to do was place a turtle inside.
“Look!” Ira said, stopping right in front of the tank to admire the little turtle which would double in size eventually.
“Aw, he’s adorable! Did you give him a name yet?” I asked.
“Yes, his name is Donatello because of the Ninja Turtles, but I call him Donny.”
“I was hoping he’d get a Ninja Turtles name,” I said with a grin, turning to him and kissing his head.
“We’ll take good care of Donny. He’ll have the best life ever,” I promised.
“Yeah!”
“I see you met Donny already.” Wells’s voice made me turn around and look at him, standing there in only his jeans as his wet hair dripped all over the floor.
“He’s a nice turtle,” I said, grinning and walking over to him to kiss him.
“I missed you today,” he whispered against my lips, placing both hands on my lower back.
“I missed you too.”
“Okay if we eat dinner here tonight? I don’t feel like going out,” he told me, brushing his thumb along my back gently.
“Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?” I asked, worry filling my voice.
“I’m good. Just wanna spend this rainy evening with you two in here.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, smiling up at him and pressing one more kiss to his lips.
“Any new commissions today?” he asked as I walked back to the hallway to take off my coat and shoes.
“Yes, one. It’s a bigger project, so I won’t be taking any more for the rest of the month. Might take me a while,” I said.
“That’s good. And did you think about my offer?”
He meant moving in with him.
I turned to look at him and sighed, knowing he wouldn’t accept no for an answer. But I wanted to tease him a little before telling him my answer.
“Are you sure you want all my clothes in your closet? And all my shoes and coats taking up your beautiful, free space?” I asked.
He chuckled. “You don’t have that many clothes, love.”
“But what if we fight? I have nowhere to run if I accidentally piss you off,” I said quietly, not wanting Ira to hear me talk like this.
“We won’t fight. But if we strangely do one day, I’ll just lock you up in a room with me and wait until you talk to me again. It’s that easy.”
I really hoped we never had a fight, because that was definitely not a way to ease the tension.
I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, his hair wetting my sleeves.
“Are you sure you want me to move in?” I asked in a whisper.
His hands moved from my hips down to my ass, cupping it gently before squeezing it.
“One hundred percent, Rooney. I want you here with me every day and every night. Officially.”
I puckered my lips and studied his face for a moment, then I tilted my head to the side with a smirk. “Can’t we wait another year or so?”
His hands tightened on my ass, making me squeal. “I’m getting old, woman. It’s either now or never. Make a decision. Now.”
His bossy voice sent shivers down my spine, but I knew he wouldn’t be that mad at me if I told him no.
“Okay, I’ll move in with you and Ira,” I said, smiling and pushing my hand into his hair.
A smug grin spread across his face, then he kissed me as his hands now cupped my face.
It was the right thing to do, and although it took me one month to say yes, I didn’t have to fight with my mind and heart about it.
Thank God.
Wells
I was already planning the day for when she moved all her things into my apartment while making dinner.
Ira was reading to Rooney, as he started kindergarten and I thought it was a good time to teach him how to read.
He loved it and read at least four strips of a comic or whatever book he was into to me and Rooney.
We loved how fast he progressed, and because of that, we let him have the pet turtle.
It was an easy pet to keep at home, but I made him promise to help clean Donny’s tank whenever it was time to clean it.
Of course he didn’t refuse that.
His health hadn’t changed much ever since the accident with that new pump, and his diabetes was still under control.
There wasn’t much complaining from Ira’s side, but he was already used to the pump anyway.
“Dinner’s ready,” I said, placing the plates onto the table and looking over to the couch.
“Coming,” Rooney said, brushing through Ira’s hair and praising him for reading well.
“You’re getting better each day. Soon you can start reading one of Daddy’s books, hm?” she suggested.
I chuckled, thinking those books were a little too deep for a four-year-old.
Psychology and Philosophy…didn’t think he’d enjoy it much.
We sat down at the table and I poured us all some water. “Looks delicious,” Rooney told me with a smile, and I thanked her after setting down the water bottle again.
“I tried something with the spices your mother gave me last week on the ranch. I hope I didn’t ruin the taste by adding too much.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious, Daddy,” Ira said, sounding older than he was, but thanks to him still calling me Daddy, he assured me he was still my little boy.
“Thanks, bud. Try it,” I said, taking a bite of the rice mixed with veggies.
“It’s really good,” Rooney said, nodding and then smiling at me.
“Yes, it’s really good,” Ira repeated.
Good.
I was slowly getting better at new recipes.
“Any idea what you wanna do this weekend, Ira?” I asked.
“Can we visit Mommy?” he asked.
I looked at him and nodded. We’d been just last month, but I promised him I’d take him once a month, whenever he wanted to go.
“Of course we can.”
“Wanna come too, Rooney?” he asked her.
She had come with us before, but in the beginning she didn’t wanna bother us while Ira visited Leah.
Out of respect, but I knew Ira didn’t mind.
“Of course. I’d love to come,” she told him with a smile.
It was quiet for a while as we finished our dinner, and when I got up to get some more for Rooney and me, Ira asked, “Can people have two mommies?”
I puckered my lips and shrugged. “Of course they can. Some people have two moms or two dads. Maybe even three moms,” I said, shrugging again.
“So…can Rooney be my mommy too? Then I’d have one in heaven, and one here with me.”
His words made me want to squeeze him tight and never let go.
God, that kid was something else.
I looked at him and smiled. “That’s up to her, bud.”
When I gazed at Rooney, she already had tears in her eyes, trying not to cry from Ira’s words which must’ve hit her hard.
In a good way, of course.
Ira looked at Rooney with a questioning look. “Can you be my mommy so I can have two?” he asked.
And that sent tears into my eyes as well.
She reached out to take Ira’s hand, and after giving it a soft squeeze, she nodded. “Of course I can. I’d love to, Ira.”
“Are those happy tears?” he asked unsure, and when she nodded again, he smiled brightly and got up from the chair to hug her tight.
“I love you, Ira. And I’ll always be here for you,” she whispered, holding him tightly against her body and kissing the top of his head.
“I love you too, mommy.”
And in that moment I knew this bond between them, and the love they had for each other was forever.
They were my family, my love, and I couldn’t have wished for a better one.
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