Chapter 7
Lincoln
Cookouts with the crew at the local park were a frequent event when the weather got nice.
It was a great way for all of us to hang out in a family-friendly environment.
The grill was covered with burgers and hot dogs, kids were running around, chasing each other, and the wives were chatting with sticky babies attached to their chests, their men hovering over them with smiles on their faces.
I had arrived about an hour before with Benson, a bullmastiff that belonged to my brother, Mason.
He had been working a major case recently, and asked me to keep Benson until his schedule got back to normal.
She was an impressive sight. The kids loved her, and as soon as we got there, Benson was off, leading them on a merry chase.
Several of the guys showed up with their wives and kids, each bringing food with them until we had to use two picnic tables to lay it all out.
The afternoon passed easily, good food and good conversation all around.
As I was standing with Dean and our sergeant, Malcolm, I saw a blonde blur out of the corner of my eye, running toward me.
I was taken aback when a high-pitched voice called out for me.
“Linc!”
Lou appeared, making a beeline from the nearby playground for our group.
I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face as her lopsided pigtails came into view.
Without any hesitancy, she threw herself into my arms as, just in time, I managed to bend down to catch her.
With her small hands, she grabbed my cheeks and squished them together.
“LINC! What are you doing at the park? Do you wanna push me on the swing? I can go really high, and I don’t get scared,” she rattled off. I listened to her intently, unable to do anything else as she held my face captive in her grip.
“Eloise Marie!” A stern voice, slightly out of breath, came from behind us.
Lou gave a wide-eyed look before whispering, “Darn. She used my middle name. That means no ice cream.” Lou pulled on my sleeve as a way to request I put her down, and we both turned to face who I assumed to be her mother.
I stopped short at the sight of the figure quickly closing the distance between us.
“Lou! You can’t just run away from me like that!
” the woman said, her face full of concern.
She had dirty blonde hair, ranging in shades of gold and yellow, the thick locks barely restrained in a claw clip.
Her eyes were mirrors of her daughter’s, so green they seemed like they would glow in the dark.
She had smooth skin, and I couldn’t help but notice the smattering of freckles across her nose and the natural flush that pinked her cheeks.
“Sorry, Mama. But look! I found Linc!” Lou proclaimed, pulling my hand to bring me over to meet her mother.
“Oh. You must be Linc the Giant. Lou hasn’t stopped talking about you,” the woman said with a wry smile as she gently corralled her daughter to her side. Lou wrapped her arms around her mother’s leg, leaning back to interrupt the conversation.
“Mama, can I play with Linc? I promise I’ll be good.” I saw the woman’s eyes widen, clearly unsure what to do, when we were saved by Myra, my buddy’s wife.
“Sophie? Is that you?” The woman jumped at the sound of her name, but once she saw Myra heading toward us, she smiled.
“Hey, Myra. Fancy seeing you here.” The two women hugged before Myra crouched in front of Lou.
“Hey there, Lou. Liam and Harper are playing over there with Benson. You want to go play with them?”
“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” the woman named Sophie interjected, her eyes bouncing nervously around the group of people.
“Nonsense. My kids love Lou. And Benson is amazing with the kids. She’s the sweetest dog.” Then, as if finally realizing I was there, Myra looked between the two of us.
“Linc, this is Sophie. We both work at the hospital. Do you two know each other?” Her eyebrow raised, and I could tell she was already planning something in her head.
“Lou had her firehouse tour recently. Apparently, Linc made quite the impression,” Sophie replied, a warm smile on her face as she watched her daughter chasing after Benson and other kids.
“Hmm… That’s an interesting development. Then again, Lou has impeccable taste. It’s why I’m her favorite.” Myra smiled, and I snorted
“Oh, shut up, you big lug. Go and get Sophie something to eat and introduce her to the group. I’ll check on the kids,” Myra commanded before walking off, not bothering to wait and see if we were going to heed her orders.
“Thank you for letting us join. Lou really hasn’t stopped talking about you.
Now that I see you, I finally understand the new sticker kick she’s been on.
” Recalling how Lou’s arms and T-shirt had been covered with various stickers ranging from Spiderman to unicorns, I looked down at my own colorful arms.
“Because of my tattoos?” I asked, both surprised and flattered that I had left an impression on the little girl, and one where she wasn’t scared of me. I had been around kids all my life, but there was something about that little girl that pulled at me.
“She insisted on trying one from each sticker pack she had so she could make sure she found one that was ‘important.’” I chuckled at that, knowing what I’d said had stuck with the little girl.
“She’s a good kid,” I told her as I grabbed two plates and proceeded to pile them up with one of everything offered. Pausing, I stopped to look at Lou, then back at her mother.
“Are either of you vegetarians? Or allergic to anything?” Sophie laughed—a husky sound that ran down my spine.
“Lou is allergic to mushrooms, but other than that, nope. But Lou is a picky eater, and there’s only one of her, so maybe I should make her a plate.
” We moved over to a picnic table, where Sophie started scooping smaller portions from one plate onto another, picking the best pieces for Lou and leaving the rest for herself.
I saw the kids about to run past us, and gave a loud whistle.
Both Lou and Benson stopped short before they changed direction and charged for the table we were at.
“That was so cool! Can you show me how to whistle like that? Mommy, wasn’t that cool!” Lou chatted excitedly, bouncing on her toes.
“Yeah, baby, that was cool. Maybe Linc can show you after you eat lunch,” Sophie said calmly as she helped Lou onto the bench beside her, effortlessly getting her daughter set up with a plate, napkins, and a juice box that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Benson laid down at Lou’s feet like it was an old habit.
Feeling unsure of myself, I dug into the other plate of food I’d made, even though I had already eaten earlier.
I kept an eye on the mother and daughter and the easy way they interacted with each other.
It was wholesome, simple, but profound. It was evident in every movement how much the duo cared for each other.
Belatedly, I realized I had no idea where Lou’s dad was. My eyes zeroed in on Sophie’s hand, and I was shocked to notice that there was no wedding ring. A gamut of emotions ran through me, but the most predominant one was relief. And that was terrifying on its own.
“So, Lou, how old are you?” I asked, trying to focus on the little girl attempting to sneak her broccoli to the dog asleep at her feet.
“I’m turning six!” she yelled excitedly. “I might be big enough for a bicycle on my birthday. Right, Mommy?” she asked, a toothy grin aimed at Sophie.
“We’ll see, Lulu. Finish your broccoli first. No more sneaking pieces to Linc’s dog,” Sophie replied easily.
“Benson isn’t exactly my dog. I’m her uncle,” I said, and twin pairs of green eyes looked at me with confusion.
“She belongs to my brother, Mason. I’m just watching her for a few weeks while he’s tied up with something at work,” I told them. Sophie nodded in understanding as Lou tilted her head, studying me.
“You need your own dog, then,” she decreed, and all I could do was chuckle and nod in agreement. Lou was quick to keep the conversation moving, jumping from topic to topic as they came to her.
“Do you know how to ride a bike, Linc?” she asked, delaying the broccoli consumption as best she could.
“I do. I had to eat all my vegetables, though, to make sure I was strong enough to stay on the bike.” The lie came out of my mouth without thought. I just had an inexplicable urge to help Sophie.
Lou reluctantly shoved a piece of broccoli into her mouth, grimacing as she chewed it. I laughed at her face. And just as she finished, she looked at me, those big innocent eyes sucking me in as she asked, “Can you teach me how to ride?”
Sophie looked flustered at the question, and I was equally as unsure of what to say.
“I’m sure that’s something your mom and dad want to do with you,” I said, trying to gently deflect.
“Daddy doesn’t live with us. He and Nat only ride exercise bikes, anyway, and I’m not allowed to go on them,” she replied matter-of-factly. Sophie seemed to bristle at the mention of Nat, and a million questions came to mind.
“Nat?” I asked, my voice lower as I looked at her.
“Mommy and Daddy got unmarried when I was a baby so Daddy could marry Nat. Now, I live with Mommy, and we see Daddy and Nat at parties,” Lou replied, and Sophie’s face turned crimson.
“All done! Can I go back to playing with Harper?” Lou announced as she started to crawl off the bench.
“For a little bit. Then we have to go home and get ready to see Pops, remember?”
“Okay! Just a little more. I’ll be quick. Promise!” Lou shouted, running back over to the cluster of kids chasing each other on the grassy field behind the barbeques.
“I’m sorry about Lou…She can be a bit of a chatterbox,” Sophie supplied, her ears still pink from the mention of her ex.
“It’s fine. It’s good that she feels comfortable sharing what’s on her mind. She mentioned her Pops the first time we met. Is that your grandfather?” I asked, trying to get that shy look off Sophie’s face. At the mention of him, she instantly warmed. A smile appeared, transforming her expression.
“He’s actually my ex’s grandfather. My parents are back in Nebraska.
We only see them a few times a year. I’m lucky that Walt is such a good man.
He loves Lou to death, and we have dinner with him almost every weekend.
I don’t know what we would do without him,” she admitted.
I grabbed her hand, surprised at how small it felt under mine.
“I’m sure you would be doing just fine. I know you don’t know me, but it’s obvious how much you care about Lou, and she clearly adores you. Give yourself some grace. Being a single parent is hard,” I told her, watching as she flushed again, clearly uncomfortable with compliments.
As the day wound down and we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help replaying our conversation over and over.
That night, in bed, I went over every word, trying to translate what Lou had said. How could you leave your wife and baby for another woman? It wasn’t my place to judge, but I was. I wanted more for Sophie and Lou. And maybe I wanted to be that something more for them.