Until Forever by E. L. Todd

me stay for as long as I have. But now that the divorce has been finalized, I should be on my way.”
    I wasn’t expecting him to leave so soon. I guess I wasn’t expecting him to leave at all… He had to get on with his life eventually but I liked having him around. He was always good company and a delight to be with. And we certainly weren’t cramped having him. “You don’t have to leave. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
    He shook his head. “I know you two are trying to start a family. You don’t need me to get in the way.”
    “Well, it would be nice to have the grandpa around. It’s not like Sean and I have any idea what we’re doing.”
    “You’ll be fine, Scarlet. I can tell you’ll be a wonderful mother.”
    That made me feel a little better. “I can’t speak on behalf of Sean, but this house is pretty big and there’s plenty of room for you. If you wanted to move in permanently, neither one of us would mind.”
    “You wouldn’t mind if your father-in-law lived here forever?” he asked incredulously.
    “No. We both love having you here. It’s nice having company during the day, and you always put Sean in line when he drives me crazy.”
    His eyes softened. “Well, that’s very sweet of you. I’m very touched.”
    “If you want to leave because Sean is driving you up the wall, I wouldn’t blame you. But, there’s no rush for you to leave right now. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want. Just don’t leave because you think we don’t want you here. That’s not true at all.”
    “Well, I’m not exactly thrilled to be by myself just yet.”
    I smiled. “Then stay.”
    “I might take you up on that offer.”
    “I was hoping you’d say that. Now when we have a baby question we can come to you.”
    “But it better not be at two in the morning when the baby can’t stop crying.” He winked at me.
    “We know you already went through the trenches of raising a family. We’ll ask you to participate in the fun stuff, like baseball practice, spending the day at the beach, and laser tag.”
    “ Oooh. I love laser tag.”
    “So I’ve heard,” I said with a laugh.
    He rubbed his hands together. “I hope this happens soon. I’m very excited to be a grandfather. I don’t feel old enough to be one, but I did knock up Diane pretty young in life.”
    “The girls will probably like that,” I said with a smirk.
    “Yes, what a turn on,” he said sarcastically.
    “Women like older men.”
    “Well, I am a wise and experienced stud.”
    “There you go,” I said with a laugh.
    “But I’m not ready to start dating. Maybe in a few years.”
    “A few years?” I asked incredulously. “Um…that’s a little too long, don’t you think?”
    “Well, I can’t see myself really moving on from my wife until then. Maybe that will change. All I know is, I’m not ready now. And that would be insulting to Diane if I were.”
    Andrew was such a loyal and respectable man. I wished more men were like him. They just don’t make them like that anymore.
    He and I finished lunch and discuss baby names and among other things. Our conversation was unforced and natural. I felt like he was my own family, not just my father-in-law. He was the dad I never had, and I knew he loved me like one of his own. It was nice to be loved for no reason at all. Just because.
     
    As soon as Sean walked through the door, he wanted to get down to business.
    “Your ass, upstairs,” he barked.
    “Hello to you too,” I said sarcastically.
    “You’ve made me wait all day. Sorry if I’m a little anxious.”
    “We’ve gone for weeks with just having sex two times a day. Why is this any different?”
    “Because we’re trying to put a bun in the oven,” he snapped. “Or did you forget?”
    “But we don’t have to make a deadline out of it,” I countered.
    “Just go upstairs and take off your clothes.”
    Andrew cleared his throat. He was standing in the kitchen, out of our view. “A word