Because I get to hear them from him, the only man I’ve ever loved, dozens of times a day. Just like the dozens of roses he often gives me, reminding me that I’m the most precious jewel of them all. At least in his eye.
“I love you, Daddy,” I say once more.
“I love you, my little Jewel.”
Extended Epilogue
Jake
Twelve years later
“All strapped in?” I ask, looking at our second set of twins Julian and Julia, as Jewel shoots me a look.
I cough, trying to hide my smile at the double entendre of the question. These days Jewel loves nothing more than to be strapped to the bed, strapped to our St. Andrew’s Cross, or just about anywhere else I can restrain her. Hell, I even strapped her to a rock last year when we went climbing for my birthday and pleased her all night in the fresh air under the full moonlight, howling like the feral wolf she’s turned me into.
“Ready, dad,” they say, and I double-check to make sure they’re securely seated on their respective ponies before checking out the same for our older twins Jasmine and Jasper and Josephine and Josiah, who although not twins, were born just a year apart and look more alike than they don’t.
Fortunately, the kids take after their mother, which is a good thing because I’ve got a face for radio. I’m more of the muscle side of the equation, looking more like a tough guy from a Guy Ritchie movie than Henry Cavill. That’s fine by me though. People know not to mess with my family or else they have to deal with the tough guy that runs it with an iron fist.
But truth be told, I’ve become more of a big Teddy Bear as I age. I still demand discipline from our kids, instilling a strong work ethic in each of them and the confidence and belief that they can do anything they put their minds to, but I leave plenty of wiggle room for them to be in control of their own lives.
Sure, I make the decisions for the family, but I make sure they’re in line with what we all want. It’s a technique that I refined over the years thanks to my little Jewel, my wife.
It’s one thing to be a Daddy dom, but it’s another altogether to be a bull in a China shop. That’s not what I’m after.
And what we’re after today is a nice day of horseback riding in the Rockies, a dream day for most families, including ours. But then again every day is a dream day when I have my wife, my kids, and even our two dogs by our side.
Ramsay’s getting up there in years too, dog years that is, but lucky he also found love with an Afghan Hound, who looks just like Ruby from Lady and the Tramp II. And that’s just what we named her, after rescuing her from a junkyard that had been abandoned, just like she had been.
I can hardly believe I’ve watched most Disney movies at least twenty times. Ten times with the kids and ten with Jewel, who’s still a kid at heart. And I’ll be darned if it doesn’t wear off on me.
My passport says I’m fifty-three now, but my doctor says I have the health and body of a thirty-three year old athlete, which probably explains why I still have an insatiable appetite for my wife, who I satisfy multiple times each day, despite having six children and the two of us running separate, yet interlinked, businesses.
Let’s just say thank God for Jewel’s mom, and her husband Mason. Seems he was watching her do those runs a dozen years ago. And as soon as he caught up to her he grabbed her tight and never let go. Which was exactly my plan with Jewel.
And still is and always will be.
“Ready, honey?”
“Ready,” she says, helmet on like a good girl, just like all the kids and even me. I wouldn’t have been caught dead in a helmet years ago, but now I realize life is so much more than just me. I never had a death wish or anything like that, but as a single guy, you just go for it without thinking of the consequences. Now, I couldn’t imagine waking up without my health, being able to toss my kids in the air and catch them, play catch in the back yard, or go hiking…or horseback riding on days like today, our Julia and Julian’s birthday.
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Our little caravan takes off, just as the sun rises and a smile creeps across my face. What a day, and I get to share it all with the ones that matter most.
I have a reputation for working with rare, hard to find, and priceless jewels. I just laugh at that, because I know the real truth.
There’s only one real priceless jewel in the whole wide world, and I’ve seen them all. Lucky for me that jewel is my Jewel, forever and always.
Will I always be possessive and protective of what’s mine? Damn right.
“How’s your horse, Daddy?” Jewel winks, knowing the term won’t raise an eyebrow with the kids, even though it has a double meaning just like the one I threw out there earlier.
“She’s obeying perfectly,” I shoot back. “She’s a good girl.”
“Oh really?” Jewel plays along.
“Yeah, or at least she’s okay. There’s really another good girl that does it for me,” I continue, pushing the line of our wordplay a bit.