Fool for You by Kelly Elliott
Five Years Later
WHEN I PARKED my truck and got out, two dogs came running at me full speed. Lady got there first, the proud look of a winner on her face, as Tramp, my handsome Vizsla, came in a close second. And behind him was my four-year-old daughter, Macie.
“Daddy!” she cried out as I bent down and quickly gave each dog some attention before Macie reached me and jumped into my arms.
“Hello, my beautiful girl. What did you do today?” I asked, kissing her on the cheek.
“Pwayed with Bwaden.”
“You played with Braden, huh? Are Uncle Noah and Aunt Amy here?”
Noah and Amy had followed in Emmerson’s and my footsteps, with a quick wedding and a baby soon after.
Macie nodded. “Hailwey is here too!”
“Is that right?” I said as I started to jog into the house, pretending I was a galloping horse. Macie laughed and told me to go faster.
Once I got to the front door, I smiled at my stunningly beautiful wife. “Emme, you look lovely.”
She laughed and stretched up to kiss me. “You just saw me a few hours ago, Landon.”
“And a few hours is too long to be away from you.”
After we walked into the house, I set Macie down. She ran off toward the living room, where I could hear a plethora of voices all talking.
“Who all is here?” I asked, leaning down and kissed Emmerson for a bit longer this time. When I drew back, she seemed to be dazed for a moment before she shook her head and spoke.
“Um, Noah and Amy stopped by with Braden. And Hailey and Jack stopped by with Kaitlynn. Macie and Braden don’t understand why Kaitlynn can’t play with them yet.”
I laughed. “Once that baby starts crawling, they better look out. She’ll be wanting to hang out with them all the time.”
My sister and Jack had gotten married two years ago, and they’d had their first baby, a girl, three months ago.
“Why is everyone here?” I asked as I made my way through the house.
“They all stopped by at the same time,” Emmerson said. “It was pure coincidence. Hailey and Jack were at your folks’, and Amy and Noah picked up Braden from my folks’, so they all decided to come here after.”
Right before we got to the living room, Emmerson grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop. “I have a special night planned for us, so Amy and Noah are going to take Macie home to spend the night with them.”
I wiggled my brows at her. “Is that right? We get the whole night alone?”
Emmerson smiled. “Yes, we do.”
“And what are we going to do with this free night?” I asked.
“Well, I thought we would maybe go out to eat, then come back home and celebrate.”
“Hell yeah, I’m down with celebrating some alone time.”
Her teeth dug into her lower lip, and her cheeks turned pink. “That’s not what we’re celebrating.”
“Then what are we celebrating?”
She handed me a piece of folded-up paper.
“What’s this?”
Rubbing her hands together nervously, she said, “Open it.”
With a slight chuckle, I unfolded the paper and read the note.
Dear Landon,
Are you ready to fill the house with another little Landon or Emmerson? Check yes or no.
I quickly looked up at her—and noticed the pen she held out for me. My heart started to pound in my chest, and I felt the prick of tears at the back of my eyes. I took the pen and checked yes, then folded up the paper and handed it back before I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.
When we both had a moment to catch our breath, I leaned my forehead against hers and let out a contented sigh. “You’re pregnant?”
Tears slipped free from her eyes, and I drew my head back and kissed it away. “Six weeks,” she said.
My heart threatened to beat nearly out of my chest.
“I have a better idea for our celebration night. As soon as everyone leaves, I’ll take you to our bedroom and make love to you. Then we can make sandwiches and sit in the nursery and talk about how you want to decorate it for the new baby.”
A sob and a laugh slipped free from my beautiful wife’s mouth as she nodded, and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I am such a fool for you, Landon Wallace.”
“And I’m one for you, Emmerson Wallace. Don’t ever leave me.”
Her eyes met mine as she smiled and said, “Never.”