A Million Wishes (32 page)

By the time they got home it was dusk and they were starving. After devouring sub sandwiches they ventured up to the new house armed with flashlights to light the way. Thankfully the electric and water was already on, it was just minor things that needed finishing like painting, the wood flooring was about halfway done, and the appliances needed to be installed. The kids all kind of freaked out when they saw the outline of the house once they went over the hill. It looked like a log cabin, a big one, two stories with lots of windows. When they went inside and showed them around, they told them they could pick their own bedrooms as long as there was no fighting over it. Miki and Noah laughed when the kids all ran in different directions to check out the rooms. Lilah chose the one upstairs just down the hall from the master bedroom. It was spacious and had a huge walk-in closet, just what a girl needed, along with her own bathroom and whirlpool tub. Her favorite thing though, was the window seat that overlooked the pool. She was already telling Miki how much she loved the color orange and wondered if maybe she could paint her own room.

Dom on the other hand found his spot on the first floor, a large open room just beneath his sister’s. The perk was that it had its own door that went straight to the pool. Noah clapped him on the back and grinned. “Just so you know, the house will have an alarm system. There won’t be any going out at night after the house is locked up.” Dom smiled and laughed. “No worries Noah. I want to be here. I don’t want to run anymore.” Noah’s heart just about exploded with love and happiness. “That’s good to hear son.”

Dakota picked a room down the hall from his brother that had a bathroom with a steam shower in it. “Man, this will be nice after a hard workout. Come in here and sit, soak up the steam. That’s what I’m talking about!” The bedroom had large picture windows that looked out over the farm. “This is a perfect spot to put my desk. Do homework and be able to look outside.” Miki smiled as he envisioned how he wanted to set it up. “You know Dakota; you don’t have to go back to the dorm next semester. We can help you get a car so you have transportation to get back and forth, and you can just stay here.” This time it was Dakota that got a little teary eyed. “I can’t accept a gift like that Miki. This is way too much already.”

“
Oh shush. It is not. We’re a family now, just nod your head and say thanks.” She hugged him and walked out of the room humming a soft tune leaving Dakota grinning and shaking his head. He had already learned that when she got an idea in her head just roll with it. She was a feisty one. Not even Noah pushed her once she had her mind made up, and he was a SEAL. Besides, it would be nice to be here for the twins on a daily basis. Hell, it would be nice being a family again.

“
Ok kids; come back down to the living room!” Noah bellowed. Once everyone was gathered again he led them to the door that went down stairs to the finished basement, throwing the door open dramatically.

“
This…is the fun cave.” He flipped on the lights to reveal a huge open room with…of all things…a four lane bowling alley nearly completed. There was also two pool tables, what looked like an air hockey table, a foosball table, and a few old arcade pinball machines still covered in plastic.

“
Oh wow this is sick!”

“
Bowling! I love going bowling!”

“
Tight! This is wicked cool!”

Noah looked at Miki “Sick is good right? I think tight is too….they really aren’t that much younger than us, but the lingo will take a while to catch on too.”

She laughed and nodded her head. “Yeah, those were all good reactions.”

“
Oh man! Sunday when our friends come over can we show them this? Nobody’s ever gonna believe we have a bowling alley. This is so cool!”

“
Yes Lilah, as long as one of us comes up here with you. We don’t want you kids up here alone since it is still under construction.” Noah ruffled her hair.

“
With our winnings we didn’t do a lot to spoil ourselves except when it came to the house. We knew we wanted a family and we wanted to have a fun home where our kids wanted to hang out here with their friends instead of going other places all the time. This way, we get to spend a little more time with you, and can get to know your friends too.”

“
It’s a good way to spoil yourselves Miki. This will be the place all the kids will want to hang out at, even the big kids.” Dakota winked at her and laughed.

Noah chimed in “Especially the big kids. I am awesome at air hockey. I doubt any of you can beat me.”

“
Oh yeah? I think we should plug that bad boy in and see if you can walk the walk as much as you talk the talk sweet husband of mine.”

Noah answered by tossing his cane on the pool table and going to the air hockey one, yanking the plastic off the top and dramatically plugging it in, waving her to one side while he took the other.

“
I play the winner!” Dom yelled, quickly being followed up by his brother and sister. They spent the next two hours playing their own family tournament, in which Dakota came out the winner, patting Noah on the back and chuckling. “Don’t feel bad old man. I play at the dorm all the time. You’re just outta practice.” He laughed and handed him his cane.

“
You just wait track star. I’ll show you old man tomorrow when we get out on the training course, and see just who
the man
is then.” Miki nearly purred out loud at the thought of Noah all pumped up in his competitive spirit. When he got all fierce like that it made her tingle all over.

“
You’re on!” He replied. The kid was sure of his abilities. You could tell he exercised like crazy. He was fit, strong, fierce, competitive, but…he had no idea just how competitive Noah was when it came to his field of expertise. It didn’t matter that he had a prosthetic. He was a SEAL. He wouldn’t go down without a fight, failure was not an option. He draped his arm around Dakota’s shoulders, laughing as they walked back down to the old house, telling him of his sailor days.

Daylight shining in the kitchen window is the only light she needed to perk the coffee and start making buttermilk biscuits to go with sausage gravy for breakfast. It was Noah’s favorite, and after the loving he gave her yesterday, he deserved his favorites to start the day. When she woke up she gave him a soft kiss before easing from the bed, letting him sleep a while longer. It wouldn’t be long and the construction guys would be here finishing up the floors in the new house. The banging would be enough to wake the whole house again.

Once the biscuits were made and in the oven, she put the sausage on to cook, then cut up a pineapple the kids had asked for at the store the night before. They told her how much they loved fresh fruit so she had gotten quite a bit of it so she could make a big fruit salad for Sunday’s picnic. She was washing her hands when her sleepy eyed daughter walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Miki, resting her head on her shoulder. “Morning Momma…err Miki. Want me to help with breakfast?”

Hugging her she stroked her hair off her forehead, and kissed her there, smiling. “You don’t have to correct yourself sugar. If you feel comfortable calling me Mom, I think it would be wonderful. It’s up to you ok?”

“
Ok….” She whispered. “I just, it kind of makes me feel guilty. Like, what if my Momma in heaven hears me call you Mom, would it hurt her feelings?”

“
Oh sugar, I think your Mom and Dad would just want you kids to be happy and feel at home. If it were me, I would want my kids to be with someone that made them feel loved enough to be comfortable calling them anything from their first name to Mom and Dad. We’ll never take the place of your parent’s honey, but we can darn sure love as much as they did.”

Lilah kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

“
Anytime sugar, anytime. I’ve just about got breakfast done, but you can set the table if you want too.”

“
Ok, I can do that.”

It wasn’t long before the scent of coffee had Noah up and walking in the kitchen to pour a cup and snuggle Miki up in his arms, kissing her neck. “Good morning babydoll.”

“
Morning Romeo.” She smiled and kissed his chest.

He walked by Lilah and tugged her hair playfully. “Morning angel face.”

“
Morning Daddy.” Noah sat down and looked up at her grinning like a fool. She casually went on setting up the table like nothing big had happened even though to Noah and Miki, the world just shifted on its axis.

“
Why don’t you go wake the boys up and tell them breakfast is ready sugar.”

“
Ok Momma.” She took off yelling at the top of her lungs for the boys before she even got around the corner of the kitchen and it made them both laugh, while they were wiping their eyes from her sweetness.

Later that day…

Miki and Lilah were just getting home from getting their nails done when they heard loud “Hooyah’s” and laughter coming from outside. “Let’s go see what the boys are up too. I have a feeling they are running the obstacle course your Dad and Uncles have been working on.”

Sure enough once they got closer to the new house the louder the cheers and jeers were. “Looks like the competition is on sugar.” They grinned at each other and rounded the back of the house to see the guys all shirtless and sweaty. Lilah gasped when she saw the extent of the course. It was built to simulate a Navy SEAL obstacle course. One you were required to complete in less than 12 minutes to qualify. Dom was on it now. Everyone was cheering and offering advice. Noah had the camcorder out recording him as he went, looking like a proud Poppa.

He fell down a few times and Miki winced, not wanting him hurt, but she hooted and hollered right along with every else, just a lot louder each time he got right back up and went at it again. The kid was built. Even she could see that with discipline and guidance this course would one day be a breeze for him. When he crossed the finish line his legs were wobbly and Noah hugged him hard, clapping him on his back and praising him. “You did good son. For your first run through and you did it in sixteen and a half minutes, I’m impressed! Your Uncle Callum barely made it in eighteen, and he’s done this at least twenty times.” The razzing continued while Dom caught his breath and drank water. She introduced Lilah to her brothers, now that everyone was calming down. They teased her about her neon orange toe nails and finger nails, and it just made her smile because she easily teased them back about receding hairlines and gray hairs.

Noah announced it was now Dakota’s turn. After all this is why they started competing today anyways was the challenge they had issued each other the night before.

“
Sure you don’t want to go first old man?” Dakota had a cocky grin on his face, flexing his muscles at Noah.

“
Go ahead shorty, show me what you got, and then I’ll show you what it’s supposed to look like.”

Miki’s heart thudded when Noah got all competitive again. He didn’t even have to flex his muscles and she was drooling. So not fair for him to be so damn sexy when he wasn’t even trying. Noah turned to look at her and saw her devouring him with her bright green eyes, he winked at her and put his arm around her waist, jerking her close and growling in her ear. “Stop that.” She blinked her eyes and tried to look innocent. “Stop what Romeo?” He huffed and nipped his teeth on her earlobe before growling out. “Stop looking at me like you want me naked in the bedroom. You’re killing my concentration, and I can’t let the kid beat me.” She tossed her head back and laughed, pinching his bottom before walking away from the start line with an added sway to her hips.

“
Come on Dakota! You can do it!” She cheered. Noah blew his whistle and Dakota took off. The first part of the course he breezed through. When he got to the part he had to belly crawl in the sand with barb wire above him, he slowed. The sand sapped some of his strength but once he was out of it he took off again towards the cargo net that hung high in the air and began climbing it up and over, jumping to the ground. He gait was slower then but he kept going, across the balance logs and over the hooyah logs to the transfer rope. His grip was strong and sure, quickly moving along at a steady pace. He didn’t slow until he got to the weaver. An arch of bars you had to weave yourself through without ever touching the ground. Over, under, over, under then off and running to the Burma bridge. By this time his legs were probably shaky since he took it slow and steady across the way and climbed the rope down, heading over the hooyah logs again and up the slide for life. This was the one that made her nervous. The tower he had to climb was so high, and there was only a tight rope to shimmy down on your belly with your right foot guiding you, while you pulled with your arms. Thank God she hadn’t seen Dom do this or she probably would have had heart failure. As it was, she was about to hyperventilate when her brother Callum put a reassuring arm around her and told her to breathe. By the time she did, Dakota was on foot again racing towards the rope swing. She took a glance towards Noah and he was grinning ear to ear, watching the stop watch and back up at the young man that was flying through the course, past the tires, over the incline wall, across the spider wall and over the vaults with ease.