A Healing Love

24

A few days later,  Miranda was watching Ben sleep. She wanted to bring up Ezekiel and her fears about Tuck but she wasn't sure if Ben would think she was being ridiculous. She placed her hand on his chest and his eyes shot open.

"Are you okay" She asked

"Your soft hands. I forgot I stayed over" He smiled "Good morning"

"Good morning" She kissed him

"I love sleeping over and cuddling up next to you but I have a request"
She tensed up. Was he about to ask to live together?

"Stop hogging the covers" He smiled

"Sorry about that" She laughed

"I love you so much" He smiled " We are at such a good place"

"You like us where we are" she asked in shock. She was sure he wanted more. He was the one who made the proclamation he was dating to marry.

"You sound surprised. I am dating a wonderful woman. She has a wonderful son. We have a wonderful daughter. I am a blessed man. Of course, I like us where we are. We are open with each other. Things are good"

"You don't want more"

"Eventually. I did say I was dating to marry but you aren't going anywhere and I'm not going anywhere so let's just take our time"

"Let's go on a date. It's been a minute. We've been adjusting to a newborn and getting back into work but we should have a date night"

"I would love that" he smiled. He looked at the clock. They were up way earlier than they needed to be "What are you overthinking"

"What do you mean"

"Look at the time. We could still be sleeping. So what's up"

"Thinking about a patient"

"Rough case" He sat up in bed

"Not exactly, the same boy who put a Lego in his nose, and swallowed them another time was in the ER a few days ago. The day of your surgery. His mother was getting married and he wasn't too fond of the idea of them getting married. He felt his mother was replacing him with a new baby and replacing his dad with a new husband, so he swallowed the rings and her fiancé's cufflinks" She nervously bit her lip

"Okay, I see what's happening" He slowly nodded "I can ease your worries, I wouldn't propose to you without asking Tuck. Before I spend the night I ask him if it's okay I have a sleepover. I understand he was here first and I can't have you without having him so I want to respect him. I get he's a kid but he deserves to have a say in what happens in his life. The divorce confused him. He was hitting kids, peeing anywhere, and just trying to find some control. I got you pregnant and he had to adjust to having Dani around and no one asked Tuck did he wanted a sister. But that wasn't planned so when I plan to propose, I want to give him a say. "

"And if Tuck says no"

"Then I'll ask his reasoning and we'll talk about it. He is a very intelligent little boy. I would never intentionally do anything that would alter his life and not talk to him about it. He just became a big brother. I am not going to spring more on him. I will continue to live separate from you and be Mommy's special friend Ben. I want him to adjust and not feel like I'm taking over. However, I don't think he would swallow rings and my cufflinks to prevent a wedding. He likes me"

"Yeah he really does"

"You know sometimes I just come over here to see him" Ben chuckled

"Is that so"

"Yeah, I just gotta see my guy sometimes. You don't talk dinosaurs with me and sometimes I just need to talk dinosaurs"

"Well I'm glad you have a friend you can talk dinosaurs with" She laughed