Chapter 7
Seven
Theo
“And what time do you call this?”
Adeline’s green eyes—my eyes—went as wide as a puck. She took a look at the floor, cocked her head in that funny way Elle did, and met my gaze.
That creaky floorboard got ’em every time.
“You’re still up, Dad.”
“You bet I am.” The white lights on the Christmas tree twinkled brightly, casting shimmers over the room. “You skipped out after the game pretty quickly.”
“Rosie wanted to head out and she was my ride.”
“Uh huh. That was three hours ago. Everyone’s asleep, even your great-gran after she binged ten episodes of Law and Order: SVU. Olivia Benson still rules.”
“Agreed.” My daughter took a seat beside her dear old dad. “You played great. Especially that stretch in the third period. Kept the game alive.”
True, I’d had a good game. But I’d take a dive in a heartbeat if it meant my daughter would be happy.
“You sort things out with Rosie and Esme?”
“Sort things out?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, like talk out your problems and your plans in a way that’s satisfactory?”
She chuckled. “You’re usually more direct.”
“I’m trying for a sneaky end run. How am I doing?”
“Not bad.”
I skimmed a hand over her head. “You know I’m your number one fan, right?”
“Oh, Dad.”
I was always embarrassing her with my feelings. I didn’t care. She would have to get over the fact that I loved her more than anything.
“I guess that’s why I worry about letting you down.”
“Impossible to happen.”
She sighed. “I hate the idea I might disappoint you. You know I haven’t taken to the whole college experience as smoothly as everyone hoped.”
“Addy, this isn’t something you do for other people. If you’re not happy, then we need to figure out how to fix that. Tell me, is this about some guy?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, Dad.”
“Girl?”
“That’d be a negative.”
“Come on. Whose ass do I need to kick?”
That made her smile. “Just mine.”
“As if. So, nothing happened?”
“No, it’s just a vibe.”
My kids were all about “the vibes.”
Time to lay it out. “Do you want to leave college?”
“I thought I did. But I think what I really want is to transfer to somewhere closer. And maybe live at home for a while. Is that crazy?”
“One hundred per cent. I can’t imagine why you’d want to spend more time than you have to with Conor and Landon. But hey, you had your chance.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and I pulled her in for a hug.
“This is your home, baby girl. It will never not be.”
She swallowed. “Thanks, Dad. I’ve been dreading telling you. I built fessing up into this horrible thing, and the longer I left it, the harder it got.”
I kissed the top of her head, dark and silky like Ellie’s. “Clearly your mom’s fault. You got her hide-all-your-feelings genetic code. Bet you wish you had more Kershaw in you.”
“Ha, the boys need it more than me, being the attention hogs they are.”
I chuckled softly. “Wouldn’t change a thing.”
She smiled up at me, her eyes shining with tears. God, how had I created a human being so beautiful?
“Even when it’s a madhouse,” she said quietly, “this is still the best place to be.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I squeezed her a little tighter. “I always wanted a big family. Being an only child is kind of lonely, though I did my best.”
“With all your imaginary friends?”
“Had to create my own hockey team. The Saugatuck Sasquatches I called them.”
“That’s a terrible name for a team.”
I grinned. “Yep, but I was nine. Now, speaking of teams, there’s room for everyone in Casa Kershaw. So what if it takes a while to figure out where you want to go. Take as long as you want, Addy.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
She snuggled in, and I put an arm around her and gathered her close. I considered telling her about the pregnancy, but Elle still needed time to decide and I didn’t want to steal focus from what was going on with Adeline right now. Neither did I want her thinking she should step aside to make room for what might be coming.
My heart was plenty big enough for all my kids, old and new.