After I read the story to both at the same time, I tucked them in separately. I asked each of them “Would you mind if I moved in with you guys?” With big smiles on their faces they each shrieked “I want you to move in with us!”
After I kissed each of them on the forehead I went to see Melanie who was cleaning up in the kitchen. “Are you trying to get them to fall in love with you?” she cackled; “I think that they already are.”
I went over to her, lifted her into my arms and carried her into the living room despite her mild protests.
I sat her down on the couch, held her hands, and said “I’m in love with you — and Jen and Susie — and I want to marry you.”
She looked a little shocked but quickly recovered. “I’m twelve years older than you are and you’ll want kids of your own and I’ll be forty next month.”
“I think that both Jen and Susie would like a little brother or sister, and your body is like that of a twenty five year old’s,” I snickered.
“What makes you think that I love you?” she challenged.
“Jen as much as told me so when we were eating ice cream after he ballet recital,” I challenged right back.
A staring contest then ensued. After what seemed like five minutes of glaring at each other Melanie got up, and started walking to the interior stairs. When she got there she turned toward me and asked “Aren’t you coming?”
She mumbled “Stop it you pervert” several times as she swatted my hand as I pinched her butt while she was walking up the stairs. When we got to her room, however — I noticed that she had replaced the entire bedroom set and mattress since Jack’s death — no words were spoken as we fell into each other’s arms and had the most rewarding loving session in history, telling each other time and again how much we loved them.
The next morning I was awakened by a shriek followed by eight year old Susie jumping on top of me. “Jubal, you’re here, you’re here. Are you moving in with us?”
Groggy Melanie retorted “Not unless you leave us alone; we’ll come downstairs shortly. Get your sister and make yourselves bowls of Cheerios.”
Susie bounced out of bed and we heard another couple of shrieks when Susie told Jen the news, and then more noise as the girls hustled downstairs.
Melanie turned toward me, kissed me, and then smiled. “You outdid yourself last night, big boy.”
“That’s the most love I’ve ever felt in my life,” I replied. “However, shat are other people going to think if I move in so soon after Jack died?” I asked.
“That we love each other, and that the girls need a male influence,” Melanie smiled. Then she gave me a quick kiss and said “Let’s brush our teeth and shower and then get down to see what the little gremlins are up to.”
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I think that Susie and Jen were more excited than Melanie and me when we got married six months later and they were co-maids of honor. They were also really excited to go on our week-long honeymoon with us to Aruba when it was winter back home even though to placate their principal they had to bring some school work along.