“Hank and I will get a place together and we’ll figure out what the future’s gonna hold. Maybe a horse business of some kind. I think I’ll ask him to marry me, too, like you guys did in Boston.”
I was smiling through my tears.
“Hank doesn’t know yet, so don’t tell ‘im, okay?”
I was crying now without shame.
“Well, I gotta go. They don’t like it when I show up late.”
He bent and kissed Andy on the cheek. He turned to me.
“That okay with you, Mr. Go Blue?”
I crossed the space between us in a stride.
“That’s okay with me, Sparty. Except the third Saturday in October.”
I hugged this wonderful human being to my chest. He was as much mine now as Peter, Mike, Meg or Cathy.
“Will you be my best man|? That is, if Hank says yes.”
“Yes, sir. And he will say yes. If he doesn’t, I’ll personally kick his cute little ass from here to State and back.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too, son.”
* * * *