It only takes me a minute to think over what I should do.
“Okay.”
They both smile at me.
Mrs. Myers leaves her spot by the door and walks to the fridge. “I’ll put together a couple plates of food for him.”
I turn to Emma and pull her in for a hug. At her ear, I whisper, “Thank you.”
I walk over to her grandmother and do the same. She pats my cheek when I pull back.
“That man deserves some happiness, just as much as you do.”
I leave them both in the kitchen preparing plates for us to take to Alexander. Daniel is on the floor playing with some of his new toys. Kelsey’s on the floor as well, but what has me surprised is the puppy sleeping on her lap. She’s staring down at Pepper with her brows pulled down, her hand slowly stroking her back. I take a minute to watch her, pleased that she’s taking a liking to the pup.
“Hey, kids,” I call after a moment. “Grab all your stuff together and get ready to go.”
“Aww… Mom.” Daniel pouts. “Can’t we stay for a bit longer?”
I smile at them both. “Nope. How do you both feel about going to see Alexander?”
That gets Daniel’s attention and he jumps up from the floor. “Can we really?” he practically yells.
“Yes.”
“Alright!” I laugh when he pumps his fist in the air and starts to immediately gather his toys together. If only it were always that easy getting him to clean his room.
I turn to Kelsey and am pleased to find a light of interest in her eyes. She may not show it, but I know she misses him.
“Would you like to go see Alexander, Kelsey?”
Her nod comes faster than normal and has a bit more enthusiasm to it. She gets up from her perch on the floor, carefully setting Pepper back down, and starts gathering her things as well.
Ten minutes later, the kids are bundled up and we’re at the door saying our goodbyes to Emma and Mrs. Myers. The puppy, food, and presents are already packed in the car.
“I hate that I’m leaving early when you leave tomorrow,” I say after pulling back from our hug.
“You’ll see me tomorrow when you take me back to the airport. And as soon as the hospital hires more nurses, I’ll come back for a longer visit.”
“I miss you already.”
“I miss you already too.”
We both shed a tear or two before the kids and I walk to the car. Mrs. Myers lives on the same stretch of road that Alexander lives on, so it won’t take us long to get there. Butterflies start in my belly, and I’m nervous as hell as we pull out onto the road. Doubt starts to plague me. What if he really doesn’t want us around anymore? What if I’ve only imagined the connection we have?
I clench my jaw and push the thoughts away. There’s no way I could have imagined the emotion in his eyes when he looked at me. I know he has to feel something for me.
I look in the rearview mirror and see Daniel watching out the window, a look of anticipation on his face. I look next at Kelsey, and find more than just a blank expression on her face. I amend my earlier thought. I know he has to feel something for us.
Five minutes later, I’m pulling up next to Alexander’s truck. I take a minute to compose myself before turning to the kids.
“I want you both to stay here until I come back for you.”
“Why can’t we go in with you?” Daniel asks, bouncing in his seat with excitement.
“I want to make sure that it’s okay that we’re here first.”
His brow wrinkles. “But why wouldn’t it be okay?”