For the longest time I had begged my mom for a little sister. Even after she gave me five little brothers I would beg and plead for a sister. When I was eight years old when my dad was killed. My mom was slow to move on and it was two years before she began to take notice of men again. I'm so happy she did. The first couple of boyfriends she had were complete douche bags. They were cocky and arrogant and they treated my mom and little brothers like crap. When I was 14 years old my mom introduced us to her most recent boyfriend whom brought along a surprise.
It was a warm sunny day in May. We had just began our summer break a few days earlier. Out mom decided to meet the lucky fella and his surprise at a water park nearby. I found it quite babyish but the little ones loved it. My mom had been trying to shed some pounds for weeks before and now I knew why. She had been planning this for months and obviously really liked this man. She bought herself a new bathing suit just for the occasion. He finally arrived around noon bringing with him a girl that seemed to be around 15.
"Kids this is Joseph. And this is his daughter Lydia." My mom said practically gushing.
"Hi" she said shyly.
"Hi" I said uneasiness lingering in my voice. I didn't want to get ahead of myself. They couldn't be together for long. I assumed that Joseph would be just like the other guys. The entire day I kept a watchful eye on him and his behavior towards my little brothers and my mom. He was different I could tell already. I still didn't allow myself to get my hopes up.
That wasn't the last we saw of Joseph or Lydia. We spent that Christmas with them. Lydia and I had grown extremely close and she began to feel like my sister. Like I'd known her for years. Everyone would ask if she was my older sister. I would reply "No, she's only 13. And we aren't actually related." We told each other our deepest secrets and laughed at anything together. We all sat around the tree and opened our gifts piling a mountain of wrapping and bows in the middle of us.
When everyone had opened their gifts Joseph asked my mom to come help him. They stood under the mistletoe and Joseph got down on one knee. My mom gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.
"Laura, these last few months have been amazing. I love you and your children to death. I want to be a father to your children and to love you forever. Will you marry me?" Lydia grabs my hand and I squeeze hers as we hold our breath. My mom looked at all the children staring back at her with wide eyes.
"Yes. Yes of course!" Lydia turned and hugged me as they kissed under the mistletoe and he pulled out a ring.
" You know what that means?" Lydia asks me "We're both finally going to have the sister we've always wanted!
