Chapter 25
Arthur
We waited more than a month, letting Leo and Eddie settle into a routine without talk of blending families, growth, and finding our place as a unit. Jonas and I still dated, and two boxes took up space in the back of a drawer, nearly forgotten while we waited for the perfect time.
That time came on a sunny day six weeks after a bold stranger had kissed me in front of the man I loved, the memory fading a little bit more with each day. But it wasn’t my relationship with Jonas, or the fading of painful memories, that made my heart sing every day.
It was the changes I saw in Leo.
Since he’d admitted his fears and his pain, he’d been like new. The pain was still there, but for the first time since he’d started going to therapy, he was making headway, and everyone around us was taking notice.
Jonas tugged my hand as we walked up the steep hill in the park after Eddie and Leo, who were chasing their drone through a huge field, laughing and carrying on as if they’d been siblings their entire life.
We set our picnic up on the top of the gentle slope and settled in to watch them play.
“That sound is good for the soul,” Jonas said, when the boys ran into each other and laughed. “I was worried that getting one drone would cause fights.”
“It was a great idea.”
“Are you nervous?” he asked, pulling me up against him and kissing my cheek.
“No." It was the truth. “This feels right.”
“I know what you mean.”
They played for almost an hour, but despite my excitement at what we had planned, the time passed quickly. They were carrying the heavy drone between them as they ran toward us, both faces in identical grins.
We handed them their water bottles; they drained them quickly, then stood there, waiting for us to hand out lunch while they caught their breath.
“Before we eat lunch, we have something we want to talk to you about,” Jonas said.
The boys looked up, suddenly suspicious. The new toy, the pretty day, and their dads united in their plan could only mean trouble, right?
I chuckled. “Don’t look so terrified,” I teased.
Jonas went to stand in front of Leo, and I moved to where Eddie stood. Together, we held out identical blue-and-silver boxes.
Jonas went first. “Leo, I want to ask you a very important question. We’ve been together as a family through thick and thin, and we’ve all learned a lot. We’ve grown as individuals and as a unit, and Arthur and I have made a decision." He opened the box. “I want to ask you to be my son, and ask your permission to make an official, long-term commitment to your dad.”
“Are you asking me if you can get engaged to my dad?”
Jonas nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of asking him without your permission.”
Leo looked at the ring and smiled, then looked up at Eddie to see if his friend and nearly brother approved. Eddie was smiling. “Is this for me?”
“It is.”
“It looks like Dad’s, but it’s different.”
“It has your birthstone in it." He paused, then said, “And my birthstone. It’s a symbol of my commitment to you, to be the best second dad I can be.”
Leo looked at it long and hard, then he nodded solemnly. “Yes,” he said.
A smile of relief spread across Jonas’s face as Leo took the ring, but I was already turning to Eddie. I asked him the same question, giving him a matching ring with his birthstone and mine in it. Eddie said yes much quicker than Leo, then crossed his arms and glared at both of us.
“I hope you’re not planning on giving rings to each other,” he said, tapping his foot.
I stopped, looking at Jonas, not sure of what to say. But Jonas was unbothered. “What did you have in mind?” he asked Eddie.
The two boys put their hands out at the same time, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I handed the ring I’d bought for Jonas to my son, and he gave my ring to his. Then I stood there, fighting back tears, as Eddie asked me to be his second father.
Then it was Leo’s turn, and I realized that I wasn’t worried he would act out or do something crazy for attention. Leo had turned a corner, and that angry, wild teen was long gone.
He looked at Jonas, his face solemn as he opened the box and looked at the ring. “It has all four of our stones,” he said.
“It does.”
“Do you accept this ring, and my promise that I will do my best to be a good and loving son?”
Jonas raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Did you two know?” he asked suddenly.
Eddie and Leo looked at each other, then they both laughed. “We can’t always be perfect,” Eddie said.
Jonas chortled, shaking his head. “How long have you two known?”
“Only since this morning,” Leo admitted. “But we didn’t know know, you know?”
My head spun, but then Jonas cleared his throat and held out his hand. My heart soared as I watched my son welcome this man into his life. A man who had challenged me to be a better parent, and had challenged himself to be the man we all needed him to be.
I was looking at the rest of my life, all wrapped up in three perfect souls who sang my heart song.
The future looked brighter than I could have hoped for, and I was ready to take on the world with Jonas by my side.