I Promised Mom

I promised Gwen that she would always be in my heart and a part of my soul, and I knew I'd see her again one day, but for now I was going to live my life. It was as if a great weight had been lifted off of me. I would be okay.

I went back to the cabin where Trina and I spent the rest of the weekend making love and talking, both ways of getting to know each other.

I proposed to Trina just 3 months later. She eventually got her special needs certification and got a job at the local elementary school. I asked her to work for me but she had a calling that she had to follow, and I supported her every step of the way.

It had been about 2 more years when it happened. Trina and I were in the kitchen making dinner when Haley came in the door after soccer practice. As if it meant nothing at all, she came through the door and said 'Hi mom, hi dad' and went straight on to her bedroom. Trina, of course, was in tears within seconds and collapsed on the floor.

Up until that moment Haley had never called her anything but Trina, so to hear the word 'mom' come out of her mouth so effortlessly was simply more than she could stand. It had been her unspoken desire that Haley would think of her like that, rather than as dad's wife. She didn't want to replace Gwen; she just wanted a part of her own. This was beyond her wildest dreams.

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Trina and I have been nothing short of deliriously happy since we've been together. As we cheer Haley's walk across the stage and come to terms with her getting ready to fly the coop for the U of M, we are thankful for the many blessings we have in life.

Right now, Trina's best friend, Joanna, is watching our twins at home while we take in the festivities. Kelly and Katie are 18 months old and are bundles of energy. We wanted to leave our other daughter at home too, but since Trina is still carrying her in the womb, and will be for another couple of months, it wasn't really possible.

Joanna actually dumped Steve when she found out about how the guys tried to keep us apart. She's been dating a guy named Dylan for about 9 months and I think it's got some potential. Of course, he has some incentive to treat her right: I'll fire him if he doesn't.

Bree finally captured Ben, though it was primarily because he knocked her up. They got married and it's mostly been good. He still doesn't like her fake boobs, or so I've heard.

Laura works at Wal-Mart and apparently is still a fairly easy piece, or again so I've heard. Trina hears about her old friends now and again but hasn't seen most of them in some time.

And what of Steve, Tommy, and Alan?

Tommy got caught putting his thing into the girlfriend of a local biker. Apparently he wasn't aware of her being in a relationship but that didn't seem to concern Big Ed, who strongly suggested that Tommy find another state to live in once he got out of the hospital. Tommy apparently took that advice.

After getting dumped by Joanna, who he was apparently completely in love with, Steve fell into a serious depression and started drinking. He seemed to be pulling himself out of it when his car hit that concrete retaining wall. The cops say he probably didn't suffer.

Alan actually apologized for his part in trying to keep us apart. He says he had wanted to give my info to Trina but was overruled and signed the letter, though he wasn't really behind it. Was it true? Hard to say but he was the only one of them to express any remorse and Trina and I agreed to forgive him. We see him around town on occasion but we've not heard about him seeing anyone.

I hope you found the story as interesting to hear as I do telling it. I never expected to find a love like I have with Trina after Gwen died. I won't insult either of them by comparing how much I love them: they are different, and that's all there is to say about that.

Trina is considering becoming a stay-at-home mom once the new baby is born but hasn't made a final decision. She still has a desire to work with special needs kids and is one of few with the patience and skills to do it. One possibility is hiring on a full-time nanny. Joanna is a strong possibility if we go that route.

Whatever happens, we will face it together and we will do it with love and devotion to each other. I'm as happy as I've ever been and only expect things to look up from here.

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