Chapter Twenty-Five
Justin
I had a hard time sleeping that night, partially because of my shoulder and partly because of the dull ache forming in my stomach. My newest injury kept me awake, but thoughts of Anna were ever more powerful. I didn’t know where she and I stood. We hardly spoke when I picked up Margie, and I only hoped it wasn’t the end for us. I was in love with Anna. I needed her in my life, and I wanted nothing more than to find a way to keep her.
I was so close to being done with Markie and his bullshit. I just needed Anna to understand that and support me through this last fight.
Before our argument, we made plans to go on a walk with her family the day after my fight. Just because Anna was upset with me didn’t mean I wasn’t going to go. I wanted to prove to her how much she meant to me, whether she was mad at me or not.
“Let’s get going, pumpkin!” I yelled to Margie from the living room. She went into her room to get changed a few minutes earlier.
“I’m so excited for family day!” Margie said, running down the hall toward me. She sat down on the couch, and I helped her put her tennis shoes on.
We headed out the door and drove to Anna’s house.
Everyone was outside when we pulled up. I got out and grabbed Margie. When I put her on the ground, she ran over and hugged everyone while I walked over. The look on Anna’s face told me she was surprised to see me.
“You didn’t think I was going to miss this, did you?” I asked.
She shrugged but gave me a small smile.
“Are you guys ready? We’re going on a nature trail walk just outside of town,” Tom said.
We both nodded, and I moved Margie’s booster seat over to their van. We all piled in the van and drove off toward the nature trail. Anna still sat next to Margie, but we didn’t speak to each other. I felt awkward about the situation, but I didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t sure how to make her feel better when she wouldn’t even talk to me.
When we got to the trail, we all climbed out of the van quickly. Millie immediately walked over to me and Anna and fixed us with a serious look.
“Now, whatever is going on between the two of you, just drop it. Let it go. Don’t stress over the small stuff. From what I can see, you guys are stronger together than apart,” she said sternly.
We looked at each other, both of us surprised. The tension between us must have been strong enough for everyone to notice. I instantly felt guilty.
Millie walked away, taking Margie with her. I figured it was so Anna and I could talk in private.
I turned to Anna. “Listen, I’m sorry about last night. Your mom is right. We need to just let this go. I know I shouldn’t have made the bet. I should have dealt with it a different way, but what’s done is done. I have just one more fight. Just one that’s all. We only need to make it through this next one.”
Anna looked at me for a second, and at first, I didn’t think she was even going to respond, but then she did. She sighed, and her expression softened.
“Okay, Justin. I’m sorry for getting so upset with you. It’s just hard to watch you get hurt like that. I care about you so much.”
“I know it is, but it’s just one more fight. I’ve got this,” I said and pulled her in for a hug and a quick kiss.
“I’ll support you in this,” she promised. “Even though it’s hard.”
Margie ran up to us and hugged us both. “I love you both so much!” she said.
“I love you too,” Anna and I said at the same time, and everyone laughed.
We started walking along the nature trail, and Margie was fascinated by everything.
“Will we see any bears out here?” she asked Millie.
“Probably not, sweetheart,” Millie said.
“Bears typically stay away from people. They’re more afraid of us than we are of them,” Tom added.
“Good! I don’t want to see any ever!” she said. We all laughed at her innocence.
Anna and I walked hand in hand, enjoying the scenery and each other. Even after our fight the night before, it felt right to be there with her. I never felt that way about anyone, not even Tammy. I loved Margie’s mother dearly, but with Anna… we fit together like puzzle pieces.
“Are there snakes out here?” Margie asked a little while later.
“There might be,” Tom said.
“Oh no. Maybe we should leave, guys,” Margie said.
“As long as you don’t try to pick one up, you’ll be alright, sweetheart. They won’t get you; I promise,” Anna said.
“You’re so good with her; you know that?” I said as we walked.
“Thanks. I’m trying. She’s perfect. I love her so much,” Anna said. Part of me wished she would say that about me. I thought about admitting my own feelings, but I kept silent. Instead, I just smiled at her. Hearing how much she loved my daughter meant just as much, if not more, to me. Margie needed all the love she could get. I wanted her to grow up surrounded by supportive, caring people.
We walked for a good hour and a half when Millie said, “How about we turn around now and go get some dinner?”
We all agreed it was a great idea and made the trek back to the van. Halfway back, Margie asked Anna to carry her. She agreed and carried her the rest of the way.
Tom and Millie decided on an Italian restaurant in town that I’d never been to before. Margie was excited and told everyone about how much she loved spaghetti for the rest of the car ride.
“This is the best Italian place in the country,” Ally said when we got to the restaurant.
“Agreed,” Anna added, turning to face me. “Have you ever been here?”
I shook my head, “Nope, I sure haven’t. I love Italian food, though.”
“Me too,” she said.
We went inside and looked around. There were a few people, but it wasn’t busy yet. We were seated within a few minutes at a large, round booth. The inside was decorated like a place you might find in Italy, with soft Italian music playing over the speakers.
The waitress brought two baskets of bread and placed them on the table, taking our drink orders in the process. Millie and Tom picked out a white zinfandel for us to share. I wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but I figured trying a small glass wouldn’t hurt.
Margie picked up a crayon. She was sitting between Anna and me and leaned into Anna.
“Will you play this game with me?” she asked, pointing at a tic-tac-toe game that was on the back of her kid's menu.
“Sure, do you know how to play?” Anna responded to her.
“No,” Margie said.
“I’ll teach you,” Anna said. She picked up a red crayon from the pile on the table. “Do you want to be an ‘X’ or an ‘O?’”
“O!” Margie said.
“Okay. I’ll be ‘X.’” Anna said and then she walked her through the process of playing.
I watched as they played a round with Margie winning. I knew the tricks to the game, and I figured Anna let her win. It only made me love her more. Margie was so excited that she won her first game of tic-tac-toe. She grinned and bounced up and down in her chair.
“Good job!” we all congratulated her.
A few minutes later, Anna and Margie were finishing up another round, with Margie winning again, when the waitress brought our food out.
“I have to potty,” Margie announced.
“I can take her,” Anna said.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I need to go, too,” she said.
“Thank you,” I told her.
They scooted out of the booth and made their way to the bathroom with Millie and Ally tagging along behind them.
“I don’t understand why all women have to do that,” Tom said with a chuckle.
I laughed with him, mostly to appease him.
“You and Anna get everything figured out?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. I mean, Tom.”
“Good. My daughter cares a lot about you, Justin. I can see it in just the way she talks about you and Margie. She’s a good girl. She’s never really been too serious about anyone. To be honest, I thought she was lying when she said she had a boyfriend that she never told us about,” he said, chuckling again.
I laughed, but it was uncomfortable and forced because she had been lying. We were just pretending before, but now I wasn’t sure anymore. It wasn’t a lie for me, at least.
“No pretending here,” I said truthfully.
“I know Millie already said this today, but she’s right. Don’t stress so much over the small things. Whatever it was that happened was obviously nothing big if you showed up today. Just remember that advice in the future. Things are going to happen that you guys might not agree on all the time, but you have to let those sorts of things go,” he said.
“I know,” I said. I wasn’t sure what else to say and wondered what Anna had told them about our fight. I was going to ask her about that later when we had a chance to be alone.
“You’re alright in my book, Justin,” Tom said.
“Thank you, Tom. That means a lot.”
“But don’t forget. If you hurt my little girl in any way, you’re going to wish you’d never met me.”
“I have no intentions of hurting her,” I promised.
“Good. You know, she cares a lot about Margie too. I always knew she’d make a great mom one day.” He looked at me like he misspoke. “Not that I’m calling her Margie’s mom. Not at all. I’m only talking about the way she cares about Margie.”
I put my hand up. “It’s okay. You don’t need to explain yourself. I love the bond that Margie and Anna share. It happened so quickly, too. Sometimes I forget that Anna isn’t her mom,” I said with a laugh. It was true; their bond had formed so quickly. If only Tom knew that the bond he saw had only been formed a few weeks ago.
The girls returned to the table, and we ended our conversation there.
“Did you go potty?” I asked Margie.
“Yes, and Anna helped me wash my hands for dinner,” she said.
“Good,” I said.
We went back to eating our dinner, the conversation flowing easily among us. I felt at peace there with Anna and Margie and Anna’s family. I felt like Margie and I were a part of something incredible, something that had been missing for a while. A real family.
“Anna,” Margie said when she was done with her spaghetti, and we waited for the check. “Can you come to our house tonight?”
Anna looked at me as if asking if it was okay. “Do you want to come over? We could watch a movie and hang out?”
Anna nodded her head. “Yeah, sure. I’d like that.” She smiled at me, and I felt my heart melt. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on, and the love she had for my daughter showed me how amazing she was on the inside.
I didn’t know how I got so lucky.
Millie, Tom, and Ally took Margie into the game room for a few minutes on our way out the door. I pulled Anna to the side.
“Did you tell your parents about yesterday?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t think they needed to know. I have no idea how my mom figured it out.”
“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Anna,” I said.
“That’s true,” she said and then hugged me.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I don’t ever want to fight like that with you again.”
She leaned back to look up at me. “Me either, Justin. I’m sorry. I’m here to support you one hundred percent. I will be there at your next fight, cheering you on. I promise.”
We heard cheers coming from the arcade area, and we both turned to look. Margie came running out carrying a Pooh bear stuffed animal. “Look what Papa won!”
“Now you can play with him while you watch your favorite movie,” I said.
“Can we watch it when we get home?” she asked.
“You betcha,” I said.
But when we got into the car to head back to Anna’s house, she fell asleep, and I figured Pooh Bear was going to have to wait until the next day.