Page 36 of Only Time Will Tell

Had Charlie not been wearing the apron, our cabinets would have needed a deep scrubbing. I reached for the dish towel to wipe us down. After we were both cleaned up, Charlie spun around and claimed my lips.

“Welcome home.”

“And a fine welcome it was,” I stole another kiss. “Sorry I interrupted the assembly of your culinary masterpiece and the sexy dancing.” I tossed the towel toward the laundry room.

“Don’t ever apologize for that. Take out is only an app away if we need it.”

I kissed him then darted upstairs to change out of my work clothes. Laughing only to myself, I had a fleeting thought. Damn, if I get to come home to that every day I wonder what it would take to make this a permanent thing?

Charlie yelled up the stairs, “Dinner’s ready!” Guess we hadn’t ruined the meal.

As I came back downstairs, the wonderful aroma hit me. Guess I’d missed it the first time. “Is that one of my shirts?” He must’ve grabbed one from the laundry room and traded it out for the tainted apron.

“Yes it is. Looks better on me than you though,” he winked.

“No denying that. Dinner smells great, what are we having?”

“Crockpot roast, potatoes and carrots. Mom was kind enough to share some of her recipes with me.” He placed a heaping, steam-filled serving on a plate for me. “Yes,” he rolled his eyes. “There’s plenty left for you to have seconds.” Charlie knew me well.

“You and Mom are besties now?” While I was only teasing, I not so secretly loved this.

“She’s amazing. I’m so glad we’re getting to know each other better,” he said, taking his seat across from me.

“Charlie, I think this is fantastic. She loves you like one of her own. Hell, in a couple weeks you get to legally be her son-in-law.” Plus, it gives them both someone to get out of the house and do stuff with.

His eyes glistened, and I squeezed his hand. I knew how much he missed his own mother. “Eat your dinner. It’s too good to waste,” I winked, catching a glimpse of that sweet smile of his.

There was another subject to broach but one I had to tread lightly with. My intention was not to make Charlie feel like a house husband but as his own person. “Hey, Charlie, have you given any thought as to when you want to go back to work? Or were you interested in making this a permanent thing?” Between what I made and us having no house payment, we were more than comfortable and had built a strong savings over the years.

“I guess I hadn’t really put much thought into it.”

“Well, we’ve never discussed whether or not we wanted to add to our family.” Charlie and I would be wonderful parents, with so much love to share.

“Thanks, love. You know, when life was hectic for us, I hadn’t thought about having kids. But now that I’m learning so much about myself and no longer going through life with tunnel vision, I can see it. We’d be great dads, but why don’t we table that conversation for a couple of months. We have a wedding to get through, remodeling and I still need to get a feel for whether or not I want to make this permanent.”

“Sounds like a plan. But don’t mention it to anyone yet. I know Mom and Dad have always wanted grandkids. They would run with it, and we need to make sure it’s the right decision for us first.” I could see it now. They would transform my old room at their house into a nursery before the adoption was even approved.

“Ha-ha. Yeah, you’re right. But like you said, Mom’s my new BFF, so keeping it a secret will be hard. I say we make sure all is in line once we’ve made the decision. That way, we don’t disappoint ourselves or anyone else if we can’t make it happen.”

“Agreed, though it sounds like you may have decided already.” Which thrilled me to no end, but Charlie was working on himself, and I’d not sidestep that by pushing my wants before his. He spoke with Mom’s therapist and had an upcoming session scheduled.

“Mmm, I’m gonna plead the fifth on that one.” But he was still smiling, so I knew the wheels were in motion.

When Charlie was done, he turned the music back on and danced around the kitchen while cleaning up. I joined him, helping load the dishwasher. As I tucked in the last dish, he held his hand out to me. “Dance with me, my love.”

I stared at him like he was growing a third eye. “I, um. I can’t dance, Charlie, you know that.”

“No time like the present to learn. Come on, Alex, no one is around to see.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the living room in front of the fireplace. “Just follow my lead.” He placed my hands where he wanted them, one on his hip and the other on his shoulder and began to step. I stared at our feet, trying to follow what he was doing. “Eyes up here, love.” He pointed to his face. “Feel the music and let me guide you.”

I kept stepping on his toes without meaning to. “Sorry, I told you I can’t dance.” Lucky for me, or for his feet, the song came to an end.

“I think we need to practice more. The wedding is less than a month away,” he reminded me, turning off the music and grabbing the remote to turn the TV on.

“What does that have to do with dancing?”

“Duh, our first dance as husbands. At the reception?” He said that as though I should have known. “Mom has a videographer hired to record it and the reception.”

“Fuck.” I ran my fingers through my hair.