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Chapter 37
Dreams of Us
Gregor
“Cee,” Chloe squeals in my arms as we walk into the art studio.
Cee looks up with a bright smile on her lips. I love that smile. I see it more often these days and it makes my heart feel lighter.
“Hey, you two,” she sings.
“You haven’t eaten. We thought we’d come to get you for lunch. Have a picnic with us.”
She turns to look out the window and pulls a face. “It’s so hot out there. Are you sure? Chloe will burn, your butt will be next. I’ll be nursing sunburns for the rest of the day.”
I laugh. “I have ice coming in to drop in the pool. We can take a swim when it arrives. For now, we’ll have shade under the pergola.”
“Please, Cee, come play,” Chloe pleads, showing off her little teeth as she smiles.
“See, we want you to spend time with us. We’ll leave you alone after we feed you.”
“All right, all right. I can finish this later.”
“It looks great, by the way.”
I look the painting over. It’s a play on the hot-air balloons. The colors are so vibrant and happy. It evokes joy as I look at it. If that’s what she was going for, she nailed it.
“I wanted to capture the joy of that moment. You know?”
“You hit it right on the head, baby. I love it.”
Her face lights up as she stands and wipes her hands off. She reaches for her rings from the cup she keeps them in while she works.
When she has them on, she moves into my side. I wrap an arm around her as I hold Chloe at my side. This feels so right to me. I’ve wanted to broach the subject of having another child, but it never feels like the right moment.
For now, I settle on being satisfied with having my wife and daughter in my arms. These are the moments I live for. Cee’s happiness fuels my determination each day.
This is what I’ve dreamed of.
* * *
Chloe
I feel like I’m living in a dream. The sun is beaming down on me as I sit by the side of the pool in a bikini. Chloe’s squeals ring out as Gregor swims her around the pool on his back.
I turn to look at them, covering my eyes with my hand and pull my shades down. A smile comes to my lips. They make the cutest sight.
My phone rings beside me, pulling my attention. I pick it up and answer. “Hello.”
“Hello, Mrs. Hennessy, this is Eric. I’m calling with a few questions from the gallery curator.”
I’m thrown for a second as he calls me Mrs. Hennessy. It still hasn’t sunk in that it’s my new last name. Especially since we haven’t told anyone other than Eileen we’re married.
“Hi, Eric. How can I help you?”
“Michelle would like to know if you have an idea of how many pieces you’ll be showing?”
“Oh, I haven’t nailed that down yet. Can I get back to you on that by the end of the week?”
