Body Checking (Men of Havoc #3)

EPILOGUE

THE SUN sits low in the sky and shades of pink and orange cast beautiful rays across the water. Aside from where the lines bob in the water, the lake is calm. The weather is finally starting to cool down enough that fishing doesn't have to come at six o'clock in the morning. I don't mind a little alone time when it comes to relaxing with a pole in my hand, but I prefer my munchkins by my side. And Maren would kill me if I woke them so early to go fishing on a school day.

"Daddy!" Billie shouts. "My line. It's movin'. I need your help."

I push to my feet and take three steps to reach Billie and where she sits trying to hold her pole from disappearing in the water. My girl is tough. She stomps through mud to catch frogs, can cast a line better than most men, and this past summer she learned how to start a campfire. Under my guidance, of course. But even then, she still needs a little help reeling in her line. She's only seven and those arms of hers aren't quite strong enough to fight the big fish.

"I got you honey. Start reeling it in. Just like I showed you."

Her eyes narrow in concentration, and her little tongue pops out to the side between her teeth. I steady the pole, taking most of the weight to make it easier for her to focus on turning the reel. She spins it once then twice, grunting with each rotation.

"What'dya get, sissy?" Oscar jumps to his feet, abandoning his pole and rushing over to see what Billie has caught.

My four year old son looks up to his big sister and wants to be just like her in every way. If she decides she's going to hop on one leg all day, Oscar will do that same.

"Okay, you got this Billie. Keep going." I encourage her to not give up just as I start to see the frustration start to show.

Her little face starts to turn red and she's leaning back, trying to yank the line in. Oscar rushes behind her and takes hold of her shoulders with his tiny hands and begins pulling her back, giving her the help he thinks she needs.

She continues to battle for a few more minutes and I think this fish must be huge to give her so much trouble. The line moves closer and further in and when it finally gets within reach, I pretend to struggle and pull the line up and out of the water. When I do, a small lake trout dangles from the hook.

It's a fish most fishermen would throw back, but to this little girl it's the catch of the century.

Still holding her pole, she pushes to her feet and jumps. "I did it, Daddy! I caught my own fish!"

She's caught plenty of fish before with me helping her reel it in. But this is the first one where she did all the work. Almost.

"Yay, Billie! You're so strong," Oscar cheers right along side of her.

While I hold the end of her line, she wraps her arms around my leg and says, "Thank you, Daddy. You're the best teacher."

My eyes fill with tears and there's this feeling in my heart that I feel every time my kids look at me like I'm the bravest, smartest man in the world. From what Maren says, it's a love so big that your heart can't contain it all.

"Uh oh." Billie and I break our moment and look at Oscar who stands starring out into the vast lake. "Sorry, Dad."

"What's wrong buddy?" I kneel down in front of him and hold his little hands. He pulls one from me and points. I turn and see nothing of importance.

"I forgot about my pole and a fishy took it." His big blue eyes grow wet and one fat tear falls over his lid. "I'm sorry."

His little sniffles break my heart and I scoop him up and he squeezes my neck.

"It's okay, Oscar. We've lost lots of poles. It happens. Don't cry, okay." I rub his back and then see Billie crying. "Oh Jesus. Why don't we go inside. Mommy should be done with her meeting."

Oscar holds onto me like a monkey while I pull the fish from the hook. I drop it into the small cooler, then grab the strap and toss it over my shoulder. I take Billie's pole and readjust Oscar in my arms. Now I know what Maren means when she says that she sometimes feels like a pack mule when trying to carry everything.

Billie grabs my hand and we walk the long deck up to our backyard. We step onto the porch and I drop the pole and the cooler right there, then walk the kids in through the giant glass doors. My wife is the most talented interior designer and has made our home a true model.

Maren took her small interior design business to a full blown home remodeling. I swear, she should have her own show. She's better than all those others. She's intelligent and creative and she looks pretty fucking sexy wearing a hard hat and work boots. When she adds those tight jeans that hug her ass and I'm a putty in her gorgeous hands.

I shut the door behind me and try to put Oscar down, but he latches onto me with all his strength. I sigh and give up. This is probably how he'll be for the rest of the night.

"Well hello. Catch some big fish?" Maren walks down the hall from where her office sits in the front of the house with baby Mack, our thirteen month old boy, propped on her hip.

I guess he's not so much a baby, but to us he always will be.

"I did, Mommy. I caught a huge trout and I did it all by myself." Billie holds her hands wide, showing Maren what she perceives as the size of the fish.

Maren's eyes move to mine in question and I coyly shake my head and hold my fingers wide showing her the true size of the fish.

"That's amazing, Billie. I'm so proud of you my sweet girl. What happened with little man?" She asks, nodding to Oscar still wrapped tightly around me.

"Someone lost a pole," I explain.

Maren's face falls with sadness for her son, and walks over me and we do the kid exchange. I grab Mack from her in one arm, and pass Oscar to her. His mom is the only person he will quickly ditch me for. Before she pulls away, I capture her lips in a kiss. I feel her smile and I fall in love a little more, the same as I do every day when I look at her.

"My little Ozzie. It 's okay." She kisses his head and rubs his back just like I did moments ago. "Why don't we get sissy's fish and cook us up a yummy dinner? Would you like that?"

He turns his head just enough to say, "Can we make cheesy taters, too?"

She chuckles and replies, "Of course."

The kid has an obsession with cheese and potatoes and he'll take any variation of the two.

"I'll get my fish!" Billie shouts.

I kiss and tickle Mack with my beard and he giggles. "I'll help you love bug. Oh hey," I freeze in my tracks and realize I forgot to ask Maren about her meeting. "How did it go? Did you get the project?"

She smiles wide and her cheeks turn rosy. "Sure did. It's going to be huge and take a lot of time."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You be bad ass boss and I'll be Mr. Mom, holding down the fort. I just don't think I can do dinner."

I recall the one and only time I tried making dinner for her and ended up pulling out the fire extinguisher and throwing away two pots.

"Well now that you're retired, maybe you can take up some lessons. You're never too old to learn something."

I raise one brow and remind her, "For this old man it is. Fifty is a bit late to start learning to feed my family. I'm afraid you all would end up with food poisoning. I'll clean, I'll grocery shop, I'll do doctors appointments, but I cannot cook. At best you're getting a PB&J."

After last season, I decided it was time to put up my coachiing hat and be a full-time dad and husband. I was missing out on too much of my kids lives and now that I had them, I didn't want to miss a thing.

"If it's PB&J then so be it. I know it will be made with love and that's all that matters." She leans in once more and gives me a deeper, yet child friendly, kiss.

By now, the little boogers are used to seeing us kiss and hug. I want them to know just how special their mom is. She made everyone of my dreams come true and I will never take her for granted.

I think back eleven years ago and how lonely my life was. I was a miserable grump who saw my future alone and without the joy of a family. Then this knockout came walking into my life and things were never the same again. And I couldn't be happier about that.

I thought it was lust at first sight when I saw her, but I know now that it was love. She knocked me on my ass and I've been crawling at her feet ever since.

"C'mon kiddos. Let's get that dinner done."

Billie and Oscar cheer and I watch as the greatest wife and mother in the world gives her family another day they'll remember forever.