Stay

STAY

" C ome on, you two! You know the rules of the subway," I tell the kids.

Noel grabs his sister's hand, and I look at Lucy. She's carrying the picnic basket and on the lookout for somewhere for us to sit. It's only two quick stops, but it'll be easier than making sure Eve doesn't have to hold on to the pole. She's a bit of a runner at times.

"There are two seats. Why don't you kids go sit?" Lucy smiles.

Noel nods and walks his sister over to the seats. We stand in front of them like bodyguards, and Eve sits on her knees to look out the window.

"Did you pack everything?" I ask Lucy.

"I think so. I had a list." We've been married five years now, and Lucy and I have most things down pat. Like a day in the park with the kids or a date night when we need alone time.

"Ma, it's our stop," Noel points out. He dropped the ‘Nanny Morgan' a few years ago, after Eve was born, and I've never been more honored to be someone's mom.

"You got Eve?" I ask. She tends to be a better listener when her big brother tells her to do something than when we say it.

"Yup." Noel nods and leads her off the subway.

Eve jumps over the gap and onto the platform, and we head up the stairs to Central Park.

"Where are we meeting the girls?" Lucy asks.

"I think by Gapstow Bridge." I scan my texts for confirmation and nod.

"Okay."

Gapstow Bridge is simple enough, a quick walk into the park and we're there. Reese and Ellie are standing on one side, with Rocky, their dog, on a leash. Eve and Noel run ahead once they see them, but it isn't to say hi to their godmothers; it's to pet Rocky.

I almost thought to bring Rex, but he's more of an indoor dog. Anytime we try to take him to the park, he sits by himself and falls asleep. I think he's too relaxed with us. But Rocky has gone everywhere with Ellie and Reese since they adopted her a few years ago.

"It's about time!" Ellie teases.

"Hey, we said one pm!" I look at my Apple Watch—it's only 1:03. That's good timing for us.

"Don't listen to her. She's just mad because I wouldn't let her snack on any of the goodies we brought." Reese laughs.

We all exchange hugs, and I bend down to pet Rocky. Her fluffy ears and enormous head bump into me and almost knock me back. She's a big dog.

"Auntie Ellie! I made a picture for you in preschool!" Eve bounces up and down.

"You did? I can't wait to see it." Ellie kneels down to Eve's height and smiles.

"Mama, did you bring it?" She looks at Lucy, who pulls it out of her bag. "See! I did the glitter because that's your favorite," Eve says proudly.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing," Ellie gushes. "I'm going to have to put this on the fridge when I get home."

Even though Ellie and Reese have decided not to have kids, she's one of the best aunts ever to mine. They've babysat when Lucy and I have gone out of town, and Eve is obsessed with Ellie. Noel and Reese often play video games together. Lucy and I don't want him playing with strangers on the Internet, so it's nice to have someone we know playing with him.

"Where's Bella and Dylan?" Lucy asks.

"I think they were stopping for bagels," Reese says, looking at her phone.

"Are we supposed to wait for them?" I ask.

"Nah, she said to drop a location once we find a good spot," Ellie adds.

"Perfect. Let's head over then. I'm starving."

We walk through the park together, Eve talking Ellie's ear off about something, and Reese and Noel talking about the latest update to the game they play together. So I take Lucy's hand and smile. I can't remember the last time we did this, but I'm happy to be holding my wife's hand.

We find a spot to have a picnic near the playground. The adults secure a table while Noel and Eve run off to play. Lucy and I position ourselves to monitor them while Reese ties Rocky's leash to the bench. She isn't likely to run away, but it's a good precaution.

"Did you see that Emma and Jess are getting married?" Ellie says.

"Your friends from the Christmas party?" I ask.

"Yes, they went on vacation recently and popped the question."

"That's awesome." Lucy smiles.

"They're having a big wedding. Ellie and I are probably going, but only if we can bring Rocky along," Reese adds.

"There you all are!" Bella yells across the playground.

"Hey!" We all jump up to greet her and Dylan.

There's a round of hugs, and something catches my eye. I immediately grab her hand and stare at the enormous diamond on her left hand.

"What is this?" I exclaim.

"We're engaged!" Dylan and Bella say in unison.

"Oh, my gosh!" I say. Another round of hugs takes place, and Ellie and I gush over our best friend's ring. "I can't believe you're engaged."

"It's about time," Dylan teases.

Bella waves her off. "She's just mad because I made her wait a while to ask me."

"If it were up to me, I would've married her years ago." Dylan kisses her cheek.

I look around the park to check on Noel and Eve, finding them both playing by the swings. I had been worried about the almost seven-year age gap between them, but I clearly had nothing to worry about. Noel's the best big brother ever, and Eve is enamored with him. It's everything you could want in a sibling relationship.

"Did you bring the bagels?" Reese asks.

Dylan holds up the bag and we all dig in. Nothing's better than an NYC bagel, and if anyone disagrees, they're wrong.

"Mama, can I has a snack?" Eve asks after running up to Lucy.

"Sure. I brought some watermelon," Lucy opens the picnic basket.

"Mmm!" Eve cheers.

Lucy takes out a freshly cut triangle and hands it to her. Noel is still running around with some kids close to his age. Looking between them, I watch as Lucy takes a big bite and the watermelon juice runs down her chin and over the front of her dress.

"Sweetie, do you want a napkin?" I ask.

"Nah." She looks down at her sticky red dress, shrugs, and runs off. She tosses the rind of the watermelon in the garbage can and looks for her brother.

"She gets that from you," Lucy teases.

"Me?" I fake gasp.

"You're so messy! I always get sticky when I kiss you."

"Not like it's ever stopped you from kissing me."

"Very true." She presses her lips to mine.

"Get a room," Ellie teases. "Aren't you guys too old to be doing that?"

"Excuse me, my wife and I are very young." I add.

"I just mean you have kids and you're settled. You're too old to be kissing in the park."

"Oh yeah, yeah. Come talk to me in another few years." I roll my eyes.

"Excuse me, I plan on being the cool auntie for life." Ellie slips on her sunglasses and flips her pink curls back.

"Why don't you be a cool auntie and watch the kiddos for a few minutes, then?" Lucy asks.

"Sure," Ellie says at the same time I ask, "Why?"

"I want to take my wife on a little walk." Lucy stands, holding out her hand to me, and I nod.

"Should we tell the kids?" I ask.

"Nah, they know to find the girls if they can't find us."

"Okay."

I envelop Lucy's hand with mine, and I follow her out of the playground area. Through clusters of running kids, my wife leads me back toward the bridges and the water. It's a beautiful day out—the beginning of spring—but it hasn't quite gotten too hot yet.

Lucy smiles at me and I swear it's like we've just met again. Somehow, she makes me feel like a lovestruck teenager when she looks at me.

Like, is that really my wife? How did I get so freaking lucky?

"I just wanted a few minutes with my wife. I hope that's okay." Lucy looks at me grinning as we stop in the middle of the bridge to overlook the water.

"Of course it is." I lean over the side to see the ducks being fed and the people walking around.

"We should make more time for just the two of us."

"I think we had some alone time this morning in the shower." I blush, thinking about the way we manipulated the hose to get us off more than a few times.

"I meant alone time with our clothes on. We're married, but that doesn't mean we should stop going on dates," Lucy clarifies.

"Ah, well then. Lucy, will you go on a date with me next weekend?"

"What's next weekend?"

"We can ask someone to babysit, go out to dinner or even go away for the weekend. Maybe visit the Cut house and prepare it for summer," I suggest.

"I'd like that." Lucy says.

I stand facing her and brush some of her dark hair from her eyes. I lean on my toes to kiss her lips. She's just a tad taller than me, and I'm wearing flat sneakers today. Our lips meet and our eyes close as her tongue slips forward into my mouth. I groan lightly as she swipes around my mouth—familiar territory for us. I pull her in by the waist, holding our bodies close together.

"Mm, maybe we should add some alone adult time to the date night, too." Lucy smirks when we stop kissing.

"I think that can be arranged."

"Let's get back before all the bagels are gone," she teases.

Lucy takes my hand once more, and there's a lightness in my step. Never could I have known that taking a nanny job would change my life so much, but I'll be forever grateful. I couldn't imagine my life without Lucy or Noel or Eve. It's hard to imagine Eve not even existing. She's my bundle of joy, a sticky little replica of Lucy.

The moment we return to the park, she runs into my legs and grips them tightly.

"Where did you go?" Eve squeezes her arms around my legs.

"Just for a walk with Mama." I scoop her into my arms and kiss her forehead.

She frowns. "I was worried you were gone."

"I told her where you guys went, but she was afraid you weren't coming back," Noel explains. "She's fine, but she was anxious."

"We'll always come back for you two." Lucy takes Eve from me and kisses her too.

"Really?" She looks at us with big blue eyes.

"Really," we say in unison.

"There's nothing that could take me away from this life we have." I smile.