Maybe Matt's Miracle(56)

After everyone gets a ride and I make sure they all have snacks, I walk out into the hallway. Emily is standing there, and she looks me up and down and nods.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she sings, grinning like a fool.

“Say it,” I prompt.

She shrugs. But then she looks up into my face. “You’re going to be the best dad ever, Matt,” she says.

My heart swells. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about them turning out like me.” I scratch my belly. “Being this handsome is quite a burden to bear.”

She laughs and punches me in the gut.

I bend in the middle, clutching my stomach, and that’s when Sky walks around the corner.

She looks toward Hayley’s room. “I was just going to check on the girls,” she says.

“I just did,” I tell her. Her brow furrows, and she looks so damn pretty that I want to kiss her. “Don’t tell anyone but Mellie’s pants peed on her,” I whisper dramatically.

She turns toward her bag. “Oh, I better get some clothes,” she says.

“Already took care of it,” I say, and I wrap my arms around Sky.

She hugs me back. “You took care of it?” She lays her face against my chest and nuzzles against me. I could stand here like this all day long.

“Of course,” I say.

She mumbles something against my chest that sounds like, “You’re really sexy when you take care of children.”

“Hey,” I cry. “You should see me when I vacuum. And do dishes. You won’t be able to stand the sexy.”

She laughs and kisses the center of my chest, just over my heart.

We go back into the living room, and I sit at her feet while she sits on the couch. Emily picks up her guitar again after Reagan gets herself all cleaned up. Or after Pete cleans Reagan up, which takes way longer than it should. Emily starts to play, and I feel Sky’s fingers tickle across the back of my neck. I reach up to pull the rubber band from my hair and lean closer to her. She takes the hint and starts to draw her fingers down the length of my hair.

I really need a haircut, but after having been bald for so long, I don’t want to cut it off. I feel like Sampson who took his strength from his hair. I know it’s stupid, but it’s how I feel. My hair being as long as it is means I’m healthy. I’m not going through chemo. I’m not taking lots of meds. I’m just me.

Sky doesn’t stop stroking me, not even when the song changes. I have my family around me, and nothing has ever felt quite so right.

“So, who’s going to the wedding tomorrow?” Pete asks all of a sudden.

Emily’s fingers stumble across the strings, and she slaps her hand down over them to quiet the noise. “Pete,” she hisses.

“What?” he asks, throwing up his hands.

“What wedding?” Sky asks.

I look up at her and tangle my fingers with hers on my shoulder. “An old friend of mine is getting married,” I say.

Pete makes a blowing noise with his mouth that sounds a lot like the noise we heard a goat make once at a petting zoo. Paul shoots him a look, and he bites back whatever he was going to say next.

“Why would he go to that?” Reagan asks Pete, and she looks at him like he’s grown two horns.

“To prove that he’s ov—” Pete grunts and shuts up when Reagan elbows him in the stomach. I would have gone for his nuts, honestly. “The invitation was for all of us,” Pete grumbles. “We should at least go and eat all their food and drink all their drinks. Just saying.”

“Did you want to go?” Sky asks me.

I shake my head. “Not really.”

“You said it’s an old friend, right?” she asks.

I nod my head. “Sort of.”

“I think you should go.”

“You could take Sky with you,” Pete says. “Rub that shit—” He grunts again when Reagan hits him on the back of the head.

“Go for his nuts next time,” I tell Reagan.

“Good idea,” she says as she shoots daggers at him with her eyes. “Your nuts are mine the next time you open your mouth,” she warns, pointing a finger toward his crotch.

“My nuts have been yours since the day I met you, princess,” he says.

Sam makes a gagging noise, pretending like he’s going to throw up.

“So, did you want to go?” Sky asks. I wish she’d leave it alone. But I’d have to tell her what’s up in order for her to do that, and I’m honestly having so much fun that I don’t even want to think about April and Ken. I don’t want to let them steal one minute of my happiness.

Emily elbows Logan. “We could go with them,” she says. “For moral support.”

Logan shrugs his shoulders. He couldn’t care less, apparently.

“Well, then it looks like we’re going,” I say on a heavy breath. “Yay,” I deadpan. “Can you be ready by two?” I look up at Sky.

“Oh, you want me to go with you?” she asks, her eyes opening wide with shock.

I tug her hand until she has no choice but to lean toward my face so I can kiss her. “I wouldn’t go without you,” I say. “Come with me.”

“What about the kids?” she asks.