Welcome Home, Daddy

by Carrie Weaver

  “Shhh. It’s okay, buddy.”

  The wail turned to a screech.

  Crouching next to the boy, he said, “I didn’t mean to holler. I was scared you’d get burned.”

  But Micah wasn’t listening. Great tears rolled down his face onto his pint-size polo shirt.

  Drew picked him up and cuddled him close. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. You’re fine. I didn’t mean to yell.”

  The screeching lowered a decibel, but the neighbors probably still thought someone was being murdered.

  Just then, he heard the front door open, and Annie dashed in, her eyes wide.

  “Micah.” She ran to the kitchen and wrenched the boy from Drew’s grasp. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Mommy,” Micah sobbed, wrapping his arms around her neck and holding on for dear life.

  “It’s okay,” Drew stated. “I just startled him.”

  Annie’s gaze swept the room, taking in the apparent explosion in the kitchen. “Shhh, honey, it’s all right,” she crooned.

  Micah’s cries magically subsided to a hiccup or two.

  She glared at Drew. “What really happened?”

  “He’s fine. I opened the oven to check on the casserole, and saw him make a grab for the door. I didn’t want him to get burned so I guess I yelled, and he got scared and—”

  “Hey, slow down.”

  “—he started crying.”

  “He does that when he’s scared. I imagine he’s tired, too. But otherwise he seems fine.” She checked both chubby hands and kissed each in turn.

  “You believe me?”

  She hesitated. “Yes, I do.”

  “Whew. I was afraid you’d think the worst. That I’d screwed up again. Or that I’d hurt him.”

  Smiling slowly, she glanced around in wonder. “Congratulations, you passed your first big test. Trying to prepare dinner with a toddler underfoot. It smells wonderful, by the way.”

  “Macaroni and cheese. Homemade. My mom’s recipe.”

  “Well, then, let’s get dinner on the table.” She set Micah on his feet, swatted his behind and started putting away pots and pans. “I’ll get drinks if you handle the casserole. And I think I’ve got a bagged salad in the fridge.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Passing his first parenting test was nearly as fulfilling to Drew as coming back from his first mission in one piece.

  They sat down to dinner and he cleared his throat. “Do you mind if say the blessing?”

  Annie blushed. “Please, go ahead, if you’d like.”

  He grasped her hand in his and leaned across the table for Micah’s.

  Annie pulled back as soon as Drew finished.

  Glancing up, he was surprised to see that her eyes were watery.

  “Hey, did I do something wrong?”

  She turned her face away. “No, um, I just remembered some of the dinners with my dad and…sometimes I still miss him.”

  Drew didn’t know whether he should press for details. How in the world did he think he could be a counselor when one teary woman reduced him to a mass of indecision?

  “Do you…want to talk about it?” There, that was a relatively safe response.

  Slowly, she faced him. “My dad was big on having dinner together as a family. After he…died, I used to wish he could come back for just one more meal, so things could seem…normal again.”

  “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

  “It hits me out of the blue sometimes. You’d think after a couple decades I wouldn’t have these flashes of missing him.”

  “Hey, I’ve seen some of the bravest men cry for their mom or dad when they were hurt. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  She wiped her eyes and smiled. “Thank you. Now, let’s have some of that casserole. Did Micah tell you it was his favorite?”

  “I think he might have mentioned it. At least ten or twelve times.”

  Drew let her change the subject, tabling the many questions he wanted to ask about her father. She obviously didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and he had to respect that. For now.

  KAT CALLED LATER that evening, after Micah was bathed and in bed.

  “So?” she asked. “How did it go with Drew?”

  Annie leaned back on the couch and sighed. “It went…well.”

  “You don’t sound sure. What happened? Did he make the kid puke again? And here I was positive he could handle it.”

  “He did fine.”

  “Then why aren’t you happy?”

  Good question. Where Drew was concerned, nothing seemed clear-cut. Least of all her emotions.

  “He did too well.”

  “And that’s a bad thing because?”

  Annie hesitated. “Because I…liked him tonight.”

  “Oh, honey, you are in such trouble. He’s in the reserves, and I’ve heard they can be called up at almost any time. You have the hots for him, don’t you?”

  “No, absolutely not. It was all very innocent.”

  “Oh.” There was a world of disappointment in one syllable.

  “But you know what? He had dinner ready when I got home, and we ate together. That’s our second dinner in less than a week. We seemed kind of like…a family. A dad, a mom and a kid. And it was…magical.”

  “It scares me to hear you refer to him as magical. But I think Drew being successful at this is good for all of you. No matter what happens, you guys will be tied to each other through Micah. And if you get along, nobody needs an attorney. It’s a win-win.”

  Annie wiped her cheek, surprised to find it was wet. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Um, yeah.”

  “You sound funny. Are you crying?”

  “No!”

  “Yes, you are. What gives? I’m your oldest and dearest friend and you should confide in me.”

  “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Tell me.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.”

  Kat was more tenacious than Micah angling for a cookie right before a meal. She would never give up.

  “Dinners weren’t the same after Dad died. Mom and I just grabbed a bite to eat whenever. She was messed up the first couple years after he was gone, and half the time she wouldn’t have eaten at all if I didn’t make her. I used to dream about my dad walking through the door and having dinner with us at the table, saying grace and the whole nine yards.” Annie stood, walked to the window and stared into the night. “Tonight I had that. Or something that seemed so close.”

  “Aw, honey, you always seem so together about losing your dad. I forget how hard it must’ve been.”

  “My whole life changed. I adored my father. So did my mom. It was as if the light went out of her, like her body was there, but her spirit went with him. Sometimes I wonder if it was because she watched him fall.”

  “But your mom eventually made a new life.”

  “Yes, she has the clinic and her causes. And now she has Micah. But you never knew her before. She was…phenomenal. I’ve always wondered if I could love that fully. I wonder if it was worth it to her when she lost him so young.”

  “I bet she would say it was. Why don’t you ask her?”

  Annie went back to the couch and sat with her legs tucked beneath her. “I don’t want to dredge up the past. Especially now when she finally seems to be getting over it.”

  “Promise me one thing?”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’ll give Drew a chance. You won’t shut him out because you’re afraid of getting close.”

  “That’s a stretch, even for you, Kat. Just because we seemed like a family for a few minutes doesn’t mean I intend to get romantically involved with him. And he hasn’t said he wants to pick up again, either.”

  “Everyone deserves a happily ever after.” Kat’s voice softened as she added, “Especially you.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  DREW SAT ON THE FLOOR and played cars with Micah. There
wasn’t anywhere he’d rather be on a Thursday afternoon.

  “You’re gonna be a gearhead, I can tell already,” he told his son. He maneuvered his stock car around the crash Micah had engineered, complete with sound effects.

  Kat snorted from where she sat on one of the bar stools. “Not if Annie has anything to say about it. Too dangerous.”

  “Yeah, she said something about wanting him to be an accountant like you. I still have a hard time seeing you as an accountant.”

  “Why? I’m a very methodical person.”

  As if to demonstrate her point, she pulled a bottle of nail polish out of her purse on the breakfast bar, carefully aligning the bottle with cotton swabs and some other stuff Drew couldn’t identify. She shook the nail polish, then started to apply it with the precision of a machinist.

  “I can see that.” He gestured to her shoulder-length riot of auburn curls, peasant blouse and toenails painted a vivid red. The same color she was now painting her fingernails. “I’m sure you are. You just seem too…free-spirited for that line of work. Too…outspoken.”

  “I’m a wallflower at heart.”

  “Uh-huh. And I’m Jimmy Johnson.”

  “Jimmy who?”

  Drew scoffed in disgust. “The race car driver.”

  “Sorry, we free spirits don’t follow car racing. We’re too busy slacking.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” Drew sensed he needed damage control and pronto. “It was a compliment. Accounting is just kind of boring to me. You’re more action oriented. Vibrant.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Vibrant, huh? I guess I’ll let you off the hook then. And for the record, I enjoy the predictability of accounting because my life can sometimes be very…unpredictable.”

  Nodding, he said, “Makes sense. So now I understand that you are a multifaceted woman.”

  Micah made a crashing noise and rammed Drew’s car.

  Drew laughed. “Boy, I better get some good insurance when you’re old enough to drive, kid.”

  Micah found that uproariously funny. He jumped up and down while he imitated Drew’s booming laughter.

  “Little ham.”

  Drew turned to Kat. “I haven’t begun to figure out Annie.”

  “What’s to figure? She’s always been a straight shooter, with this really cool, quirky side she only shows to the people closest to her.”

  “Maybe her quirky side was coming out the night we met. I almost didn’t recognize her when she answered the door a couple weeks ago. She’s a lot more…uptight.”

  Kat blew on her nails, then started applying polish to her right hand. “She’s got a child to consider now. She wants to be the best mom ever.”

  Drew thought about it as Micah continued the game of demolition derby with their cars. He loved the kid’s enthusiasm. Drew had been the same at his age, or so his mom said. Usually she followed it up with a comment about how many gray hairs he’d given her.

  “I get the idea there’s more going on with her than that. The night I met her, I thought she had the most amazing contradictions. She was sexy, yet innocent. Funny and warm and beautiful and smart….”

  “She still is funny, warm, beautiful and smart. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my best friend. But I encouraged her to step outside of her box that night, live a little. Be more like me, I guess. It was a dumb idea and it ended badly.”

  “Not all that badly.” Drew glanced meaningfully at his son. “I can think of at least one good thing to come of it.”

  “Now everything’s okay, but you weren’t there when she was sick and in danger of losing him. Her pregnancy was scary and not just because she was alone. She grieved when she thought you’d been killed.”

  He hesitated. “I didn’t realize. She never said anything.” He was comforted to find out that he’d meant something to her. She’d been this wonderful enigma to him. A puzzle that he’d mulled over when the reality of war got to be too much.

  “It’s hard for her to be reminded that she stepped out of line after she’d sworn off men. But believe me, she grieved.”

  “Sworn off men?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “How long?”

  “I’ve already told you too much. You’ll have to hear the rest from her. I just didn’t want you to think she didn’t care about you.”

  “Thanks. It…means a lot.”

  “Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

  Drew was saved from responding by Pink’s “You and Your Hand” coming from Kat’s purse.

  “You changed your ring tone.”

  She shrugged. “I call it my man-hating music. I’ll just let it go to voice mail.”

  “Boyfriend’s in the doghouse?”

  “Yes.”

  Kat hesitated for another few seconds before she pounced on her purse, and had the cell to her ear before the last tone. Turning away, her conversation was a low murmur.

  A few moments later she said, “I’ve gotta go. Tell Annie I’m sorry, something came up and I won’t be able to make it to Max’s party.”

  “Max’s party. Got it.” Drew didn’t like the tight lines around her mouth. He’d come to think of her as a friend and he looked out for his friends. He stood to walk her to the front door. “Are you okay?”

  “I have to go bail the jerk out of jail. I’ll be fine after I kill him.”

  Drew shook his head as Kat blew a kiss to Micah and sailed out the door. He would never understand why otherwise sane women fell for losers.

  ANNIE UNLOCKED THE DOOR, calculating how quickly she could change her clothes for the party. She prayed Kat had Micah ready to go. That way they could arrive a few minutes early and leave early.

  Drew met her at the door, carrying her sweaty son under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

  She kissed Micah loudly on the cheek, his giggle melting her heart. It almost made her forget the aroma of grimy little boy.

  Drew set him on the ground and he scampered away.

  “I take it he hasn’t had a bath yet?” Annie raised an eyebrow, fighting to hang on to her good mood.

  “Kat didn’t say anything about a bath. She had an emergency. Bailing some jerk out of jail. Said she was sorry, but she’d miss Max’s party.”

  Annie groaned. “Let me guess—Dillon?”

  “Whoever has her angry-woman ring tone.”

  “Dillon. My guess is another DUI charge. If the guy worked as much as he parties, he’d be damn near solvent. It figures he’d mess up when I needed her most.” Sighing, Annie said, “I hate going to these things alone. I need backup, tonight especially. I’d beg off, but Micah would be disappointed.”

  “What kind of backup?”

  “Have you ever been to a two-year-old’s birthday at the Party Palace?”

  “No, that’s one pleasure I’ve missed.”

  “Consider yourself lucky.” She shuddered. “Noise, sugar and overstimulated children—not a good combination.”

  “I take it Max is a two-year-old?”

  “Yes. And not just any two year-old. The most rambunctious toddler I’ve run across. But maybe I’m prejudiced because his parents are so horribly condescending about ‘poor Micah’ and how hard it must be to come from a broken home.”

  Drew crossed his arms over his chest, his frown downright forbidding. “I haven’t heard that term in a long time. I imagine Kat would set them straight.”

  Annie grinned. “At the very least she would have assured me just how normal I am, and a wonderful mother.”

  “I could do that.”

  Annie liked the way he said it without thinking, without hesitation.

  “I appreciate it. But how do I introduce you? Your presence might be hard to explain.”

  “Maybe we could start telling people I’m his father.” He held up a hand before she could protest. “I realize I insulted you with the way I asked for a paternity test. There was absolutely nothing about you to suggest you were promiscuous. It was just my stupid, knee-jerk reaction.”
<
br />   Annie swallowed hard. She’d desperately wanted him to believe it without the benefit of a lab test. But panic outweighed her long-awaited vindication. “The time isn’t right. We don’t even have the test results yet.”

  “I know he’s mine.” Drew stepped closer. “The family resemblance is too obvious. The test is just a formality now.”

  Annie felt hemmed in with him standing so close. As if he sucked all the air out of the entryway. “I’d better get Micah ready.”

  She moved past Drew into the great room, where a makeshift fort had been constructed in the corner out of blankets.

  Micah emerged from it, grasped her hand and pulled her toward it. “Fort!”

  “Time for a bath, sweetie.”

  Spying his cars on the coffee table, he went over and picked up his favorite, running it along the back of the couch, making vroom-vroom sounds. Annie tried to focus on the moment and not the clock. She desperately wanted to preserve him just as he was right now—when she was the center of his world, the only parent he thought he had.

  But that was selfish and she’d only be cheating him in the end. He and Drew both deserved the chance to develop a solid bond as father and son.

  Still, her pulse pounded at the thought of telling Micah. She wasn’t ready yet. How would she explain it so a toddler could understand?

  Stalling, she said, “Micah should have time to process the idea before we make it common knowledge. I don’t want to do the wrong thing and scar him for life.”

  “I’ll give you a few days,” Drew said. “But I want to sit down with you later this week and discuss a time line.”

  Annie busied herself picking up toys and putting them in the big box. She handed Micah his favorite stuffed bear. “Honey, would you go put this in your room? I’ll be there in a second.”

  Micah hugged the animal tightly and headed off down the hallway. For once, he didn’t argue.

  “Annie? Are you going to answer me?”

  “There’s no time line for this. It’s a matter of responding to Micah’s needs.”

  “His needs or yours?”

  Annie bit her lip, unwilling to make the concession he needed. “He’ll be back in the room any second and I don’t want to discuss this in front of him, no matter how carefully we choose our words.”