One Day Closer

thirteen

I took McKinley out of her car seat as Katie got Cooper out of his. "Are you excited to see your daddy?" Katie asked him. He grinned and nodded. We followed Matthew and Lauren to the barracks and we went to the one Ryan stays in.

Several families were gathered in the small living quarters. "Daddy!" Cooper said when he saw Ryan and ran over to him. "Hey!" He smiled and picked him up. After giving Cooper a hug, he walked over to me and kissed me gently. "Morning." I smiled. He smiled back before hugging me.

"This is just like old times." He smiled before getting in my car. "Yeah." I smiled back and followed his parents' car to where we were going to eat breakfast. As we drove out of the base, my heart felt so full.

It reminds me of when Ryan and I first started dating and we would take car rides with baby Cooper to the lake. I felt him grab my hand and I looked up at him. "Whatcha thinking about?" He asked. "Old times." I smiled softly. He smiled back. "Yeah, we had some fun huh?" I nodded, sighing contently, and continued to drive.

After spending the entire day with Ryan, he came with us to our hotel room to help us pack. He was playing on the floor with Cooper and McKinley. "Ready to go?" I heard Lauren ask Ryan. "Yeah." He got up. "Daddy, no go." Cooper frowned and got up as well. "I have to go buddy."

Cooper's lip stuck out as he started to cry. Ryan went down to his level and hugged him tightly. I sadly packed up the car with mine and the kids' things. I went back into our room and watched Ryan talk to Cooper. He was still wiping away tears but his daddy was making him smile.

Ryan stood up and walked to me. "I'm going to miss you." I hugged him tightly and felt him kiss my forehead. "I love you baby." I looked at him. "And I love you." He kissed me gently. I buckled Cooper and McKinley into their car seats before waving goodbye to Ryan and his family.