“It’s okay. Unc Austin and Annie Shelby fight and wrestle, but they love each other.”
Nate choked out a laugh. “I’m sorry.”
“They like to roll around and play, and sometimes they make weird noises, but they always say ‘I love you’ when they’re finished.”
“Really, guys?” Nate asked.
Austin shrugged. “Sorry not sorry?”
“Austin!” Shelby scolded.
“That’s it. Reece and I are headed to Granny’s house.”
“Yay! Granny!” Reece exclaimed hopefully, excited enough to forget all about Austin and Shelby’s wrestling.
Reece ran around the backyard at Laura King’s house, playing all over the play equipment she had put in after her house had been built.
“She’ll be out here for hours if we let her,” Laura told him. “Good thing the weather’s nice.”
They both took a seat on the deck and watched as Reece ran up the slide and then slid down it again and again. Nate worried she might get hurt, but Laura didn’t seem concerned, and she watched her more than he did.
“You’re good with her,” she said, breaking his concentration.
“Thank you.”
“I remember the day Dani told me she was pregnant. She tried to hide it, but she was terrified. Her pregnancy was rough. She went through a lot, and I wish I could have done more for her. The moment they laid Reece in her arms, though, her life was totally transformed. She’s still the same Dani from before—stubborn, independent, a little prickly—but when that baby was handed to her she found a sense of purpose again.
“Seeing the way my daughter has stepped up and provided for herself and her daughter shows what kind of woman she is. Even when she’s scared and doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing, she still makes a way.”
“I love that about Dani, that she took care of herself and Reece when she was alone. Even though she had support, she felt alone.”
“We were always there for her, but that daughter of mine would rather chew off her own leg than accept help. She got better when she realized she couldn’t do it alone, but so many would take advantage. Not Dani.”
Nate swallowed hard. “Laura, I need to ask you something.”
“There’s no changing her,” she told him with a small smile.
“I don’t want to change her,” he said. “She perfect the way she is.”
“Oh don’t let her hear you say that.”
“If Roger were still around, I’d ask him, but I suspect Dani would put me in the dog house for that. What I’m trying to say is that I’d like to ask if I have your blessing to ask Dani to marry me. I love her with all my heart, and I love Reece like she were my own. If they’ll have me, I’ll be there to make sure their dreams come true. I want to take care of them, watch Reece grow up, threaten her boyfriends, and give Dani more children if she wants them. I’m sure things won’t be perfect, but I’ll give them both as close to perfection as I can. It would mean the world to me if you were okay with it.”
Tears fell down Laura’s face as she smiled back at Nate. “You’re like a son already. Of course I’m okay with it. But promise me, if she turns you down, you keep asking.”
“I will. And thank you. It means so much to me that you approve.”
“My daughter couldn’t have picked a better man.”
9
Facebook Status — Dani King: My child is the best behaved in the family. Not sure if I’m proud of my child or embarrassed for my family.
* * *
“This doesn’t get any easier,” Dani said as she and Nate drove down the road. She had been to visit Tom a few times since she found out that Chris, Reece’s father, didn’t live with his parents, but with Tom. After being burned the first time around, she wasn’t real keen on letting anyone into Reece’s life again. She still hated that she felt like she should let Ron and Georgia have a place.
“It’s your show,” Nate reminded her. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
She was glad Tom felt the same way. He’d asked to meet Reece, but when she told him no, he said he understood and never questioned her. She didn’t trust him after their first meeting when he accused her of being there only for the money. Dani had told him that too. So she took things slowly, and the three of them had met, getting to know each other.
Dani and Tom hadn’t gotten off on the right foot. They were both suspicious of the other. When Chris died, he left behind a substantial amount of money that was to go to his next of kin. Ron and Georgia, as his parents had been trying to get their hands on it. They had hoped Tom hadn’t got word of Reece, and he’d eventually hand it over to them. When Tom suggested that Dani was there for the money, the shit hit the fan, and Dani wasn’t sure at the moment they could ever repair their relationship.
Slowly things were getting better, though. Each visit and each phone call was less strained, and she was coming around. That’s why she continued to go visit him. She had hoped that one day they would all have something special together.
Nate pulled up to the house, and while it still felt like a rock was sitting in pit of Dani’s stomach, she got out and headed for the door. She didn’t even have time to knock because Tom had the door open before she and Nate were at the porch.
“Glad you made it. Hope you had a safe trip.”
“It was very uneventful,” Nate told him shaking his hand.
“Come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Tom led them through the house and into the back room they always sat in when they came to visit. This time instead of the pristine condition, there were boxes scattered around the room.
“Going somewhere?” Dani asked.
“Just on a trip down memory lane. When you called and said you were coming, I wanted to get some of these things out for you. You told me you and Chris didn’t really get to know each other. I’m hoping this will help. Here, take a seat,” he told them motioning toward the sofa. “Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you,” Dani said.
“Me too. Thanks.”
“I got excited going through this stuff,” Tom told them. “It’s been hard on me since Chris’ death, and I tried to put everything behind me, lock it all away. He was my only family, the only family I claim, anyway. When I lost him, it was like I lost my child. I was worried that going through this would open old wounds, so I looked in a few boxes to see if I could. I found that all the memories, all the joy he brought to my life is in there, and I’ve been locking it away. Now I’m grieving because I could have felt closer to him all this time.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Tom. We all grieve in different ways. Maybe you had to pack it all away so when you saw it again it would make you happy.”
“You’re a smart woman. You know that?”
“Want to tell my daughter?”
“She won’t listen. Kids always think their parents are full of it,” Tom told her with a smile.
“So true. So show me some of the things you found.”
Tom took a seat in a chair across from them and dug through the boxes. He pulled out old pictures of Chris when he was younger and then pictures as he was a teen. Dani saw all of his old Cub Scout awards and Pinewood Derby cars and then Tom passed over his Eagle Scout award.
“He did Boy Scouts? How is it you have all his stuff and not Ron and Georgia?”
“When Chris left, he brought all this with him.”
Nate pointed out a picture sitting on the coffee table. “Look at that. Who does that remind you of?”
Dani smiled at Tom. “Reece gives me that same look.”
“That’s a classic Allen look right there.”
Dani pulled out her phone and found a picture of Reece giving the camera the same look. Comparing the two, it was uncanny how much they looked alike. She passed the phone over and watched as Tom got a look at his great granddaughter for the first time. She hated that she’d taken that away from him, even looking at her
, but after he had insulted her, she was learning to trust him again.
“Would you look at that.” Tom stared at the phone for a long time before he reluctantly passed it back to her.
Things were changing between her and Tom, and she could feel the shift. Instead of scaring her, though, it filled her with happiness knowing that Reece might have someone else in her life. Someone like Tom. It scared the hell out of her that she didn’t know him that well, but with what she was seeing today, her gut was telling her he was the real deal.
“What’s your favorite thing you found?” Nate asked.
Tom went over to the fireplace and pulled down a ball glove and baseball. When he turned around, he was looking at it like he could see the memories playing before his eyes. The smile showed that they were all happy.
“This was Chris’ glove, one of them anyway. He loved to play baseball and was always at the field. I remember going to his games when he was just a little guy, and he played all through high school. He even got a scholarship for college but had to turn it down because he got hurt his senior year. I thought it would crush him, but he said he’d make his mark on the world, and it didn’t matter if he played baseball or not.”
“He told me someday people would know who he was,” Dani told Tom. “Most people say that, and you think they’re full of themselves, but it wasn’t that way with Chris.”
“I donated his organs after his accident. Drove Ron and Georgia crazy, but Chris had it in his will. He thought I was a crazy old man for making him put one together, but I’m so glad I did. A year after he died, I found out who some of his organs were donated to. So many letters came in from people thanking me for giving them life, and I thought for sure that was Chris’ legacy.”
“That is his legacy. He’d be so happy he saved people.”
“That might be part of it, but his legacy is his daughter. He would have been the best dad to your little girl, and I’m so sorry he couldn’t be here for that.”
Just like that, everything Dani worried about seemed to not matter as much. This man in front of her loved his grandson and had done everything for him. He’d taken him in and raised him even though his kids were grown. He’d made sure Chris had been provided for and protected, even in death. Even still, he honored Chris. There was no way he’d do anything to hurt something that was a part of him.
“Would you like to meet her?” Dani asked as Nate squeezed her hand.
“What?”
“Your great granddaughter. Would you like to meet her?”
Tears flowed down his face unchecked. “I would love to meet her.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll figure out a time when we can get you two together. I have to warn you. She’s a little crazy.”
Nate snorted.
“Okay so maybe she’s just crazy. She gets it from him, though,” Dani said hooking her thumb Nate’s way.
“Somehow I doubt that. He’s probably the sanest one of the bunch.”
Nate laughed and said, “You have no idea.”
10
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* * *
“Look at you!” Nate’s mom said as they came through the door of his childhood home. He had promised Reece a trip to Chicago when he got back, and now he was making sure he lived up to his word.
Reece ran right into his mother’s open arms. When his parents had first met Dani and learned of Reece, they had been hesitant about the situation. He never told Dani about the conversations he had with his parents. Nate’s dad wanted him to think about a relationship with Dani long and hard because it wasn’t just her he’d be involved with. It would be Reece too.
It was hard to contemplate how things would be when Reece was involved. Nate was friends with a guy who dated a woman with kids. They did everything away from the kids until things became serious, and then they introduced them to each other. Nate was already a big part of Reece’s life. There was also the fact they lived together.
In the early part of their relationship, he and Dani tried to keep their relationship private, but after things got serious, they were more open around Reece. Now, even though Reece called him “Unc Nate,” he felt so much more for her than an uncle. He wasn’t her dad, and he would never try to take Chris’ memory away from Dani, but he’d give anything to be a dad to Reece.
“You’re getting so big.”
“Ms. Amy! Look!” Reece said as she held up her new stuffed dog that looked like Wil’s dog, Cooper. “It’s Pooper!”
“That does look like him. I talked to Judy, and she said that Cooper is excited to see you. I put your toys out in the living room,” she told Reece and they all watched as Reece took off to play.
“When’s Dad due in?” Nate asked his mom.
“He should be back any time. He went out to grab a few things from work. You know how he is. Even when he’s off, he’s still working.”
“Hey, if he’s doing it from home, that’s at least a step in the right direction.”
“How are you, Dani?” his mom asked.
“I’m good. You?”
“Work’s keeping me busy, but things are good. Why are we all still standing here? Come on already.”
As Nate took in his childhood home, he loved that nothing had really changed. The pictures on the walls were different, and his dad had painted the kitchen cabinets, but other than that, it was still the home he’d grown up in all those years ago.
“So your dad and I were thinking we’d take Reece over to a fun kid’s theatre show tomorrow afternoon if it’s okay with you guys. I’ve heard all about it at work. We all dress up in costumes when we get there, and as we eat, they do a show. They even call the kids on stage to help, and there are crafts and things like that,” she told them. Turning to Dani she said, “All my friends have been talking about how much fun it is, and Doug and I would love taking her. You guys can come too. We’d love to have you, but don’t think you have to tag along.”
“If you think you can handle her, I’m okay with it,” Dani said. “I think she’d have a lot of fun. She loves doing dress up tea parties with her Uncle Austin.”
“It’s settled then. I’m going to start dinner. You guys make yourselves at home.”
“I’ll help,” Dani said as she got up and followed his mom into the kitchen.
Nate loved that Dani trusted him enough to leave Reece and not think twice about it. They’d come a long way since the beginning.
“Hey, squirt, want to play?” he asked as he got on the floor with Reece.
“Yeah, let’s play with Pooper.”
“What am I going to do?”
“You can play with the mommies and daddies,” she told him handing him a couple of Barbie dolls.
“Hey, Reece, how would you like it if I lived with you all the time and took care of you and your mommy?”
Reece didn’t stop what she was doing but answered, “You already do.”
“What I mean is, I want to marry your mom like how your Uncle Austin has your Auntie Shelby. Would that be okay?” She didn’t fully understand what he was asking, but it was important to him that Reece was on board.
Reece set the dog down and looked at him. She sat quietly for a few moments. Finally she said, “Would that make you my daddy?”
What a freaking loaded question. Reece knew about Chris, but at her age she didn’t understand what it meant. All she understood was that he didn’t seem to be there. “You have a daddy. He loved you very much.”
“I really want a daddy.” The sadness that oozed out of her broke his heart.
“I’ll be like a daddy. I’d take care of you, read you stories, help you in school, and be there for anything you need.”
“Will you buy me a pony?”
“Where would we keep a pony?
” Nate asked.
“At Unc Austin’s,” she told him, not even having to think about it.
“Your mom might not like it if I got you a pony.”
“Then will you give me lots of hugs?”
“I can give you those no matter what.”
“All right. You can play mommies and daddies with mommy.”
Nate was about to tell Reece to never bring that up around her uncle, but the little girl was busy again with her toys. As for a toddler's blessing, he was pretty sure that was as good as it got.
Two important people in her life had agreed, and as he sat there, he realized he hadn’t talked to Austin.
“Poo,” he said, modifying his language for young ears.
“What?” Dani asked behind him, scaring him.
“Oh, I realized I forgot to tell Austin about this big project that will be going down in the next couple of days. He’ll be ticked if I don’t call him. I better go take care of that.”
Dani eyed him, a look saying she didn’t buy the bullshit he’d fed her. In fact, Nate wasn’t sure how Dani hadn’t already figured out something big was happening. Hell, when he proposed, he was half worried she might bolt. His woman took things very slowly and operated under the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Yup, his proposal could go either way, but it was a chance he was willing to take.
“Your mom said to tell you that your dad will be a little longer. Guess you have time to make that call.”
When he got up to leave, Nate knew he’d hear about it later, but he hoped she’d understand.
Heading out the backdoor and toward his favorite spot in the backyard, Nate grabbed his phone and dialed Austin.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation or something?” Austin asked in place of a greeting.
“We got here about an hour ago.”
“And yet you’re still calling. We can handle things while you’re gone.”
“Yeah, I figured. This isn’t about work.”
“Then why did my sister just text me telling me you were calling because of work?”
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