Chapter 13
Jon
Jon leaned over Wyatt’s crib to pick up the child, who was smiling at him.
“Unka Ja,” he said, trying to pull Jon’s ears. In the short time that Wyatt had been with them, Jon had noticed that he was becoming more verbal, although he was still mostly focused on single syllables, only occasionally putting two or more together.
“Hey, buddy, let’s go see if we can wake up Uncle Kyle, although you may need to start calling him Daddy soon since that will be official any day now.”
“Da?” Wyatt looked confused.
“Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” Jon said under his breath.
Jon carried the boy into their bedroom, placing Wyatt on the bed and laying down beside him. Kyle turned over, and Wyatt touched his face. “Da?”
“Um, what?” It always took Kyle a few minutes to fully wake up.
“Da!” Wyatt said again, his voice piercing.
“He’s never called me that before.” Kyle’s voice verged on breaking.
“Well, you do look a little like your cousin,” Jon said quietly.
“God, this is difficult.”
C’mon, love.” Care colored Jon’s words. “I know it’s hard, but we’ve got to get through today.
” The celebration of life for Mike and Becky was happening later that day.
Jon knew that Kyle was dreading it, but they had no choice.
Jon would be as strong as he could be to help Kyle get through the day.
“Remember, we’re meeting your dad, Rob, and Sam, along with Mike and Ellen, for brunch at eleven, so let’s get some coffee and feed this guy before we get ready.”
“Okay.” Kyle sounded more himself and tickled Wyatt. “Ready for breakfast, little guy?” Even though they’d be having brunch in a few hours, they both wanted to make sure that Wyatt ate something now so that he wouldn’t be too fussy.
“Bef-kis,” Wyatt echoed.
“Close enough.”
Brunch had been quieter than Jon would have liked, but then, they were all still in shock to some degree, and the upcoming service wasn’t anything anyone was looking forward to.
But it was good that they were there for each other.
Mike had hired a van to transport them all so that no one needed to concern themselves with driving.
In the large foyer of the funeral home, which they had to themselves that afternoon, a large table held both urns, along with dozens of photos of the couple and several small vases filled with fresh flowers.
It was a moving tribute to Mike and Becky.
Mike and Ellen had come earlier to help set things up, insisting that they wanted to do that part alone.
“It looks wonderful,” Kyle whispered.
“Thank you,” Ellen said, her voice normal. “But no whispering. This is, after all, a celebration of the short but amazing lives they both led.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Ben agreed. “We need to remember them with love and joy. That’s what they would have wanted.”
Mike went off to ask one of the staff to turn on the music.
They’d agreed to play popular songs that were favorites of the couple while other family and friends gathered to pay their respects.
The plan was that Mike and Ellen would stand in the foyer to welcome visitors while the rest would mill about, chatting and reminiscing.
There were no formal speeches or eulogies planned; rather, the family wanted it to be a gathering of remembrance.
The three hours passed quickly. Jon was surprised to see so many folks had flown in from California for the memorial, including friends of the couple and some of Mike’s coworkers. But then, both Mike and Becky were well-loved people. By the time everyone had left, they were all exhausted.
“Why don’t you all come to the hotel and have something to eat?” Ben asked.
“I think Ellen and I are just gonna spend a quiet evening at home, thanks. We’ve both peopled enough today,” Mike said.
“And this guy is ready for bed,” Jon, who was carrying Wyatt, told Ben. “But why don’t you, Rob, and Sam come back to our place? We can order pizza once we put this guy down.”
“That’s actually a wonderful idea, Jon,” Rob said. “Thanks.”