Hale’s Song: A single dad contemporary romance

by Tallman, Darlene

  “She is and I’d love to. Let me just protect the cakes from Libby. She is now taunting Spike by running along the cupboards when I’m not in the room. Caught her in the act this morning.”

  I laugh at her frustration over the animals’ antics. “Here, pretty girl, these are for you,” I say, holding out the flowers.

  “Oh, they’re beautiful.”

  “Not as pretty as you, but I saw them and had to get them for you.”

  “You’re something else, Hale. Now, go get your shower, I’ll be there in a few minutes, okay?”

  * * *

  “Tomorrow’s gonna be hard,” she murmurs, curled against me.

  “Yeah, not looking forward to it at all.”

  “I uh I’ve been looking at something and think it might help Johnny and Rosie a little bit.”

  “What’s that?” I question.

  “Well, we can take some of their ashes and have them made into something that the kids can keep.”

  “Why don’t you show me later?” I’m so tired I can barely think.

  “Okay. Love you, Hale.”

  “Love you more, Addy.”

  * * *

  I’m not sure how long I slept but I wake up feeling refreshed. Glancing at the window, I see that it’s nearly dark, so I get up and head into the kitchen, where I find the usual evening chaos happening.

  “Dad! We’ve already got our homework done, lunches made, and even helped make some cookies!” JD states when he sees me.

  “Did y’all eat?” I ask, my stomach rumbling.

  “Not yet, we were waiting for you,” Addy replies, coming over for a kiss. That’s something I love about her. Doesn’t matter if we’re in the same house or not, if we’ve been apart for whatever reason, she always reconnects with me by kissing me.

  “Well, my stomach is trying to eat my backbone, so I guess we’re ready. You boys go wash up. I’ve got Rosie,” I say.

  By the time I make it back out, Addy has the table set and the food served. Since John and Caroline did a blessing at every meal, I nod to Johnny and he reaches out so we’re all holding hands and says grace.

  “What are we doing after dinner, Dad?” JD asks.

  “Getting your stuff ready for tomorrow, taking showers, then hitting the hay.”

  “I don’t like going to sleep,” Johnny murmurs.

  “It’s gonna get better, sweetie,” Addy tells him, reaching out and patting his hand.

  “I just...I miss them so much,” he replies, tears falling down his face.

  “We all do.”

  “When can we go by the house?” he asks.

  “Do you want to go after the memorial tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I wanna get some pictures. I don’t want Rosie to forget them.”

  “We won’t let that happen, Johnny.”

  22

  Addy

  While Hale puts the kids to bed, I quickly clean up the kitchen then put Spike out for the last time tonight. Once he’s done, I lock up and grab us something to drink then head into our room, the baby monitor for Rosie in hand.

  Seeing that Hale’s not in here yet, I grab a nightgown and go to take a shower. I’m finding it easier to take one at night since the daytime is so crazy. I make a mental note to ask Hale if we can put Rosie in daycare a few days a week so I can make sure I keep up on the cake orders. I think it might do her some good to be around other kids her age.

  My hair finally dry, I take my brush and climb into bed, turning the television on low. He finally comes in as I’m working the tangles out of my hair. “Here, let me do that,” he says, sitting next to me. I move so I’m between his legs and sigh.

  “I need a week’s worth of sleep tonight,” I muse as he gently brushes my hair.

  “You and me both, although my nap did wonders.”

  “Are we...that is, are you still tired?”

  “I am but not so tired I can’t make you cry out my name before you fall asleep.”

  I grin even though I can feel my cheeks redden. “I agree with your plan wholeheartedly.”

  He chuckles, saying, “Figured you would, baby. Now, how about we lose these clothes?”

  I nod at the door and he winks letting me know he locked it when he came in. Before I realize it, I’m naked and he’s looming over me. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers before kissing me senseless. I’m not too proud to admit that his kisses ramp me up so much I could probably orgasm from that alone!

  Kisses and caresses replace words and soon, we’re lost in our own little world. “Please, Hale,” I beg. “Please, stop teasing me and make love to me.”

  “With pleasure,” he replies, before slowly entering me. His kisses and touches already have me on the edge. “God, I’ve missed this,” he groans out.

  “Me too,” I whisper. His thrusts are slow, almost languid, as if we have all night. When he swivels his hips to hit my clit, I feel myself falling over the edge. “Hale, oh God, I’m already coming!”

  “Your pussy is like a vise, baby,” he murmurs, his thrusts increasing. My orgasm never fades; instead, it ramps up higher the faster he goes. “Gonna come in your sweet pussy, pretty girl,” he tells me. I feel him swell inside me just as my orgasm crashes over me.

  Crying out, I hold him close as he continues to move gently within me as we ride out our releases. “I love you,” I whisper.

  “I love you too, Addy.”

  He moves away from me and walks into the bathroom, coming back with a wet rag. After he cleans me up, he turns out the lights and unlocks the door before handing me my nightgown and slipping on a pair of boxers. Once he crawls into bed, he pulls me close and kisses my temple. “Sleep, baby. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long-ass day for us both.”

  Hale

  Waking up the next morning, it hits me again that I’m now responsible for three children. “Damn, I miss y’all,” I whisper to Caroline and John. I’m humbled by the fact they had enough faith in me to raise their kids. Glancing over, I see Addy is already up. I don’t know what I would do without her. The past few weeks have been hard on her, trying to juggle taking care of Rosie and also get her baking done so she can deliver her orders. I think we need to check into daycare for Rosie.

  I get up and head in to take another shower so I can shave. Once I’m dressed, I check on the kids and see they’re all still asleep. Thankfully, the boys didn’t wake us up last night and Rosie managed to sleep as well. I know it’ll take more than one night of good sleep, but I feel pretty rested. I go to make the coffee only to see that it’s already brewing. Making a mug, I head out to the back porch where I find Addy curled up on the porch swing, working on her laptop.

  “Whatcha doing, pretty girl?” I ask as I bend down to kiss her.

  “Oh! I was looking for daycare centers.”

  I start laughing. “For Rosie? I just thought about that this morning. I think it would do her a world of good and allow you to do what you’ve gotta do with regard to your customers.”

  “What’s that saying about ‘great minds thinking alike’?” she asks. “And I need another of those,” she states, pulling me back down and kissing me. I love how she’s lost her reticence for intimacy, often initiating touches and kisses.

  “So, what’s the plan? I mean, I know we’ve got the memorial today, but do we need to do anything before the kids get up?”

  “I got the laundry temporarily caught up yesterday, my cake orders are current, and the house is clean. Other than getting ready and going, we should be good. Oh, and Marvie and I ran some boxes over to the house, so we’ll have them available when we go later today.”

  Once again, I shake my head at how efficient she is with everything that keeps getting tossed our way. “Then the next thing we need to think about is when you wanna get married,” I tell her, sitting next to her and curling her into me.

  “Whenever we can squeeze it in?” she questions.

  “Next week. We’ll see if Boz and Marvie can go as well so you girls get yo
ur double wedding. Momma Sue and Pops have already offered to keep the kids for a few days so you and I can get away.”

  “Should we do that now though?”

  “Here’s the thing, Addy. If the accident hadn’t happened, we would have gone on a honeymoon, leaving JD with them. Just because we now have three kids under our roof doesn’t negate our need for those few days alone together with no distractions or disruptions. You and me? We’re a team and long after they all grow up and move out, it’ll be us.”

  “I-I wasn’t thinking about it like that,” she admits. “But you make sense. I mean, my grandparents and Marvie’s folks are my relationship examples and if I think about it, even when I was here, Grammy always put my gramps first. Same with Marvie’s parents. She wasn’t excluded, not by a long-shot, but they definitely took kid-less vacations to make sure they were still as connected as the day they got married. Help me remember to take time for us, please?”

  “Addy, it’s going to be an adjustment for both of us, in a lot of ways. But I promise you that you’ll always be first, then the kids. Granted, all bets are off if they get sick, but you know what I mean, right?” I decide to add a little levity to the situation since we’ve been dealing with so many heavy issues lately.

  “Yeah, I do. So, since we’ve got a little bit of time, what say we make out like teenagers until the kids wake up?”

  “I like how you think, Adelaide Overstreet,” I tell her, before pulling her down so we’re wrapped around each other on the porch swing.

  * * *

  As expected, the memorial was hard on us all, mainly the boys since Rosie’s so young. Momma Sue and Pops organized the wake and many of Caroline and John’s friends helped them put it together. At least my woman and Marvie had something taken off their shoulders, although I noticed that most of the desserts were Addy’s. We’re now back at the house changing so we can see if there’s stuff we wanna grab at their old house.

  “You almost ready?” I ask, stepping into JD’s room.

  “Yeah, Dad. Are we taking the truck or Addy’s SUV?”

  “I think we’ll take the truck. Whatever we pack up can go in the back. We need to be together, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, Johnny needs me.” I ruffle his hair because other than when they’re showering, he hasn’t let Johnny out of his sight and Johnny’s been the same.

  “You doing okay with all this? A lot of changes for you, too,” I ask, sitting next to him on the lower bed.

  “Well, it’s different now that it’s not just you and me. But I love Miss Addy, and Johnny’s my best friend and Rosie’s my cousin, so yeah, I’m okay with everything. When are y’all getting married?”

  “Next Thursday, most likely. Then, Momma Sue and Pops are gonna come here and watch y’all while I take Addy away for a few days.”

  “That’s good. You two need alone time.”

  “What do you know about that kind of stuff?” I question. He never ceases to amaze me with what comes out of his mouth.

  “Dad! That’s what Uncle John and Aunt Caroline did, they took trips without Johnny and Rosie all the time. Aunt Caroline told him once that it was important for couples not to forget they were a couple or something like that.”

  “Well, your aunt was a wise woman,” I tell him.

  He opens his mouth to say something when Johnny walks through their shared bathroom and sits down next to me. His eyes are red, but I don’t say anything. “You doing okay, little man?” I ask him as I pull him into a side hug.

  “I think so. I mean, it’s hard to believe they’re never coming back, but I’ve gotta be strong for Rosie, right?”

  “You just have to be a kid, Johnny. Let me and Addy worry about being strong for you guys, alright?”

  “I guess. Thank you, Uncle Hale.”

  “For what?”

  “Taking me and Rosie in.”

  I maneuver so that I’m now crouching in front of him and grab his hands in mine. “When JD was born, your mom and I made a pact. We decided then and there that if anything ever happened to me, JD would live with you guys, and if anything ever happened to her and your dad, you and any other kids they had would come live with me. This isn’t a hardship on me, Johnny. You’re family and we always take care of family.”

  I hear a sniff and look up to catch Addy standing in the doorway. She walks in and sits between both boys and says, “And I’m the lucky woman who gets to help him raise y’all. I know you two are young, but I’m gonna tell you something. I can’t have children of my own because of a medical problem. Being able to walk alongside Hale and help him raise all three of you is more than I ever dreamed would happen. I hate that my dream is a reality because of what happened, but I promise, I’ll do my best to raise you like your parents would have wanted, Johnny.”

  Johnny looks at her before throwing his arms around her waist and hugging her. “I love you, Miss Addy.”

  “And I love you, too, Johnny,” she replies, rubbing his back.

  “We ready, y’all?” I question. The boys both nod so we head out to the truck.

  * * *

  Arriving at their house, I see that Boz and Marvie, along with his parents, are already there. When we walk inside, I head over to Boz, asking, “What’s going on?”

  “Folks wanted to help. Figured we could help you guys and get as much done as we can with regard to getting the rest of the kids’ things. What about the stuff you’ve got at your house?”

  Fuck, I really haven’t thought about that with everything else going on. We’re combining three households into one and I suspect there’s gonna have to be a helluva yard sale or something, because as big as Addy’s cottage is, it’s not that big. He sees the look on my face and starts laughing. “Don’t worry, man, we’ll get it all sorted out.”

  “God, I hope so. Three houses into one? That’s what nightmares are made out of!”

  “We got you, boy,” Pops states, coming up to us. “Momma Sue and I’ll work on cleaning out the kitchen, get the fridge sorted, that kind of thing. Brought some boxes to pack up the food and freezer for y’all. And once you tell me what’s staying and what’s going, we’ll come over and putter some and get it ready for you to sell.”

  I feel tears rising. Once again, Boz and his family are walking alongside me during one of the most challenging times of my life. “Thanks, Pops. Not sure where I’d be if not for y’all.”

  “No thanks needed, that’s what family does. Got Chandler and Bastian as well for the heavy shit. They’ll be rolling in shortly, I expect.”

  “Then let’s get to work.”

  Hours later, we’re all exhausted, but we’ve now got all of the kids’ things back over at Addy’s in the garage, waiting to be unpacked, as well as more food than we have room. “I’m going to order pizza,” Addy says, walking out to the garage where I’m staring at all the boxes.

  “We’ve got all this food in the house and you’re ordering pizza?” I question.

  “Uh, yeah. I can’t feel my arms at this point to move around the kitchen. I’m just planning to stick my face in a box and eat like Spike does.”

  I can’t help it, I start laughing at her words. She’s got such a serious expression that I halfway believe she’s serious. “Baby, I’ll feed you if you’re too tired to move your arms,” I tell her, pulling her close for a kiss. “Where are the kids?”

  “Marvie and Momma Sue have Rosie in the bath, and I believe Boz is helping the boys put some of their stuff away before they get their showers.”

  “We’ve got good people in our lives, pretty girl,” I say. “There’s no way we could’ve gotten everything done that we managed to do today without them.” Then a thought hits me. “Where’s Pops?”

  “Reorganizing my kitchen to fit all the food and what-not. Hale, what are we going to do with everything?”

  “Well, the kids’ stuff is obvious and so is the food. I guess we’ll pack up the sentimental things so they’ll have that when they get older, then see about
having an estate sale.”

  “We still have your house,” she whispers, looking around at all the boxes in the garage. “I don’t think the house is big enough.”

  “We’ll get it figured out, sweetheart. Now, let’s get that pizza ordered, okay?”

  Addy

  I fall into bed later that evening completely exhausted. “C’mere, baby,” Hale says, pulling me into him and arranging me so we’re cuddled close. “Long day.”

  “Yeah, the longest. But as hard as it was, we still had laughter today. Isn’t that kind of weird?”

  “Not really. That’s life. It goes on. Already told the boys to sleep as long as they wanted tomorrow and that if they got up, they needed to be quiet, put the puppy out and check on Rosie.” He’s running his finger down my cheek. “My girl needs more sleep than she’s been getting.”

  “Things will even out, Hale, and I’ll get caught up again, I promise.”

  “Well tonight, you just worry about sleep.”

  “You sure? I’m not feeling as tired now,” I say, my hand stroking his chest.

  “As much as I’d love to take you up on what you’re offering, I can’t. I’m wiped, baby.” Now I feel guilty. He just said goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law and then we spent the rest of the day packing and moving shit. “Whatever you’re thinking, just stop,” he says. “I love you and would love nothing more than to sink into you and get lost for a while, but we’re both beyond tired.”

  I nod and lean back so I can kiss him. “Love you, Hale.”

  “Love you too, Addy.”

  * * *

  I wake up in the middle of the night when I feel my nightshirt being slipped from my body. No words are spoken between us, yet it’s the most profound, intimate time we’ve ever had with one another. I fall back to sleep wrapped in his arms.