Confessions of the Fragile Heart

Epilogue

Adalyn walked in from school. She yelled a greeting and threw her backpack on the floor near the couch. I heard the TV turn on. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Adalyn, do you have any homework," I asked from the kitchen. The TV turned off and I heard the zipping of her backpack. I smiled and laughed softly to myself. 12 year olds were funny in a way. I finished washing the rest of the dishes and dried my hands. I slipped my wedding ring back on to my finger. I joined Adalyn in the living room. I kissed her forehead quickly and went to the phone that just started ringing.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi honey. We were just calling to check on you. How are thing going there?" my mom asked. I smiled and looked quickly to Adalyn. She was oblivious to my conversation.

"It's going really good. Adalyn is in her school's musical. I would love to invite you, but I haven't told her yet. It's still too early. But I'll be sure to videotape her for you," I explained. "And I'll record her choir spring show for you as well."

"Thank you Leah. I know that you want her to grow up normally; and I respect that," my mom said. "Send Denver my love." I said goodbye to her and went back to Adalyn. I tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. She focused on her homework.

"Do you want to go to Yogurt-Land when Daddy gets home?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. I turned the music on for her. I left her to do her homework and went outside. Heather was just walking up with Coco. I picked Coco up and held her to my side. I walked with Heather back to the house. We went inside and hung around the kitchen. I set Coco down. We talked quietly at the table. I let her know the update on my parents. She was happy to hear from them again. They usually only called every half year and on Adalyn's birthday. Heather hadn't seen them in a while either. The front door opened.

"Daddy!" Adalyn exclaimed. I smiled and walked into the living room. Denver was hugging Adalyn.

"Hi princess," he smiled. He saw me walking to him. "And there's the queen." I kissed him quickly and grabbed his hand.

"Finish your homework and then we'll go," I told Adalyn. Denver took me to our room. He looked a bit troubled. "What's wrong?" I asked him curiously.

"Teddy called me to check on you," he answered. Oh... I haven't heard that name in a while. Teddy never came back from New York, but he called Denver every now and then to check in. I guess it was for the better.

"If that's all he did, then we have nothing to worry about; right?" I tried to convince him. He still disliked Teddy a lot. He reluctantly nodded. I decided now was a good time to change the subject. "I told Adalyn we would take her to Yogurt-Land when you got home." He nodded and kissed me. I smiled and we went back downstairs. Adalyn was already ready to go. She had her shoes on and she was patiently waiting by the door.

"Okay, let's go," Denver smiled. He put her on his back and we headed out the door. Adalyn chose her own flavors and toppings quickly. She always knew her favorite. We sat down and ate our yogurt quietly. The bell from the front door chimed. Adalyn looked over and smiled.

"Hey Gavin," she said a bit sheepishly. I smiled. Adalyn had a crush. Gavin waved to her before walking over and giving her a quick hug.

"Hi Lyn," he replied. He was just as shy as she was. I raised my eyebrow at Denver. He nodded, proving my suspicion. "So, did you finish Ms. Hamilton's homework yet?" He was trying to make small talk. He definitely liked her too. She nodded. He made his yogurt and sat at the long table with us. His dad introduced himself.

We chatted with Gavin's dad while Adalyn and Gavin talked. We all eventually headed home. She was growing up too fast for me. She was already starting to like boys. It seemed like just yesterday, she was still a toddler. We would just have to learn how to deal with the changes, but for now, I was just happy everything was going more or less the way I wanted. We were happy; that's all I could ever ask for.