“Which is?”
“I wanted to make sure I heard the doorbell in case Bellamy arrived.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Nice try, kid. You know we’re picking them up from the airport. Keep the door shut, okay?”
She nods and follows me into the house, thankfully sliding the door shut behind her.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as I look into the refrigerator. Like most of the guys on the team, I have a housekeeper who also does my shopping. Sometimes, she’ll even cook dinner and leave it for us to heat up when we get home from a game.
“No, I had toast.”
“Okay.” I pull out the carton of eggs, the box of pre-cooked bacon and the jug of orange juice. “What time is our appointment?”
“At three. Bellamy and Chase arrive in an hour and half. You better get ready.”
“We live fifteen minutes from the airport. We’ll leave right before the plane touches down.” I pull the bacon out of the box and set one of the sleeves in the microwave, and then crack my eggs over the f
rying pan.
“Won’t we be late?”
“No, by the time they get off the plane and make their way through the airport to get their luggage, we’ll be there.”
“Is your sign ready?” She asks. A few nights ago, Matty and I had arts and crafts night after we had watched one too many welcome home videos on the internet. It was her idea to make signs. One for Bellamy and one for Chase so they both felt welcomed. Matty made Chase’s.
“Yes, is yours?” I counter.
She nods and comes to where I’m standing. “Can I make your eggs?”
“Sure.” I’m not the best cook so trying to teach her how to cook is a challenge. Still, she wants to learn so I’m educating her on everything she asks. Of course, once my breakfast is ready, she declares she’s hungry and ends up taking my plate. “Next time, I’m making extra.”
“Technically, I made this.” Touché, kid.
After breakfast, I head into the shower. I opt not to shave, letting the two-day growth stay, at least until game day which is two days away. After I dress, I make my way into Matty’s room. There are baseball posters everywhere and a new twin bed on the other side of her room. Bellamy and I discussed the sleeping arrangements and while not ideal, Chase and Matty will share until we’ve purchased a house which is our top priority. I suspect by the end of next week, we’ll have a place to call home and if we don’t, a new apartment it is.
“Hey, you still okay with sharing a room with Chase?” I lean against the doorjamb, waiting for her to reply.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”
“If you say so.” I remember sharing with my sister while my parents renovated our upstairs and I hated every minute of it. “You ready?”
She nods, climbs off her bed and follows me out and to the elevators. Today must be our lucky day; normally we run into our neighbors who like to talk about everything and anything. We ride down to the basement and Matty runs to my SUV. She yells, “shotgun” even though she’s the only one riding in the car. I can thank Travis for teaching her this.
Like I told her, we make it to the airport in fifteen minutes, thanks to my ability to weave in and out traffic. I will never understand why someone goes under the speed limit in the fast lane and then has the nerve to flip you off when you speed past after tailgating them a mile.
Matty and I hold hands as we walk through the airport. At first, I thought this was strange, a ten-year-old wanting to hold my hand, but then I realized it’s not strange, it’s life. I’m her protector and she’s in a big scary city. That doesn’t preclude her from running off when we get into Macy’s or some other department store. Right now, I seem to be losing more battles than winning in this parent game.
We stand in baggage claim at the end of the escalator with our signs poised, waiting for the rest of our family. People ooh and ahh as they walk by and a few even proposition us. Every few seconds Matty looks at mine and giggles. I do the same for hers. We were creative with our jars of glitter and glue, highlights and markers. I’m sure my housekeeper didn’t think so because she had to scrape tiny shards plastic off the island when we were done.
I see Chase before Bellamy and when she comes into view, it hits me how much I’ve missed her. I don’t care that I’ve only known her since late spring, I’m madly in love with her. When she spots me, I hold my sign up high so she can see it as she rides down the escalator. Her hand covers her mouth and nods. As soon as she reaches the bottom, she’s in a dead sprint to get to me. With the sign in one hand, I catch her as flings herself toward me and bury my face in her shoulder.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I tell her. Video chats and speaking on the phone every day did nothing but make me fall more and more in love with her. I set her down and as I do, I drop down to one knee and pull the black velvet box from my pocket.
“Bellamy Patrick will do me and our children the honor of becoming my wife?”
“If she doesn’t, I will,” someone says as they walk by.
Bellamy laughs through the tears streaming down her face. “Yes, I’d be so honored to be your wife” she says. Everyone around us cheers as I stand and kiss her.