Chapter 17
Ispent a month doing exactly what Halton told me to do. I didn’t argue with Roxanne. I picked Josh up on Saturdays and had him back at lunch the next day. We spent time at the garage. As a family. He helped us paint, enjoying the camaraderie of the crew as they gathered, once again helping one another. Charly and Cherry took him to choose furniture for his room, and he came back excited about having a double bed and a big dresser. They’d even bought sheets and a comforter, and he showed me the checked blue-and-black plaid, proud to tell me he’d picked it out himself. He was excited to be with us the day we got the keys and moved in, carrying in boxes with the rest of “the guys.” Sitting and eating pizza afterward. Joking and laughing. Stefano let him have a sip of beer, and the comical face he made when he tasted it had everyone laughing. He decided to stick with soda.
Unable to sleep, I wandered the new house. Cherry was down for the count, exhausted. We had bought new furniture since neither of us had any, and the beds and sofa had been delivered. Mary gave us an extra table and chairs, so we had a place to eat. Chase and Hannah brought over all of Cherry’s boxes, and she had put them in an empty room to unpack as we settled in. I checked on her, smiling at how right it looked to see her in our new room. Even devoid of much furniture aside from the bed, it looked like home, because she was there. I peeked in on Josh, surprised to find him awake. He was normally out fast, but he was propped up against his new headboard, the small lamp on his nightstand casting a glow in the room.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Can I ask you something, Dom?”
I stepped into his room and sat on the bed. “Anything.”
He fiddled with his comforter, looking upset.
“What is it?”
“I keep remembering things. Like the swing. Did we go to the beach once?”
“A few times. You loved the water. I used to have to drag you out of it to eat a sandwich.” I laughed as a memory hit me. “Once, I gave up, and we sat in the water, eating your favorite—peanut butter and banana sandwiches—and you dropped it into the water and plucked it out and ate it anyway, sand and all, before I could stop you. Your mother gave me shit about that for days,” I said with a chuckle. “I put the umbrella over you, and you played in the water for hours with your trucks and pail. Ate your snacks there, everything. You cried so hard when it was time to go.”
“We never go to the beach now,” he said.
“We can. Summer is coming.”
“You have a meeting with Mom and the judge next week. She told me.”
I met his gaze. “I’m asking for more time with you, Josh. If you want that.”
I explained Halton’s idea and let him think about it. “If every weekend is too much, I understand. I know you must miss spending time with your friends?—”
He interrupted me. “Not really. I see them at school, and Mom isn’t big on having them over. I told you that before. I like coming here.” He paused. “I like Cherry.”
“She is pretty awesome.”
He played with his comforter again. “I like you too,” he said softly.
“Good. I like you a lot, Josh. I know you’re not ready to hear that I love you, but you’re my son, and I do.”
For a moment, there was silence. “Did you really try to find me? You didn’t forget about me the way Mom said?”
“I never forgot about you—not for a single day.”
He frowned, and I stood. “Just wait a moment.”
I left the room and returned with the small box Halton had given back to me. I handed it to him, and he opened it, looking at the envelopes.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Every letter and card I sent you that was returned. And ones I wrote and never sent since I didn’t know where you were.”
“There’re so many.”
“One for every birthday and Christmas. Plus some others.”
“You kept them?”
“I always hoped I could give them to you one day.”
“Can I read them?”
“They’re yours.”
He flicked through a couple envelopes. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Why don’t you keep them for a while, then decide. I can put them in your closet, and when you’re ready, they’ll be waiting.”
He paused, then opened one, scanning the childish card and chuckling over the twenty-dollar bill inside. He traced the “Love, Daddy” at the bottom.
“I always liked trucks,” he said.
“I know.”
He tucked the money back into the box but put the card on his nightstand. “Thanks,” he said. “I think I’ll open them one at a time.”
“Sounds good.” I took the box and slid it into his closet. “You gonna sleep now?”
“Yeah. Night, Dom.”
“Night.”
“Dom?” he called as I got to the door.
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to be here more, so I’ll talk to Mom, okay?”
“Whatever you want. Any time I get with you is a bonus.”
He grinned. “I think so too.”
I sat with Halton, the judge, and Roxanne. I was surprised not to see her lawyer. I was even more shocked when she asked to speak. The judge nodded, and I braced myself for her words. She looked directly at me.
“Josh wants to spend more time with you. I’ll agree to the extended visitation. No fighting.”
“Why?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
She sighed. “Because I see the difference in him. He’s happier. Doing better at school. Him coming for the weekends works for now, but it isn’t a permanent solution.”
“I know. We can address that at a later date. I just want to know my kid, Rox.” The nickname I used to call her slipped out without thinking. It surprised me. It surprised her.
For the first time, she met my eyes, no hatred blazing from them. She looked resigned. Weary.
“And you should. Regardless of how awful we were, you were always a good dad. I remembered how good you were when I saw your text to Josh telling him to be nicer to me because I looked tired. I had yelled at you, yet you were kind.”
I sat back in amazement.
She cleared her throat. “There is something else. I’m sick.”
“Sick?”
“I have cancer. I start chemo next week. There may be times I need, ah, help.”
“What about John?”
She rolled her eyes. “He walked. He said he didn’t need a sick woman and a pesky teenager. So, it’s just Josh and me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said sincerely. “Whatever I can do to help, let me know. We can take him or come help. Whatever you need.”
“You mean that,” she said incredulously. “After everything, you mean that.”
“You’re his mother. He needs you.”
“Thank you.” She turned to the judge and Halton, who was watching her with narrowed eyes. “Give me whatever paperwork you need me to sign. I won’t fight it. I fired my lawyer, and I just want to make sure Josh is okay.”
“I can draw up the papers,” Halton said.
“I want it clear that if anything happens to me, Dom gets full custody.”
“I’ll make sure of it. I can recommend a decent lawyer for you as well.”
“I don’t think I need one. I’m done fighting this. I have something bigger to take on.”
I met her eyes. I no longer saw the bitter, angry woman who took away my son. I saw the scared, lonely person who was facing the biggest battle of her life. Who needed to be okay so my son would be all right.
“And we’ll be there to help you.”
Friday afternoon, I was getting ready to pick up Josh. I walked out of the garage, frowning when I saw Cherry, Charly, and Gabby loading up the trunk and back seat.
“What are you doing?”
Cherry smiled at me. “We were cooking for Roxanne. We made a bunch of easy meals for her and Josh. Individual ones, so if she isn’t hungry, Josh can heat up his own dinner. And we did some shopping, so she doesn’t have to worry about that.”
I marveled at the giving hearts of these women. As soon as I told them about Roxanne being ill, they had gone into helpful mode. Planning things for Josh. And, apparently, Roxanne.
I pulled Cherry close and kissed her brow. “Thanks, Cherry G.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Okay.”
We were quiet on the drive, and when we arrived, Roxanne was shocked as we walked in, carrying the meals and groceries. She was speechless, but when I brought in the second armful, she was talking to Cherry, the two women once at such odds, finding common ground—Josh’s welfare.
When we left, it was the first time I didn’t feel her anger. Josh was curious. “So, you’re not fighting with Mom anymore?”
I knew she hadn’t told him yet. She wanted to have all the information before she shared.
“Your mom and I came to an understanding.”
He looked pleased. “Good. So, I get all of you? I can like everyone, and no one is going to be upset?”
I took Cherry’s hand. “Absolutely.”
“And John is gone. I can come on the weekends and Mom said maybe the occasional night.”
“Yep.”
“I like this.”
“Good.”
Later that summer, Josh’s laughter echoed from the water. He was splashing and playing with Theo and Thomas, once again a little kid himself. He still loved the beach, and we came as often as we could. Cherry chuckled beside me, reaching for my hand. Our friends were scattered around us, and not far away, Roxanne observed our son, a smile on her face. We often asked her to join us, and now that she was done with chemo, she said yes, enjoying the sun and the company. We would never be close or best friends, but we had come to an understanding. Josh wasn’t a weapon she used to punish me with anymore.
She had moved to Lomand, living a few streets away from us, and now I saw Josh all the time. He was with us every second week, and he would go to school in the fall and be able to travel between the two houses easily. If Roxanne was having a bad week or day, he stayed with us. I loved having him around, and he loved being with us. Hanging out in the garage. Learning. Always learning. He was a natural with engines and cars and soaked up knowledge like a sponge.
I laced my fingers with Cherry’s. “Okay there, baby? You have enough sunscreen on?”
She chuckled. “You were very thorough, Mr. Salvatore.”
I grinned. “Can’t have you all burned for the wedding.”
She smiled back. “A week from today, I’ll be your wife.”
I lifted our joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “I can hardly wait.”
We had a small celebration planned. Her and me. Hannah and Josh beside us. A party in the backyard with our friends. Neither of us wanted a big ceremony or reception. Hannah and Chase would be doing that shortly. We simply wanted to get married and go forward with our life.
“Hannah Banana!” Josh shouted. “You came!”
“Josh B’Gosh!” she yelled back. She had adopted my old nickname for him, and he loved it. He loved everything about her.
I snickered at the two of them and their pet names. They got on like a house on fire. Hannah adored her “little bro,” as she called him, and he worshipped her. He loved sleepovers at her place or when she’d pick him up after school for ice cream.
“Dad!” he yelled. “Hannah Banana is here! We wanna race!”
I was still getting used to him calling me Dad. It had happened one day while we were at the garage. I was working on a car and asked him for a socket wrench. He handed it to me casually.
“There you go, Dad.”
I lifted my head so fast I almost hit the hood. I met his wide eyes. “What?”
He cleared his throat. “Dad. That’s okay, right?”
I had to blink. “Absolutely.”
“Okay.”
I lowered my head, not wanting him to see how emotional I was feeling. “Okay.”
I stood, brushing off my legs. “I’m being summoned.”
Cherry laughed. “Off you go, Dad.” She knew how much I loved hearing him call me that.
I headed to the water with a grin. I looked around me.
Friends. Family. My son.
He was surrounded with love. So was I.
The sun was warm, the water cool, and life was good.
And I couldn’t ask for anything more.