She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Mom, what are you doing today?”
“Nothing, just some picking up around here, maybe a little weeding if the rain holds off.”
“Remember when I was little, before we traveled for hockey all the time, and every summer we would go to the Chocolate Festival in Long Grove?”
“Mmhmm, that was always fun.” Her voice sounded a little more upbeat at that memory.
“Well, it’s this weekend. What if me, Kacie, and the girls come get you and we all go to that? Just like we used to, except now instead of you and your kid, it’s me and my kids?” Kacie threw her arm around me and hugged me tight while I continued, “Then Kacie can tell you about the proposal in person while I feed Lucy and Piper so much chocolate their bellies will ache for a week.”
“Brody,” my mom spoke softly, “that sounds absolutely wonderful.”
“Great! We’ll pick you up in a couple hours?”
“Perfect.” I could tell she was smiling now when she talked. “See you then.”
Two hours later, we were in Kacie’s Jeep, heading toward my mom’s. I liked when Kacie drove. Her tan legs reached out toward the pedals, the sun glistened off her copper hair as it whipped round and round her head, and don’t even get me started on the way the seatbelt sat so perfectly right in the middle of her breasts. With my sunglasses shielding my eyes, she had no idea I stared at her constantly. Sometimes I got so wrapped up in watching her movements, I forgot where we were going—and who we were with.
“Did you hear me?” Lucy squeaked from the backseat.
I turned to the side so I could hear her better. “I’m sorry, baby. What did you say?”
“What is Chocolate Fest?”
“The Chocolate Fest… Well, it is what it sounds like. Long Grove is this little town that’s full of shops and restaurants and toy stores.” Their faces lit up when I said toy stores, but I just kept going. “During the festival, they close off all the streets and people set up different carts and they sell all sorts of chocolate desserts and chocolate-covered things. There are magic shows and dancers and pony rides. It’s gonna be so much fun!”
Piper gasped. “Pony rides?”
“Yep, pony rides. Do you like ponies?” I asked.
“I love them.” She sighed.
I looked over at Kacie, who glared at me out of the corner of her eye. “Absolutely not,” she warned sternly.
“What?” I laughed innocently.
“I know you, Murphy. I know what you’re thinking and the answer is absolutely, one hundred and fifty percent no.”
She called me Murphy. That had the same effect on me as when I said something about the barn to her.
“There she is!” Piper yelled as we pulled into my parents’ property. My mom was standing on the porch, watering her flowers. When she saw us pull up the long driveway, she put the watering can down and waved at us.
Kacie parked her Jeep and we all hopped out as Mom made her way down the steps. Lucy and Piper ran right over and threw their arms around her waist, nearly knocking her down.
“Hi, girls!” She bent over and hugged them back. “How have you guys been?”
“Good,” Piper answered.
“We’re gonna live in a castle!” Lucy yelled in excitement.
My mom’s head snapped up as her eyes darted back and forth between Kacie and me. “Something else you forgot to tell me?”
Kacie crossed her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side, staring at me. “Go ahead, big shot. Tell her what you did.”
“I didn’t do anything.” I laughed, narrowing my eyes at her. “When we told the girls we were getting married, to make it easy for them to understand, I compared us to Cinderella and the prince.”
“So then,” Kacie piped in when I refused to tell any more, “they started dancing around and cheering that we’re all going to live in a castle. I stopped them and explained that no, we won’t be living in a castle, and all they had to do was look at him and…” She paused and motioned for me to finish.
“And I promised them a castle.” I shrugged.
“Brody Michael!” my mom shouted. “You can’t promise things like that to little kids. They’re never going to forget it.”
“Thank you,” Kacie said to her, clearly feeling vindicated.
“You know me, I never think that far ahead. I’ll figure something out. Just watch me.” I waved off both of those skeptical women as I walked past them into the house. “I gotta take a leak real quick and then we’ll go.”
When I came back outside, Lucy and Piper were hanging upside down from the swing set my mom had put in. My mom and Kacie were sitting on the wicker couch on the porch, facing each other and holding hands.
Kacie had tears in her eyes. Mom’s face was soaked. That couldn’t be good.
“What… uh… Are you guys okay?” I stuttered nervously.
When Mom heard me, her face instantly softened into a smile and she stood and walked over to me. She cupped my face in her hands. “My sweet, sweet, romantic boy. Kacie was just telling me about your proposal. Amazing, Brody.”
I felt my face flush. “Thanks. I wanted it to be special for her.”
“Well, I’d say you nailed it.” She sniffed. “Let me run in and grab my purse.”
Once she was inside the house, I looked at Kacie, who was wiping her eyes with a tissue. I smirked at her. “I sure did nail it that night, and I’m not just talking about the proposal.”
“Brody!” she scolded quietly, looking toward the door to make sure my mom was gone.
“Sorry, I can’t help it. I’m all revved up.” I walked over and sat next to her on the couch, leaning in to kiss her neck.
“Chocolate festivals excite you that much?” She giggled.
“No.” Kiss. “But.” Kiss. “You called me Murphy.” Kiss.
The wooden screen door creaked as my mom came back out. Kacie pushed my chest away from her, standing up quickly.
“I think I’m gonna drive separate, if that’s okay?” She pulled her keys out of her purse as we walked down the steps.
“Okay.” I was confused. “How come?”
“Hey, guys!” my dad bellowed as he came out the front door. “Want me to lock this?”
“Yes, please,” Mom called back.
I put my hand on my mom’s arm and stopped her. “What’s going on?”
She turned around and looked down at my hand and back up at me. “What?”
“Dad. Why is he here? You guys are divorced,” I said, more accusatory than I meant to.
“Brody,”—Mom’s eyes searched my face as she sighed—“we were married for thirty years. Whether we’re still together intimately or not, we’re still friends and we still care about each other. He was here working in his shop. I told him we were going; he asked if he could join us.” She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed my cheek. “Simple as that. Now let’s go.”
She spun on her heel and started toward her car. Kacie hooked her arm through mine and yanked on it to get my attention. “Come on, Murphy.” My eyes dropped to hers quickly and she winked at me, tugging me toward the Jeep. “Girls! You wanna swing all day or you wanna eat chocolate? Come on!”