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“I didn’t mean for you to hear what I said to Callie,” my voice is soft, and I hate when she flinches slightly, “but that doesn’t mean I didn’t mean it.”
“What?” She breathes out, her words rushing out of her, “But we just met up again, really, for the first time. We just started this.”
I shake my head, my voice firm, “It doesn’t matter. I know what I feel. I knew it the moment I saw you there standing at the bar looking like you were wishing you were anywhere else. I knew. Right away.” I pause and search her eyes to find so much hope there that it takes my breath away for a moment. “I love you, Sienna, my Starshine. I love you so much. I wish I had gotten the chance back in the day to know you, but our paths weren’t meant to cross then. I was meant to find you again, now. You and Callie. I love you so much, both of you. I want this family. I want all of it.”
Sienna’s eyes fill with tears, and she pulls her hands away, a crack forming in my heart. When she cups my face in her hands, it starts to heal. Then her lips hover over mine and she whispers, “I love you too, Griffin.”
Her words make me fucking invincible. I will fight to always be at their side. I will come home to them, no matter where home is, and find happiness. I will show them they are the most important people in my life.
She doesn’t need to hear the words; she can feel them pulsing between us as she presses her lips to mine. They’re tattooed on my very soul, binding me to her, our love making it unbreakable.
I couldn’t change my class back then, I was who I was, but it doesn’t matter anymore. My path led me here and I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
CHAPTER 9
GRIFFIN
I look over at my girls who are sitting at my table along with Sienna’s parents and my mom. My girls are glowing, and it comes from the inside out. It’s their happiness. It spills out of them, and no one can ignore it.
Today Callie is 12 and being allowed to not only celebrate her birthday with her, but host it at my house, is an honor. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to express to her how much her acceptance means to me. I hope I can honor the gift she’s given me by loving her for the rest of my life.
I don’t know if it’ll ever be enough, but I’ll try.
Then there is her mom. My Starshine.
Saying those words, letting her all the way into my heart and telling her, has fundamentally changed something in me. I knew she would be my priority, but now it’s a reality and it makes me feel like a better man, a stronger man. A man who is a step closer, every day, to being worthy of her.
We’re eating dinner and my heart feels full of the love and smiles that surround my girls. I knew my mom was going to fall in love with Sienna and Callie and I was right. She took one look at them and hugged them. I think she even got a little teary eyed, not surprising me at all.
Mom has always had a soft spot for her kids, no matter how strong she had to be and no matter how hard she had to work. We were a weakness she embraced and made into a strength. I can’t remember many times in my life when Mom cried because she always wanted to put on a brave front, no matter how hard things got.
She cried the day I graduated high school, and she cried when Salem did the same. I knew it was her pride and her love no longer being able to be contained, but it struck me, deeply, how much those days meant to her. It wasn’t about her obligation at raising us being done either. It was about seeing us reach such a big milestone in our lives and doing it with pride and fortitude.
Now, Salem will graduate college at the end of the school year. I hope this year is everything she wants it to be. I spoke to her not long ago and she sounded a little distant. I need to make it a point to talk to her more often and make sure this year isn’t stressing her out.
She wants to succeed because she views what Mom and I have done to help her pay for school as a sacrifice, but it’s not. It’s pure fucking love and I would do it over and over again. For her.
Hell, if Salem wants to continue with more school, I will gladly pay for it, no matter how much work I would need to put in to make it happen. I’ll make sure Callie gets the opportunity to go to school too if that’s what she wants.
At least I have a few years to plan and save for that. A little less time as of today. I hope celebrating her birthday around this table becomes a tradition.
Callie looks over at the neon wreath Mom made her for her birthday and gushes, again, “I can’t believe you made that. It’s so pretty.”
Mom beams at the girl who has already wormed her way deep into her heart. “I’m glad you like it. I wasn’t sure if you’d like all the colors, but I’m of the mind that you can never go wrong with rainbow neon or glitter.”
“I love it,” Callie giggles. “Everything is better with glitter.”
“Except when you have to clean it up,” Sienna gripes, but the smile on her face shows she’s not serious.
“It can get everywhere, kind of like sand,” Mom muses.
My heart warms at how well everyone is getting along. When my mom arrived, she gave hugs to Sienna’s parents like they were long lost best friends. Then they put their heads together and I’m pretty sure the moms were making plans for the wedding.
They were clearly scheming about something. It’s not as if I mind because I know the path that I’m on now. I’m going to get my ring on my woman’s finger. I’ll get both my girls in this house. We’ll grow our family.
It’s just a matter of time.
After finishing up dinner, we light the candles on the cake, sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and watch as Callie blows them out. I can’t help but wonder how many more birthdays she’ll let us spend with her like this. Will she decide she’d rather be with friends as she gets older?
