Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Aleks had stuck close to home the first couple of weeks after permanently moving in with us, but he’d pushed the boundaries of his comfort zone by attending dinner with me and Dante at Hawke and Tate’s house on more than one occasion. While he was still hesitant around other adults, especially men, he thrived around kids and he and Matty had gotten along famously from the start. It wasn’t that Aleks identified as a child; it was more like he understood them and needed that freedom that playing with little kids could only bring him. The same way his flowers still managed to calm him.
We hadn’t taken him to any of the bigger family functions and suspected it would be a good long while until we did, but he had made himself a tentative new friend in Remy. Dante had explained the young man’s role in bringing Aleks home and Aleks had asked to meet him. Remy, for his part, was doing as well as could be expected. Memphis had gotten him set up with an apartment and had also arranged for him to enroll in an outpatient drug rehab program so he could continue with his recovery while Dom Barretti had offered the young man a job at his security firm doing office work. We’d invited Remy over to our house a week ago to meet Aleks and had left the two young men alone to talk. The only hint we’d gotten that things had gone well was when Aleks had asked Dante to show him how to work the texting function on his phone so he could text Remy.
Aleks’s need for my approval and permission had eased, though he sometimes looked at me first when he had to make a decision about something. But instead of expecting me to tell him how to proceed, he would ask both me and Dante for our opinions and then ultimately reach his own decision. And every time he did it, we saw him grow just a little bit stronger.
My relationship with Dante had flourished, even during the times we’d had to deal with Aleks’s darker days. Early on, I’d questioned whether Dante had moved in with me so quickly because of his brother, but he’d set me straight pretty quickly. We hadn’t talked much about the future, but we both knew today was exactly the same place we’d be in ten, twenty, even fifty years.
Together.
I could see Dante was about to take me up on my suggestion to move things to the bathroom when the front door flew open and Matty and Leo dragged Aleks into the house.
“Come on, hurry,” Leo urged as he nearly tripped over Matty’s puppy, Storm, who’d been lying near the door waiting for her master to come back.
Aleks sent us both an exasperated smile, but I knew it was for show. He adored both kids and would rather spend time playing with Matty’s superhero dolls with the boys, than interacting with the adults. I knew there would be a time when those roles reversed for him, but he’d earned the right to be a kid whenever he needed to, and for as long as he needed to.
“Dinner in ten,” Dante called as the trio hurried past us.
“How very grandmotherly of you,” I said with a smile which garnered me a punch on the arm followed by a soft kiss.
“I don’t care how many superhero dolls it costs me, that kid is not calling me MawMaw.”
“And what are you going to give me not to call you that?” I asked.
Dante’s hand traveled towards my groin and had nearly made contact when Matty came barreling down the hall. “Pop-pop, MawMaw,” he said as he reached us and Dante snatched his hand back.
Matty smirked at the dark look Dante sent him and then he put his hands on Dante’s knees. He curled his finger towards Dante, motioning him forward so he could whisper into Dante’s ear.
“Did he ask you yet?” Matty said softly.
Dante made a show of putting his mouth to Matty’s ear and cupping his hand, but his eyes were on me. “Not yet, but when he does, I’m gonna say yes.”
I felt my heart swell painfully in my chest at that.
“‘Cause he makes you happy,” Matty said, making no effort to quiet his voice.
Dante skimmed his finger down Matty’s cheek. “Yeah, Matty, he does.” Dante’s eyes shifted back to mine and he brushed a chaste kiss over my mouth.
It was my turn to lean over when Matty motioned me forward. “He’s gonna say yes, Pop-pop. You’re gonna ask him, right?”
I made sure to keep my voice low enough that I knew Dante wouldn’t hear me and said, “Tonight, buddy.”
Matty smiled widely just before Leo called his name from the bedroom.
“Gotta go Pop-pop,” he said and then he gave me a quick hug. “Love you lots.”