I look around the room quickly. The new habitat is housed in the Lexi Chase-Marshall Sloth Playground. I paid for it, and she named it. Behind the wall of glass, there is a live forest, over an acre under cover and another half-acre outside for when the weather is conducive.
“Okay, baby, let’s see what your surprise is.”
“One sec. I have to get something from my bag.”
She runs off, shuffles in her bag for a second, and is right back standing in front of Rita and me with an envelope decorated with pink and blue hand-drawn hearts.
She shoves it toward us. “Open it together.”
“What are you up to, little girl?” My eyes narrow as Rita and I both pinch the envelope and bring it toward us, our feet stepping inward to bring us closer together.
“It’s not going to explode in pink and blue glitter all over us, is it??
? Rita reaches out to pull Lex toward her in a half hug.
“Nope.” Lexi bounces on her tiptoes. Whatever it is has her about to explode with her own excitement. “Just open it already.” She claps and her eyes glow.
“Better do as we are told, huh, Daddy?” Rita teases.
Lexi and I don’t use our titles all the time in public, but in our home, with friends and family, we decided we will not hide who we are. Even if it does give Rita fodder for teasing me whenever she gets the chance.
Rita and I manage to tear the flap of the envelope together, then I hold it open while she slides out the card inside. More pink and blue hearts drawn by Lexi’s endless supply of magic markers and art supplies decorate the front of the card.
When Rita finally slips it open, the black-and-white ultrasound picture is there, with two arrows drawn on it in pink and blue. I nearly drop to my knees.
“Oh my God!” Rita screams, and both of them are yelping and hopping up and down hugging each other, while I’ve forgotten how to breathe.
Heather and Ricky are there in the next moment.
“What the heck?” Heather comes around, and Lexi turns and jumps toward me.
“Daddy’s going to be a Daddy times two!”
“You’re having twins!” Heather snatches the card from Rita. “You have to name them Minnie and Paul!”
Lexi giggles then looks up at me to say, “It’s too early to know the sexes yet, but I’m hoping for a boy and a girl.”
“God, I’m so fucking pissed I missed your appointment.” I shake my head. I wanted so badly to be there for her first ultrasound, but I was stuck on a flight delay coming back from New York. I was finishing up a bit of consulting I’m doing for the Moe’s expansion. Seems I couldn’t quite sever my connection to that little deli, and I have kept my toes in the water as far as that deal is concerned.
The week after we officially became who we are to each other, we finally did have our date at the zoo. I remember how devastated she was when she discovered the sloths from her youth, Minnie and Pearl, were gone. Heather was there with us that day and continues to be a positive and integral part of our lives.
I’ve even given Heather the task of developing a new component to the Count On program. She has a talent for budgeting in real life. A way of communicating with others like herself, kids raised in the system. I offered her a position in our program teaching mentees how to manage their funds. She travels around to different cities, helping members of the program learn how to set up a budget and connect with some simple, but necessary, fiscal skills.
A sea of new congratulations fills the room. Sloths move behind the glass as a burning gathers in my eyes.
“Baby.” I swoop both arms around her waist and swing her around in an arc, nearly taking Ricky’s knees out in the process.
Everyone takes a step back as they laugh and watch me swing my girl in a circle until she’s squealing and laughing so hard her own face is wet with tears.
“I didn’t think I could be any happier.” I set her down and don’t even bother to wipe away the tear that slides down from the corner of my eye.
Lexi reaches up to pet my beard as she likes to do when she’s looking deep into my eyes.
“You proud of me, Daddy?”
“I couldn’t be prouder, Babygirl. You’ve made the day more perfect that I could have dreamed in a thousand lifetimes.”
The HIS Collection