The Perfect Life

“Mommy, mommy! Come on! We’re late!” Dani pulls on my arm impatiently, and I give her a wry smile.

“Slow down, Danika!” I laugh as she leads me away from my laptop. I sigh. I was just getting to the best part, too. Sorry, Eliandra, I apologize mentally to my current lead character in my latest book, Shattered.

The crease between Dani’s dark brown eyebrows intensifies, and she tugs at my arm harder. “Mom-my! It’s your birthday! No working on your birthday! You promised!”

I smile and say, “Alright, Dani, alright,” even though I know that I promised no such thing.

She grins and hands me my keys. I’m just about to walk out the door before I realize something. “Danika?”

“Yes, mommy?” She pauses long enough to look up at me, her curly locks of brown hair framing cherubic cheeks and bright blue eyes going wide and innocent – looking.

I give her a wry smile. “Where are we going? And where’s your sister?”

Danika makes a face. Obviously, the love she will show for her sister to other people is not much. “Why should I care? And we’re going to the park.” She crosses her arms stubbornly and purses her lips, as if to state that I will not get a single word more out of her, though I know it is impossible for six year olds to keep their mouths shut.

“Okay, then, but no more than an hour, okay? I need to finish this chapter.” I say.

Danika rolls her eyes but doesn’t say anything, and I smile a little at her attempt to be more grown up. This is a habit she has recently acquired from Alyx, my nine year old. Clearly, children these days learn more while at school than just basic arithmetic and spelling.

I shut the pale, pastel green painted door behind us and walk down the rock paved sidewalk. Danika skips ahead of me, humming merrily, and I unlock the truck so she can climb in.

When I finally pull into a parking space ten minutes later at Rangerville Park, one of Harlingen’s largest park areas and by far my family’s favorite, Dani is already unbuckling her seatbelt and unlocking her door. “Come on, Mommy! We gotta go!”

Her enthusiasm is hardly contagious, as I have a feeling I know what is to come in the next couple minutes, though the silly grin she has on her face is rather amusing. She’s giggling madly, hardly able to contain her glee as she hops out of my truck before I’ve even taken the key out of the ignition.

“Danika!” I call after her, but she’s already slammed the door and is running around to the other side of the vehicle to pull mine open. “Okay, Dani, settle down. It’s just the park.”

She’s grinning wildly, but shakes her head in disagreement to my previous statement and starts dragging me by the hand again.

There is a small crowd of familiar-looking people gathered under the gazebo, and, judging from the smoke billowing up from the huge barbecue pit, there’s some kind of celebration going on. A man with graying hair spots me and starts walking toward the impatient Danika and the flaming-cheeked me.

“Hi, Dad,” I say, and give him a hug. “I can’t believe you two drove all the way down here!"

My dad roars with laughter. “Anything for my little girl. Come on, your mother wants to see you.”

“Doesn’t she always?” I ask, and my dad chuckles. We walk over to the rest of the group and I scan the crowd for my frail, 70 year old mother. I don’t see her, but I do see my husband, and our two daughters. Danika’s pulling on his arm while jumping up and down, and Alyx appears to be scheming. Again. She has that mischievous grin on her face, and I can practically see the gears in her head turning as she relays her latest plot to her father.

I have to laugh, as Kieran picks little Danika up and the brown ringlets on her head bounce once, twice, three times, I count, and he spins her around then sets her down gently while she giggles.

My dad, still next to me I realize belatedly, nudges me gently with his elbow. “He’s a good catch, you know. I never thought you’d meet anyone I approved of, or who was good enough for you, but….” He bobs his head, weighing in calculations. “Well, he comes pretty close.”

"Dad!" I stare at him, shocked.

My dad shrugs and looks slightly sheepish, though not entirely ashamed. Emphasized by his wrinkles and patches of gray hair on his shiny, balding head, I can't help but notice how old he's getting. "What? No one will ever be good enough for you."

I snort and roll my eyes. "Yeah, that's a typical dad response." I say sarcastically, but I don't hear his answer because just then Kieran looks up, and I'm already walking toward my husband.

"Hey, Jess," he says when I reach him, putting his hands on my waist as I wrap my arms around my neck and look up at him. His green eyes sparkle merrily and I can't help but laugh. "Happy birthday, honey."

He starts to lean in and I stand on my tip-toes to reach his lips when a voice interrupts us.

"Mommy and Daddy sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Danika chimes loudly, and Kieran reaches down to ruffle her hair playfully and my cheeks heat up like I'm a little girl again being caught playing seven minutes in heaven in the closet with my ex-boyfriend.

Alyx, who'd also been watching apparently (God knew who else had been.....) gave us a knowing smile. "I'll take care of her," she whispered and gave us a quick wink before grabbing her little sister's hand. "Hey, Dani, you wanna go play hide and seek? I'll be it."

And of course, Dani being the typical stubborn little sister that she is and not realizing that Alyx had just used reverse psychology on her, furrowed her brow and said, "No, I wanna be it!"

"Fine, fine..." Their voices faded as they walked away.

I looked at my husband. "When did she grow up? She's only nine." The sun shined from behind him, creating a hazy glow around his body, and all thoughts disappear from my mind but one. And so, I did the only thing I could think of: I kissed him.

It was just a peck on the lips, really. At first, anyway. The kiss deepened, and I pulled away first. Dear God. I was such an idiot. We'd been married for twelve years now and I still acted like were dating. Pathetic. It reminded me of the time when we first met – University of Iowa – though I wasn't nearly as giggly then.

I walked into the classroom, biting my lip – a horrible habit I'd had since grade school and still had not ridden myself of– and sat down in a seat near the front row. Today was my first seminar of the new semester. Get a hold of yourself! I told myself forcefully – this was not my first semester; I had no reason to be nervous. I was a junior, for crying out loud! Suddenly, the seat next to me shifted and creaked. I glanced over to my right.

A boy, not much older than I, smiled at me, his green eyes looking at me calmly. "Nervous?" Green-eyed boy gestured to my bouncing foot and fidgeting fingers.

I made a conscious effort to still my traitorous limbs and failed – miserably so. I bit my lip again. Just a bit. You?"

He shook his head, causing wisps of his messy, glossy brown hair that, by the looks of it, hadn't been brushed that morning, to fall into his face. He swept them away and said casually, "Nah. I'm good. I'm just here to see my sister's lecture is all. I heard it last year, but she likes me to come anyway, even if I am a senior. What about you?"

"Oh," I said, slightly flustered. "I'm just a junior...."

I snickered. I was such a spastic dork back then, not to mention insanely focused. I had made one rule for myself when I went off to college: no guys. And it was a good thing; I didn't regret it. I'd like to say that when I met Kieran, I just knew, but then I'd be lying. We were friends first, and only that. We didn't start dating for almost three years after we met. I chuckle - it sure was awkward when we first did.

Kieran, still gazing at me with those unnerving green eyes of his, looks at me curiously. "What is it?" He asks, hands still on my waist.

"I was just thinking about the first day we met," I say. I still can't believe you went to U of I. You weren't even born in Iowa!"

Kieran laughs. "Neither were you. You were born here."

"No, I was born in Houston, not Harlingen." I object. Kieran just shakes his head.

"I mean here. Texas."

I sigh happily. "Yep. Second biggest state and home to Kieran and Jessica Trent, and their little rugrats." All I can think at that moment is how perfect my life is. I have a gorgeous home, a husband who loves and supports me, and two beautiful children who are very intelligent and cute as buttons. I get paid to do what I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

A brisk October wind whooshes through, tickling my sun-kissed nose and making everyone's spirits flare vibrantly.

I love this life, I think, and tilt my head up and close my eyes. As our lips make contact and endorphins rush through my brain, spreading a heady warmth throughout my body, I pull him closer. "I love you," I whisper, for I am content to stay here safe in Kieran's arms forever.