Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Today, Macy graduates high school. It’s so hard to imagine that the scared little girl who lost her father and came to live with me is now old enough to move out and start college.
When she lost her dad, I wondered if I would be able to do right by her as a single man with my profession. I almost looked into alternative living arrangements for her, but if it wasn’t for her, I might never have met Jessie. She was what brought us together and I’m so glad that I took her in. She is and will always be a part of us. She is family.
Joshua, Jade, and Johnny are all dressed in coordinating blue and white outfits. Those are Macy’s school colors. Jessie always thinks of little details like this that I would have taken for granted.
“Did I tell you how sexy you look, little mama?” I kiss her cheek before scooping little Johnny into my arms.
“Sexy?” she scoffs. “Daddy, I barely fit in this dress.”
“You fill it up so nicely. Like a little slice of heaven.”
Even after all these years, she’s still the most beautiful girl in the world. She complains that her body has changed since the kids, but I don’t care. I’m obsessed with her curves. I’m obsessed with everything about her.
We load the kids in the car, but I tell Macy and Jessie to wait.
“Stand in front of the house and let me get a picture,” I tell them.
“We’re going to be late, Uncle Jack.”
“Just one picture. Get together. I want to remember my two girls like they are right now.”
They stand side by side and smile for the camera. They’ll always be my girls, and I love them with all of my heart.
I’m not one for company but Macy and Jessie convinced me to host a small graduation celebration in the backyard. We’ve decorated the garden with balloons and streamers, and Daniel has set up a banquet-style dinner including a beautiful cake.
Macy takes off her cap and gown and steps outside. She walks over to me and waves Jessie over to join us.
“I realize that with everything going on, I didn’t take the time to stop and thank you guys,” she tells us.
“You don’t need to thank us. You deserve all of this. We’re very proud of you,” Jessie replies.
“I don’t mean this. Well, this is great. I know how hard it must have been to get Uncle Jack to let a bunch of teenagers into the compound. That’s not what I wanted to thank you for, though. Uncle Jack, you’ve given me the best life that any girl could ever wish for. You didn’t have to but you did and I’ll be forever grateful.
“Now, you’re paying for me to go to college and renting me a house. Kids with two parents don’t get treated that way and both of mine are gone. Jessie, you took care of me like I was your own child, and then, you taught me how to be a woman. I guess what I really want to tell you is how much I love you. You may not have given birth to me but you are my parents.”
Her words move me. I promised her father that I would take care of her and that’s what I did, but in time, she became a part of me. Today, she makes me proud.
“You’re welcome, Macy. You’re our family, our first little girl. You’ll always have a place here,” I tell her.
“And we love you, too. We’re so very proud of you,” Jessie adds.
“Thanks again. I’m gonna join my friends now,” Macy tells us.
“You do that. This is for you. Enjoy it,” I reply.
We turn on the music, and Jessie and I watch as Joshua and Jade dance in circles on the garden path.
“It’s been a great day, Daddy,” she says.
“Come over here and sit on my lap, sweetheart.”
She rises from her seat and puts herself down on my lap. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck. “It’s been a good day. I’m very proud of Macy and I’m proud of you, too.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Because you raised her. You didn’t know the first thing about raising a kid when you got here. It was your heart that made you so good at it. Your big, beautiful heart.”
“That’s sweet, Daddy, but I think you had a lot to do with it. If it wasn’t for you, where would either of us be?”
“Let’s not even think about that. You’re right where you belong.”
“And I always will be.”
“Is Johnny down for the night?”
“I think so, why?”
“Because once this party is over and the kids go to bed, I need some time alone with my little girl.”
“I can’t wait, Daddy, but right now, I need to bring those little ones up here. They need to eat or they’ll never get to bed tonight. Just look at them down there. Joshua is the same age that Macy was when I first met her. Soon it will be him that’s graduating high school. We’re going to be old before you know it.”