by Caroline Lee
Jeremiah turned those big blue eyes to his mother. “Can we go outside, Mom? Can we?”
“Yeah, can we?” Tripp gave his best impression of a little kid, matching his son’s pleading expression. “Pleeeeease?”
Alyssa rolled her eyes and gave a little snort of agreement. “How could I say no?”
“Yes!” Jeremiah cried as he pumped his fist.
Tripp made a point of echoing the excited gesture, then held his hand out to the boy for a high-five.
“Come on, Tripp! Let’s go out in the backyard.”
“Whoa, buddy,” Tripp cautioned the boy. “Do you have a patio out there? If not, it’s probably better to do it on the driveway.”
Jer rolled his eyes. “I know! You told me that yesterday. So I got the patio all ready out back. I moved the furniture myself!”
Tripp was impressed the kid had been paying attention. He gestured grandly towards the back door. “Lead on then, birthday boy.”
As they followed their son towards the back yard, Alyssa twined her fingers through his. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”
“What? Letting your six-year-old son set off a few measly firecrackers?”
“Letting my baby play around with explosives,” she corrected in a long-suffering tone.
He squeezed her fingers with a grin. “I was a lot younger when I started, and now look at me!”
“Yeah, but look at your path to get here.”
There was something in Alyssa’s voice which caused Tripp to tug her to a stop, right before they reached the back door. “Hey, look at me.”
When she did, Tripp was surprised to see the hesitation in her eyes. He hadn’t realized…
“Whoa, are you really not okay with this?” He’d made sure to ask her permission before he’d made the offer to Jeremiah, and she’d seemed okay about it then. But now…
She smiled weakly at him. “No, I’m okay, really. I know this isn’t anything big, just firecrackers.”
He squeezed her fingers again. “And you know I wouldn’t ever do anything to endanger him, right?” He couldn’t keep the note of panic out of his voice. “You know that, right?”
She must have heard it, because her expression softened, and she smiled lightly.
“I do.” Her voice was sincere. “And I know I can trust you. I’m sorry for having that little breakdown.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t ever feel like you have to apologize for anything involving Jeremiah. You’ve done so much for him all by yourself. You know him best, and you have every right in the world to worry about him.” He brushed a kiss onto the top of her head. “But please know, I will never let him come to any harm.”
When she pulled back just far enough to smile up at him and whisper, “I trust you,” Tripp felt his heart constrict.
I trust you.
Until she’d said that, he hadn’t realized it was what he’d been hoping for.
Together, the two of them headed out back to the patio, where Tripp went over all the safety rules, stressing again and again how to handle each firecracker safely. And for a six-year-old, Jeremiah did a really good job of paying attention and repeating the instructions back. Tripp made sure to compliment his son on his understanding and cooperation, and he could tell when the boy beamed up at him the words meant something.
“Okay, Jer, you ready to see some action?”
Jeremiah nodded eagerly, so Tripp very slowly unwrapped a firecracker and lit it, narrating the steps as he did so. When he tossed it, the thing exploded exactly where he’d intended, and Jeremiah squealed. Both adults turned to him, expecting the worst, and Tripp could see Alyssa was just as surprised as he was to find the boy jumping up and down with a huge grin on his face.
“That was awesome! Can you do it again?”
Tripp obliged, this time watching his son’s face. Jeremiah’s expression was enthralled, and Tripp knew he’d found a kindred spirit.
“Are you ready to try?”
From the expression on his son’s face, Jer was very close to passing out from sheer joy. Still, he remembered the first rule.
He turned to Alyssa. “Can I, Mom? Since you’re right here, and Tripp is watching?”
Proving she’d been paying attention to Tripp’s lecture as well, Alyssa nodded slowly. “Because I’m with you, and because Tripp is supervising, you can try it.”
The boy gave an excited squeal, then tried to school his expression. “I’m ready now, Tripp.”
Tripp made Jeremiah go back over the steps verbally one more time, before he let the boy unwrap a firecracker.
“I’m going to hold the lighter. I’ll hold it up like this, and when you’re ready, come close enough to catch the fuse.”
Jeremiah nodded somberly and took a deep breath. He glanced at his mother, who nodded encouragingly, then stepped closer to Tripp. The boy lit the firecracker, tossed it the correct distance away, then clasped his hands over his ears, all with perfect smoothness.
After the thing went off, the look of pride on Jeremiah’s face caused Tripp to chuckle. “You did amazing, Jer! Good work!”
“That was okay?”
Tripp glanced at Alyssa. “Yeah! You did exactly what I told you to do, and everything went perfectly.”
Even Alyssa was nodding. “Buddy, I don’t know anything about explosives, but I would say you did a pretty good job there.”
“Mom. They’re not explosives, they’re firecrackers.”
Alyssa flicked an amused glance towards Tripp. “Honey, you light them on fire and they blow up. That’s explosives, as far as I’m concerned.”
Tripp, who’d dealt with some of the most advanced explosives in the world, didn’t bother correcting her. As far as she was concerned, firecrackers might as well be explosives.
“Can I do it again, Mom?”
Alyssa shrugged and looked to Tripp with her eyebrows raised.
Tripp, taking his cue, nodded to the boy. “What’s the first step?”
Dutifully, Jeremiah turned to his mother to ask permission. Tripp assumed this was going to get annoying pretty quickly, but one thing he didn’t want the boy to learn was that he could set firecrackers off without permission. So Tripp and Alyssa had come up with this rule about asking permission each time. Luckily, Jeremiah was a good kid, and Tripp didn’t see him breaking the rules anytime soon.
Not like Tripp himself.
Still, maybe if he’d had a parent who shared the same interest, who’d stood beside him to teach him safety…maybe explosions wouldn’t have been such a fascinating taboo as a kid. Maybe...well, maybe a lot of Tripp’s life would have been different.
The three of them experimented, and Alyssa even got in on the fun, much to Jeremiah’s delight. Soon, though, they ran out of the firecrackers Tripp had brought.
He shrugged. “Sorry, buddy. I can try to bring more next time.”
“Not tomorrow though!”
“Nope!” Tripp ruffled his son’s hair. “Tomorrow is the Fourth of July! That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk about with you two.”
“Aha!” Alyssa said with satisfaction. “There’s that pleased smile again! Now we get to find out what had you looking like a cat who swallowed the cream.”
Tripp made a show of wrinkling his nose. “I’m not sure if I should be offended you just called me a cat.”
Jeremiah leaned closer. “Tigers are a type of cat,” he whispered. “I think it would be okay to be a cat.”
Tripp lowered his voice conspiratorially as well. “Yeah, but then wouldn’t it be ‘like a tiger who caught a fresh zebra’ or something?”
“You’re thinking about lions,” Jeremiah corrected with a serious nod. “Lions hunt zebras. I saw a video.”
Alyssa’s gaze was bouncing back and forth between the two of them like a spectator at a tennis match. She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands with a huff. “Are you going to tell us why you look like a lion with a fresh zebra, or not?”
Joking
with these two brought Tripp more joy than he could have ever imagined. But for now, he quit tormenting Alyssa.
“I told you my dad was planning a small family thing for the Fourth of July this year, right?”
She nodded. “Since your brother basically blew up River’s End Ranch last year?”
“He did?” Jeremiah asked with excitement.
Tripp ruffled the kid’s hair again. “Not quite, but Dad thought it would be good if we just kind of laid low this year. Besides, with Mom gone…” He swallowed and pushed on. “We thought it would be nice to do something with just the immediate family.”
Before Alyssa’s expression had a chance to turn pitying, Tripp allowed his excitement to show once more.
“Anyhow, Dad said I get to be in charge of the fireworks display. Cooper already bought all the good stuff, but Dad paid for it, so he says he gets to choose who sets it all off.”
Feeling like Jeremiah must have a few minutes ago, Tripp hooked both of his thumbs towards his chest. “So who beat out his big brother for the chance to light stuff on fire at his dad’s request? This guy!”
If he hadn’t been watching her, he might have missed the slightly disappointed expression which flickered across Alyssa’s face moments before she smiled. “I’m happy for you!” She reached out and took his hand. “I know it’s really rough to be doing all this without your mother, but I’m so happy to see you having fun with your family again”
Tripp couldn’t help the bubble of excitement which was welling inside him. He felt like Jeremiah, bouncing on his toes. “Well, you get to see us in action tomorrow! There’s nobody I’d rather set off explosives with than you two! Dinner starts at five, and then maybe Jeremiah can help me—”
He realized she was shaking her head a little sadly just moments before Jeremiah burst out with “What?”
Tripp hurried to explain. “I want you and your mom to come spend the Fourth of July with me and my family, buddy. You can meet everybody, because I know they’ve been dying to meet you, and you can—”
But Jeremiah didn’t give him a chance to finish. Instead, the little boy screwed up his eyes, balled his fist, and let loose with a piercing scream.
Tripp was so startled, he couldn’t do anything more than just watch as Jeremiah inhaled again and let loose with another ear-piercing, “No! No!”
Flabbergasted, Tripp lowered himself to his haunches beside the boy. “What’s up, Jer?” he tried soothingly. “What’s wrong?”
But the boy only screamed and shook his head violently. That’s when Tripp realized no matter how confused he was, he needed to help the boy calm down before they could have any more discussions.
Remembering that first tantrum he’d witnessed at the park, and the times since then, Tripp raised his hand and snapped in front of the boy’s nose. As he’d hoped, the suddenness of it caused Jer to blink and go silent mid-scream.
“Quick! What’s five things you see?”
Again, Jeremiah screamed wordlessly in his face, but Tripp didn’t allow that to deter him. “Five things you see, Jeremiah!”
Apparently, their practice had worked, because mid-scream, Jeremiah switched to naming things. “You, Mommy, the grass! That tree. My swing set!”
Nodding encouragingly, Tripp snapped again, softer. “Four things you hear?”
By the time they reached two things Jeremiah could smell—a harder question since they were in the backyard—the boy was focused and much calmer.
Tripp nodded reassuringly throughout, then took a deep breath. It was at that moment he realized he hadn’t once deferred to Alyssa. He glanced up at her, terrified he’d upset her by taking over during Jeremiah’s tantrum once more. But to his surprise, she was beaming down at the two of them.
A little disconcerted, he shook his head and turn back to Jer. “Can you tell me what the problem is now?”
When the boy inhaled, and looked ready to launch into another tantrum, Tripp hurried to clarify. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with only a few words? Without screaming?”
Jeremiah was frowning when he said, “I don’t want to go!”
Well that much is obvious. But Tripp didn’t say it out loud. “Can you tell me why?”
“My birthday!”
Suddenly, it all became clear. Tripp closed his eyes on a wince. “I know it’s your birthday tomorrow, Jer, but I forgot you liked to celebrate with your family. Is that what you mean? You don’t want to go to my family’s get-together because you’re used to celebrating your birthday with the rest of the Quinns?”
Sniffling, Jeremiah nodded.
Tripp turned his gaze to Alyssa, who was watching both of them. She nodded, her expression almost proud. Why? Because Tripp had figured it out on his own? He shook his head, angry he hadn’t considered this angle.
“Every year, you two have celebrated with your family, isn’t that right?” He clucked at himself in irritation. “And then this bozo shows up making a big deal like he knows better.” He shook his head dismissively. “No wonder you started screaming!”
“You’re not a bozo,” Jeremiah offered in a small voice.
It was the fastest Tripp had seen him calm down. Still, Tripp was shaking his head in irritation as he stood.
“I can’t believe I didn’t just ask first. Well…” He shrugged and turned to Alyssa. “Do you think your family would mind one more mouth? As I remember, there’s like three hundred and fifty-seven of you guys, so maybe they wouldn’t notice if I showed up?”
There were tears in Alyssa’s eyes for some reason when she reached out and took his hand. “There are a lot of us, but my family would definitely notice you. I would make sure they did. But are you sure?”
“Sure?” He frowned. “About coming to hang out with you on the Fourth of July? Of course I am. I want to be wherever you and Jer are!”
Alyssa was shaking her head, but it seemed she had to take a moment to blink back her tears. “No, I meant…are you sure about giving up your holiday with your family?”
“Because of the fireworks?” He scoffed. “I can do that any time! I was just happy Dad asked—”
“No, because of your family.”
She squeezed his hand again, and for the first time, Tripp understood what she was asking.
So he told her the truth. “Lyssa…” He reached out and took her other hand in his. “I came back to Quinn Valley to make peace with my family. I had all sorts of grand plans, and things haven’t gone the way I wanted them to. Then one thing happened I never expected. I found you.” His gaze flicked to where Jeremiah was watching them. “Both of you. And when that happened, all of my plans changed. I love my family, but from the moment you two let me into your hearts, you became my family. I like the chance to blow stuff up, sure…” He grinned softly at her. “But I love you guys more.”
“Oh, Tripp!”
That was all she said before she threw herself into his arms. Tripp was more than happy to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight, showing her without words how much he cared for her.
How much he loved them both.
CHAPTER TEN
“What’s wrong?” Tripp asked her the next morning, when she met him at the door with a kiss. He pulled back long enough to search her face. “Alyssa?”
She winced, not realizing he knew her so well.
“I’m worried about Jeremiah,” she confessed.
Tripp’s gaze immediately sharpened. “Where is he?” he asked, his concern evident.
“In the kitchen with Mom,” she hurried to assure him. “But…”
Since she was already in his arms, it didn’t take much for Tripp to squeeze her. “Hey, you can tell me. Is everything alright?”
She sighed. “He was so excited about today, but now I’m not sure.”
“You don’t think he’s excited to celebrate his birthday? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Actually, I think it’s more than that. I think the poor little guy might be sick or something.”<
br />
Tripp winced. “Tell me,” he commanded in a gentle voice.
“Well…” She shrugged. “It’s sort of a tradition to have special birthday pancakes, right? My mom is really good at coming up with traditions for our special days, I guess.” She didn’t bother hiding the amused twitch of her lips. “You should see us when we actually blow out the candle! Anyhow, Jeremiah’s favorite thing is the chocolate chip pancakes, but Mom made them this morning, and he’s in there just picking at them.”
Tripp frowned. “Really? But it’s like 10:30!”
Alyssa nodded, glancing hesitantly towards the kitchen. “He’s been picking at them for hours now, and whenever I suggest he might want to get ready, he’s all...whiny.”
“Whiny?” Tripp repeated. “In what way?”
Alyssa sighed. “Like he’s sick. I feel so sorry for the little guy, and I’m not sure we should go celebrate today.”
“What?” Tripp cried indignantly. “It’s his birthday!”
“I know, I know. But sometimes, being a parent—”
“Mommy?” a pitiful little voice called from the hallway.
Both adults turned to find Jeremiah leaning against the door frame.
“Hey, buddy,” Tripp said with an encouraging grin. “Happy birthday!” He jerked his thumb towards the presents he’d set down when he’d entered the house. “I brought you some gifts.”
But when Jeremiah’s gaze barely flickered towards the boxes, Alyssa knew there was something really wrong.
“Hi Tripp,” Jer said weakly. “I don’t feel good.”
Tripp released her, and moved towards the boy. “I’m sorry to hear that. And on your birthday too? That really stinks.”
Jeremiah nodded pitifully. “My stomach hurts.”
Alyssa was already moving towards them, knowing what that meant.
Tripp gathered the boy in his arms. “I’m sorry, Jer. That’s a really crummy birthday—”
Jeremiah interrupted his father, unintentionally, by groaning pitifully and heaving his breakfast all over the poor man.
To give him credit, Tripp’s only reaction was to hold the boy tighter and murmur encouragement, as wave after wave of partially digested chocolate chip pancakes hit him in the chest. He even had the forethought to catch as much as he could in his T-shirt.
