Page 37 of The Facilitator, Part 3

I laughed and squeezed her hand. “Right now, tomorrow, forever.”

“Come on, you’re absence is noticeable,” she said.

“I just needed a moment,” I replied.

“I know.” She smiled at me.

We walked back into the house and immediately were surrounded again. People chatted, laughed, drank champagne, and we toasted Rebecca, who repeatedly reached for my glass as I held her.

“No chance, young lady,” I’d tell her and she’d laugh.

Guests started to leave and only Gabriella, Alex, Dominic, Kelsey, and Elaine were left. They were staying over that evening. I had a meal planned and we had set up a second bed in Rebecca’s room, which was between the one Gabriella and Alex would be in, and Lauren and mine.

While the women took the kids to bathe and settle them in bed, I slumped on the sofa and Alex sat beside me, looking like he’d been dragged through the mud. I chuckled as he popped the cap off two beers and handed me one. We clinked our bottled and took a draw.

“Fuck me, I’m exhausted,” he said.

“Same, although I wasn’t rolling around the floor with two kids hanging off me.”

Elaine was bustling in the kitchen again.

Although she knew I was cooking dinner, she couldn’t help but…

we ll, help. She needed to help, it was her nature to care, and I wasn’t about to take that away from her.

She had proved over and over what a wonderful person she was, and although we felt we didn’t necessarily need help with Rebecca, it was great to know that, while I was in the office, Lauren had someone on hand should she need help or just a chat.

I began to suspect Elaine might consider selling her bungalow in Cornwall.

I’d had a quiet chat with her, letting her know that I intended to buy a holiday home for us all there, so she was welcome to live with us if she wanted.

She wanted to think on that. She’d told me that, now she had a granddaughter, the thought of living so far away wasn’t enticing.

“We have our contracts meeting coming up,” Alex reminded me.

I hadn’t forgotten. The government and military contracts we had with Trymast were very lucrative and we had been working hard to be sure they would be renewed.

“Do you foresee any problems?” I asked.

He shook his head as he swigged from his bottle. “No, our friend in the know says it’s a done deal that they would be renewed.”

Don, or whatever his real name was, worked for a shady department within the government, we believed, and somehow he seemed to know what was going on before anyone else did. He was someone Alex and I had met many years ago and, to that date, we were never sure what he did or who he really was.

“That’s good,” I said, and smiled. “I think I best start dinner.”

I left Alex to concentrate on his recovery .

I intended to grill some steaks on the barbecue since it was still a mild evening but we’d eat in the kitchen.

I’d already prepared a pepper sauce, prepped the vegetables, and baked some potatoes.

A simple meal with great wine and even greater friends was how we wanted to end our day.

As I walked, I placed my hand in my pocket. I felt the piece of folded paper that I’d placed there that morning. I smiled to myself.

“What do you want me to do?” Elaine asked.

“Sit and put your feet up,” I replied. “You made all the party food, you’ve run around for days organizing this celebration, for which we are both thankful, but now you need to chill. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

She laughed. “If you don’t mind, I’ll make my own tea,” she said. Although Lauren suffered my gnat’s piss as she called it, Elaine had other ideas.

She made her tea and left to sit with Alex. The women came down after settling the kids, and I opened a bottle of wine to breathe.

“Fifteen minutes,” I called out, wanting them to know how long before dinner would be served .

The steaks were grilling away, the vegetables roasting in the oven, and the sauce gently heating on the stove. I stood in the kitchen and pulled out the piece of paper. I unfolded it and stared.

“What’s that?” I heard. I turned to see Lauren walk into the kitchen.

“My list.”

“Your…?” Her eyes widened when she realized what I meant. “You actually wrote a list?”

“I did. Although there is only one thing on it.” I handed her the piece of paper and tears tracked down her cheeks as she read.

She held the paper to her heart and sighed. “What now?” she asked.

I reached for the paper. “Now I burn this because it’s moot.”

We held hands and walked to the grill. I folded the paper and placed the corner in the flames. I held it up and we watched it burn. There had only ever been one thing on my list and that was simply:

I want a family with Lauren

I’d fulfilled my list.

The flame was blue with just small tips of red. We watched it devour the paper until my fingers burned. I let it drop and when there was nothing left but a small pile of black ash, I stepped on it.

I pulled Lauren into my arms and I kissed her. I kissed her as if it was the first time I ever did, as if the air in her lungs was needed in mine to keep me alive. I wrapped my arms so tightly around her and held her to my body. My heart thumped in my chest and a lump formed in my throat.

Kelsey came into the garden and, seeing us cuddle, she snuck in with us. I laughed as I wrapped my arm around her as well.

“I truly have a wonderful family,” I said, kissing both women on their temples.

“What’s next, then?” Lauren asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Next? We…” I didn’t finish; I simply shrugged my shoulders. Who knew what was going to happen next. I didn’t care to think about it.

As Lauren had kept telling me, I was going to enjoy every minute of my time with my sister while she was in the UK, showing her all the sights, and I was going to concentrate on being the best husband and father I could. I didn’t need a list to check off those items.

I smiled, content, happy, and at peace. Life was fucking great!

The End