Chapter 28
Seth
I step into Harrison’s room to find him reading to Sawyer and Emily.
I press a hand to my heart as I lean in the doorway to watch them for a little bit.
God, they’re precious. Emily is sucking her thumb, looking at the pictures in the book, and trying to follow along with the story.
Sawyer’s head is on Harrison’s shoulder as he also reads along.
While Emily is a handful, the siblings have always been close.
There are rarely any fights. Maybe when they’re older, they’ll fight more, but for now, they get along pretty well.
What’s different now is that Harrison, my broody loner, is reading to his brother and sister, taking on the protector and provider role like a natural.
I know he’ll always watch over them, even as they get older and more independent.
He stops reading and looks up to find me watching them. I smile at him and walk into the room. “Thanks for reading to them, Hare. Saved me some time tonight.” I wink at him, and he shrugs.
“Time for bed, guys.”
Sawyer climbs out of the bed and comes up to me, hugging my leg. I lift him and give him a big squeeze before putting him back down.
“Night, Dad.”
I’ll never get tired of hearing that word. I hope one day Harrison will say it, too, but I don’t hold my breath. It’s up to him if he wants to. I’ll never pressure him.
“Night, Saw.”
He runs off, and I pluck Emily off the bed. “Time for night-night, Peanut.”
She yawns and rubs her eyes before she puts her head on my shoulder. If she’s that tired, she should go to sleep without a fuss.
We step into her bedroom, and I gently tuck her into bed.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Peanut.”
“Whas abopted?”
Having a toddler learning how to talk, you have to be a perpetual translator of an entirely new language. Then it dawns on me what she’s asking. “Are you asking ‘what is adopted?’”
She nods and looks up at me with her dark and sleepy eyes.
Sawyer and Harrison know that Malcolm and I adopted them. Sawyer was only three at the time, but Harrison had told his brother that I wasn’t his real father. I suppose her brothers told her the same thing tonight.
I sit on the edge of the bed, not wanting to have this conversation with her yet because she’s still too young, but the boys didn’t give me a chance. She’s always believed that I’m her father.
Coming up with an explanation that she understands isn’t easy, so I have to think about my words carefully. I can’t tell her that her parents died. That’s something that has to wait until she’s older.
Emily grabs her stuffed triceratops and waits with a strange sort of patience she’s not known for.
“Well, you and your brothers were alone and needed a home, so I adopted you. That means I brought you all to live with me so that I can take care of you as your daddy.”
“Oh. You’re not daddy?”
“I wasn’t always your daddy. You were a baby when I brought you and your brothers home with me. Now you’re a big girl.” I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Do you like living here and being my little girl?”
“Uh-huh. You always be daddy?”
“Always. Forever and ever.”
She smiles at that, curls onto her side, and snuggles with her stuffed dino.
“Night-night, Peanut.”
I kiss her head, and before I leave her room, I turn off her light and crack the door.
Next, I check on Braeden. He’s been pretty withdrawn, which concerns me. I wonder if more is going on than his attachment to Calvin and his being gone. He’s still grieving, but the light was returning to him until Calvin had to go.
I knock on his closed door.
“Come in.”
I step into the guest room he’s staying in. It’s dark except for the light from his phone.
“You okay?”
He nods, but doesn’t look at me.
“All ready for school tomorrow?”
He nods again.
“Do you need anything before I head to bed?”
He gives me a shake of his head.
“Braeden?”
The boy finally looks up at me.
“Be honest. Are you okay?”
One of his shoulders rises in a shrug. “I guess. Just… lots of thoughts.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
I want to push because he’s clearly troubled, but I don’t want to be intrusive either. I know having space to process is important. “Okay, then. Come to me if you ever need to talk… about anything.”
He nods again and goes back to scrolling on his phone.
“Ten minutes and it’s bedtime.”
I leave his room to speak with Harrison. His door is still open, so I walk in. “Hey, Hare. Can we talk for a minute?”
“Yeah.”
I sit on the edge of his bed. He’s sitting up, leaning against his headboard with his knees drawn. He sets his tablet down, which he shouldn’t be on right before bed—one battle at a time.
“Did you tell your sister that you all were adopted?”
He frowns, dark curls spilling over his eyes, which reminds me that he needs a haircut, and nods. “Yeah…”
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not mad.”
He eyes me suspiciously for a second. Seeing no lies, he relaxes.
“I didn’t plan on telling her yet, but it’s out now. No point in crying over spilled milk. But I’d like to ask you not to tell her what happened to your parents yet. She’s too young to understand fully. I’ll tell her when she’s a bit older and can process it.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Thanks, Hare.” I hold out my arms. “Can I have a hug?”
He reaches for me, and I squeeze him tight and playfully shake him around, making him laugh a little. “I love you,” I tell him.
“Love you.”
Before I stand, he says, “Are you and Mr. Calvin gonna get married?”
I know exactly why he asks that and what his concerns are. It also breaks my heart.
“It’s too early to tell, kiddo. Cal and I haven’t been dating long enough.”
“Oh.”
“Would it bother you if we did… down the road?”
I don’t want to presume, but I need to think about these things when my kids are concerned.
Harrison shrugs. “I like him. He’s funny, and I like how he stacks our toys.”
I raise a brow when a thought suddenly hits me. “Hare… did you all leave the toys in his yard on purpose?”
He shrugs again and smirks, looking at me under his lashes.
“Jesus,” I say, and start chuckling. Soon, I’m in a fit of laughter, and he laughs with me.
“All this time, I thought you kids weren’t listening to me.
You little stinkers.” I wipe my eyes from laughing.
“But you know, thanks to your antics, Calvin and I are now dating.” I wink at him and pretend to tickle him.
“Don’t take that as an invitation to disobey me all the time. ”
He giggles and nods. “Okay.”
I hug him again and kiss the top of his head. “You all are adorably rotten,” I say in humor. “Good night, Hare.”
I stand to leave, and before I can turn out his light, he says, “Night, Dad.”
I inwardly gasp. That came out of nowhere. Oh my god, I’m going to cry. Don’t make any sudden movements. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just calmly go to your room and sob in there.
“Night.” I’m sure my voice cracked.
I flick off the light and shut his door. When I reach my room, I close my door, lean against it as my eyes leak. I have no idea what’s changed or why he decided to call me that, but I will not take it for granted. Ever.
I pull my phone out of my pocket to tell Calvin.
Me: Hare called me ‘Dad’ tonight. ??
Joker: Aww! That’s incredible news. You deserve it. You’re an
amazing father, Tiger.
Me: I’m crying!
Joker: I bet. It’s a big moment.
Me: Thanks. How are you?
Joker: I’m alright. Going through some of Mom’s crap right
now.
Me: Yeah, it’s a lot. See you soon?
Joker: Yep, I’m flying out in the morning.
Me: I can’t wait.
Joker: I miss you too.
We tell each other goodnight, and I get ready for bed with tears spilling and a stupid smile on my face.
He called me ‘Dad.’
Joker: I’m home. Just getting cleaned up.
The text sends tingles through my body, and my stomach dips, which makes me smile. It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited to see someone like I am for Calvin.
Me: I’ll swing by with Braeden and bring him home.
Joker: Thanks! See you soon, babe.
I give Calvin an hour to get himself sorted, then head over to his place with the kids.
I knock on his door, and when he opens it, I expect a hug or something. Instead, he smiles brightly, lifts Emily into his arms, and pulls Braeden into a hug with his free arm.
Holy crap. I think I’m in love. How does something so small, like holding my toddler, set my heart racing?
Despite my joy with Calvin now home, I thought Braeden would also lighten up or be happier, but he’s still looking morose. It’s concerning, but I’ll talk to Calvin about it later.
“What? Don’t I get one? I feel so left out,” I say.
He chuckles, tickles Emily, then puts her down and hugs my sons. That little stinker. I know he’s doing it on purpose, although I love that he’s giving my kids attention.
“Aww, do you need a hug, too, Tiger?”
My boys snigger at the nickname as I roll my eyes. “Oh, no. Wouldn’t want to put you out, Joker.”
He grins again and yanks me into a tight hug before kissing my cheek. “I missed you.”
I melt and hug him back. “I missed you, too.”
We head inside, and there’s already food waiting for us. “I ordered some Chinese. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay. Thank god, I don’t have to cook.”
“Hey, I’m good for some things.”
I chuckle. “You’re good at a lot of things.”
He leans close and says, “It just doesn’t feel complete when you talk and leave off calling me a ‘dumb butt.’”
“Psh, that’s the old Seth.”
I grab his arm as a wave of seriousness crashes over me. He’s been through so much recently. “How are you holding up? Really?”
He presses his palm to my face. “I’m fine. I’ve got so much on my plate, but I’ll get through it.”
We head into the kitchen, and I help him open the takeout containers and pull down some plates. I give a spring roll to Emily, so she’ll sit there quietly and eat.
After dinner, we all go back to my house so my kids can bathe and get ready for bed, while Braeden stays at Calvin’s.
We snuggle on the sofa, my head resting on his shoulder.
We sip wine, and he tells me about his mom and everything he needs to get done, that he has to go back in a couple of weeks for the funeral.
He had to reach out to family members he didn’t even know and her co-workers to tell them she’d died.
“I have no idea if any will show up. Mom was estranged from her family. I’ll never know now what transpired and why she was so isolated from them.”
“If any family shows up, you can always ask.”
“True enough.”
“I have a confession to make,” I tell him.
“Oh, a naughty confession? Am I the priest, and you’re the guilty sinner?”
I sit up and playfully punch his arm. “No, dork, although… Nope, not going there.” Calvin laughs and kisses the top of my head. “Anyway, what I’m trying to tell you is that my oldest and most beloved has informed me that the kids intentionally left their toys in your yard.”
He stops mid-sip to raise his brows and look at me. “Those little stinkers. Why?”
I chuckle. “Apparently, they left toys out unintentionally the first time, and you made your little toy totem. They loved it so much, they kept doing it.”
Calvin throws back his head and laughs. “Those clever, rambunctious, little otters. But hey, it brought us together, and apparently, brightened their day.”
“It really did.”
Calvin stands, leans down to kiss my lips, and plucks the empty glass from my hand for a refill. He returns, hands me my glass, and snuggles back into me.
“I have to hand it to them, you’ve got some smart kids, Tiger.”
“This is the first time I’m happy that they disobeyed me.”
“Because then you wouldn’t have seen how sexy I am in boxers and my bathrobe?”
I cackle because he’s not wrong. “That, too. But that’s the bridge that got us to talking. I don’t regret that for a second.”
Calvin combs back my bangs from my face and looks at me with longing… I think. “The only thing I regret is not getting to know you sooner.”
God, I’m freaking melting.