Chapter 8 #4
“Good. Hadley, there’s something you should know.” He watched her until he knew she was paying attention. “Myla hasn’t stopped talking about you since you were here earlier in the week. Actually, one of the things she said was that she hoped she hadn’t done anything to make you mad.”
“Why would she think that?”
“Because of everything that happened the other night at dinner. I think it scared her a little.”
The girl’s eyes reddened. “Oh no! I didn’t mean for that to happen! I’ll talk to her.”
“I’d appreciate it. Having a girl your age in her life would mean a lot to her, but it means you’d have to be someone she could look up to. If you don’t want to be that person, just tell me and I’ll—”
“No, no! That’s fine! I like Myla. She’s a cute kid, and she’s really sweet.”
“Mr. Miller—”
“No, Briley. Call me Kyle. It’s fine.”
“Kyle, um, have you thought about being a stepdad?”
“Son, when you get to be my age, if you expect to meet a woman, you’ve got to expect that she’ll already have a child.
Most women do. So yeah, I just expected that.
Of course, I didn’t know what to expect, but I think if I’m ever going to have stepkids, having two like the two of you would be the best I could ever hope for. ”
“I asked Mom what happened to your wife, but she told me I’d have to ask you. She said it was your story to tell.” As soon as she’d asked, Hadley waited expectantly, and Briley was staring straight at Kyle too. Kyle had already told him about Becky’s death, but he’d never mentioned the details.
Might as well get this over with. “We found out she had cancer when she was pregnant with Myla. She died just as Myla was turning six months old.”
Briley seemed confused. “Did the treatments not work?”
“She wouldn’t take any. She couldn’t take them and have the baby, and she wanted Myla more than anything. When she was dying, she’d ask me to sit behind her and hold Myla so the baby could nurse. That little girl was all that mattered to her.”
Hadley’s eyes went round. “You mean she died because she didn’t want anything to happen to Myla?”
Kyle closed his eyes against the pain. Every time he thought about it, it was almost as though it was happening again.
“Yes, honey. That’s right. If she’d had treatments, we either would’ve had to abort Myla or Becky would’ve had a miscarriage, because the treatments would’ve been too severe for a pregnancy.
But her daughter was more important to her than her life. ”
“But what about you?” Hadley cried out. “Didn’t you matter? She left you behind!”
“They made it clear that even with treatment, she wasn’t going to survive, so I wanted her to have whatever would make her transition easier for her, and that was knowing Myla was alive and safe.
The last thing she said to me before she slipped into a coma was, ‘Make sure my daughter knows about me.’ She was terrified Myla would grow up not knowing she’d ever existed. ”
Tears were rolling down Hadley’s face. “Oh my god. She must’ve been a really great person.”
“She was. She was a loving, selfless person. I’ve never met another person like her. Well, at least I hadn’t until I met your mom.”
Out of the blue and totally without warning, Briley blurted out, “I need a dad.”
“I understand, son. And I want you to know, the relationship I have with you two doesn’t have anything to do with your mother. If it doesn’t work out between us, I’m still here for you if you need me.”
The boy smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate that. Maybe we could go fishing together sometime?”
Kyle laughed. “I’d love that. I need somebody to teach me!
Now, you guys get some sleep. Stay in the RV because you don’t know the property well, but tomorrow you can roam the whole farm if you want.
We’ve got some ponds and a lot of big trees.
It’s a pretty place. Come to the house for breakfast and I’ll see you in the morning. ”
“Night, Kyle,” Briley called out as he opened the door.
“Night, Kyle,” Hadley followed.
“Goodnight, both of you. Sweet dreams. And make sure all of these doors are locked!”
“We will,” the girl assured him, and he heard the click of the door lock as he walked away.
“Everybody okay out there?” Gina asked as he stepped back into the bedroom and slipped off his tee again.
“Yeah. They’re fine. They really like that RV. I will say, it is pretty cool.”
“That was a great idea. You’re a smart man, Emmett Kyle Miller.”
“Smart enough to snatch you up! I’m getting a quick shower. Be right back.”
An hour later, he kissed her as he released his stickiness inside her warmth and wetness. When he stilled, he ran his hands under her and cupped the softness of her beautiful backside. “Every time I’ve talked to you this week, I’ve told you I love you.”
“And every time I’ve talked to you, I’ve said it right back.”
He grinned. “Yes, you have.” He rolled to his back beside her and pulled her in close. Her hand rested on his chest, her index finger tracing little circles in the hair there, and he kissed the part in her hair and sighed. “I just want all of this out in the open.”
“Me too. No hiding.” He felt her twist slightly, and he knew she was looking at her phone. “Oh, shit. It’s late, or should I say really, really early. I’ve got to be at work in the morning, so I need to get to sleep.”
“Yes, you do. So let’s get some sleep.”
“Will do. Night, baby. I love you.”
“I love you too, beautiful. See you in the morning.” He could feel her relaxing against him, and he smiled there in the darkness. Two nights with her and most of Sunday. It was heaven. And then he remembered the letter.
In the wall safe on the other side of the room was an envelope, and in it, a letter from Becky. She’d written it and given it to her mother. After the funeral, Ava had handed it to Kyle. “Becky gave me this to give to you. She said to put it away and read it on your wedding day.”
He remembered his response as clearly as if it had been that very moment. “Wedding day? There’ll never be another wedding day for me. I’m done.”
“No, Kyle. She wanted you to find someone to love you, someone you could love as much as you love her.”
“That’s not possible, Ava. I’ll never love anybody as much as I love her.”
But he’d brought the letter home anyway and tucked it away underneath the insurance policies and his passport. He figured when he died, his adult daughter would find it and read it. But it looked like there just might be a chance he’d get to read it after all.
And when it came to Gina, there was no doubt in his mind—Becky would wholeheartedly approve.