the catcalls from the cadets milling around. ”Wearing as little as humanly possible.”

”Public beaches frown on that kind of thing,” she whispered.

”Not where we're staying. The general freed up some private house the government owns.” I ran my fingers through her hair. ”Giving us a decent honeymoon was the least they could do.”

She kissed me again as a large ma.s.s blocked out the sun.

”Break it up, break it up.” Will dropped a two-ton arm around my shoulders. ”Dude, I'm starving.”

”Yeah,” I said. ”Me, too.”

Will wrapped his other arm around Penn's waist. He had to stoop to do it and she smacked him in the side. ”When haven't you been starving?”

Ella's laugh rang out. ”Never.”

Bickering while trying to defend our honor as men, we followed my family to the parking lot. It hit me hard then, watching Mike push the twins in their stroller with Katie skipping behind. My whole life was ahead of me, and it looked so bright-bright as a star.

The knife buzzed in my jacket pocket.

And somewhere, Mamie smiled.

-the end-.

Acknowledgements.