Waking up, she realizes that the girls should be home any minute. She quickly runs into the shower and cleans up. When she gets out, she hears Samantha answer the door. The girls come running in as Kelly opens the door to the bedroom. “Mom, we’ve missed you so much.” They both yell and hug her.
Lilly is the first to start talking about the time at Grandma and Grandpa’s. She jumps up and down as she recounts all her favorite things of the trip, then Jaime chimes in, “My boyfriend is so cute. Do you want to see a pic?” She gets out her phone and shows Kelly a picture of a boy about sixteen.
After they all talk for a while, Kelly announces that she has a surprise for them. She turns around and takes the ring out of her pocket, putting it on. When Jaime and Lilly see it, they start screaming. “Mom, you got engaged! By the way, where is Grayson?” Jaime looks out the window at his house.
Kelly pauses, she knew this time would come. A million things had run through her mind to say, yet none of them would pop in her head at that moment. They just sat there looking at Kelly waiting for her to say something. “Guys we aren’t together anymore. I am engaged to Joel. You will meet in a little bit. We can go over to his house and then you can meet him.”
The girls look so surprised, and it takes a minute to sink in. Lilly gets a look of disappointment on her face and Jaime does not seem to care either way. “Mom, you said we can meet him in a little bit. Is he as cute as Grayson? What does he do for a living?” Jaime seems genuinely interested in finding out more about this mystery man. “Will he move in here, or are we moving in with him?”
These are all questions that she figured would be asked. She sits them both down on the couch and fills them in, “Let’s just say that he looks like a model, and he is an artist. We have talked about this, and we will move in with him. He does not live extremely far, but you will love it. The house is big, and you will get your own bedrooms. The best part is it is on the beach.” She watches their expressions as she tells them. Instantly, she can tell that they are excited.
“Will Samantha stay here, or will she live with us?” Lilly lowers her voice a little as she looks over at Samantha.
“I am selling this house and giving Samantha the money for it. She does not feel right living next door to Grayson anymore. So, she is going to rent a place somewhere near here.” Kelly looks the girls over and she notices that they have grown over the summer. Jaime looks so much more adult, and Lilly is starting to fill out.
“Shall we go?” Kelly gets up and waits for them to answer.
“Yes, let’s go right now.” Lilly screams as she gets excited. Jaime gets up and nods as she texts her boyfriend.
As they all get in the car, she cannot help but to laugh at Jaime and Lilly fighting for the front seat. Soon enough they will not have to whenever Joel joins them. So much will change in a few days when they all move to his house. She hopes her girls will be happy there.
When they arrive at Joel’s house, he is waiting outside by his car. His handsome body leans on the side of his car, while his gaze looks off into the distance. He is wondering if the kids will like him or not. Hopefully, they will. Otherwise, he would just have to try harder.
Jaime gets a glance of him as they drive around the corner. She thinks he is gorgeous. “Mom, is that him? He is so hot! He really does look like a model, but I still like my boyfriend better.” Jaime’s mouth hangs open.
Lilly looks at him, “You are right mom. He is cuter than Grayson.” She gets so hyped to meet her new dad. “Do you think it will be o.k. to give him a hug?” She looks at Kelly.
“Yes, I think he would really like that. It would make him feel like part of the family.” Kelly turns to Jaime and watches her text her boyfriend something. She gets ready to open the car door when Joel starts walking over to her.
Lilly runs out and beats Kelly to him. She jumps up and gives him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. “Hi, I’m Lilly. Nice to meet you, Joel. Or is it o.k. to call you dad?”
Kelly feels something tear at her heart as Lilly says dad. She is the sweetest kid she has ever seen. Joel picks her up, gives her a big bear hug back and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek too.
“You can call me whatever makes you happy, kiddo.” He puts her down. Lilly runs into the house and starts looking around. Jaime gets out and stands next to Kelly. She is busy texting her boyfriend and does not look up immediately.
Kelly watches her as she just stands there, “Well, I am waiting for a kiss. What about you Jaime?” If looks could kill, she would die of a heart attack. Jaime glances up at her with a look of embarrassment.
“Mom, really. Hi, Joel.” She walks over to him and gives him a quick hug, then she disappears inside to the refuge of the house.
He grabs a hold of Kelly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her passionately. His eyes are full of love and contentment. “Well, that went amazingly well.” He looks into her beautiful eyes as she kisses him again, taking Kelly's hand he leads her inside.