Chapter 12 #4
When Gina and Myla were gone the next morning, he heard the alarm go off twice, so he knew he’d grown accustomed to hearing it and knew what it was instantly.
The mice traps in the barn needed to be emptied, and he was working on that when the tone sounded, so he stepped out the barn door and gazed down the drive.
In seconds, his dad’s truck came into view. “Hey, what’s up?” Kyle called from the barn as he wiped his hands with a shop towel.
Kenton laid a hand on the hood of his truck. “Just checking on you guys. Haven’t heard anything from you in a few days, but Miles called me and told me what was going on.”
“Oh, I see. Now the dads are comparing notes?” Kyle asked and laughed.
“Maybe. At least I know what’s up. Are you afraid of this woman?”
Kyle shrugged. “I dunno. I guess not really. She’s a pest, but I don’t think she’d actually hurt the kids. Me and Gina, well, that might be another story.”
“She sounds like a real pain in the ass.”
“Oh, she is. You have no idea.”
“And I hear you’ve had a good bit of fun at her expense.”
He grinned. “Yep. Sure have!”
“Son, don’t poke the bear.”
Kyle had heard that expression his whole life, and he knew what his dad was trying to say.
Truth was, it didn’t matter if he poked that particular bear or not.
Its teeth were still bared, and it still wanted to bite them.
“I hear you, Dad. Really, I do. But this old bitch … She’s threatening everything that’s most important to me. ”
Kenton stood there, eyeing Kyle, still leaning against his truck. “Son, Gina … This woman has become awfully important to you awfully fast.”
Kyle dragged the toe of his boot back and forth in the dust. How could he explain it to his dad?
The guy was hopelessly old fashioned. Probably believed in courtship or some other equally ridiculous thing.
“I guess,” he said, leveling his gaze at his dad, “she represents everything I’ve lost that I can reclaim.
My home. My sense of family. My sense of purpose.
My manhood. My protector status. All those things I lost when I watched them lower that casket into the ground …
I’ve found them all and more with Gina. I’ve got a woman—a good woman—and two kids who need me, who need a man in their lives who’s not an alcoholic, who doesn’t beat their mother, who doesn’t let them go hungry, two smart kids, funny, respectful …
Well, yeah, they’re teenagers, so they’re not always respectful, but for teenagers they’re darn fantastic.
Myla’s got the siblings I didn’t think she’d ever have.
And she’s got the prospect of a mom who’ll love her and raise her to respect herself and others, a woman who works hard but doesn’t forget what’s most important in her life.
I …” Kyle stopped. How could he sum it up?
“This is my last chance, Dad. If I screw this up, it’s over. ”
“Son, you’re only thirty-three, and there are—”
“No. You’ve been out of the dating scene a long, long time.
You have no idea of the nightmares out there.
I haven’t told you about the other dates, the crazy women, the insane stuff I heard, the way I was treated.
No. If this doesn’t work out … If Gina and I can’t make it, that’s it for me.
I’m done. It’ll just be me and Myla until she’s grown, and then I guess it’ll just be me. ”
“You love her?”
“You have no idea. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love her.”
Kenton stood there for a bit, and Kyle wondered what he was thinking. When he finally spoke, he said, “You know, I just asked you all the things Miles has asked Gina.”
“And?”
“And he got basically the same answers from her that I’m getting from you. Look, I like Gina. I like her kids. If you really think she’s the one for you, then we support you. All we really want is for you to be happy, son.”
“She makes me happy. Very, very happy.”
“Then she’s the one. And you should grab her and never let her go.”
Kyle sighed. The Kenton Michael Miller stamp of approval was hard to get, especially when it came to his kids.
If he endorsed it, it was right. He didn’t make those kinds of mistakes.
Kyle had never known his dad to back down if he thought something was wrong, and if he’d thought Gina was wrong, he wouldn’t have given up until they were split up.
“Thanks. I appreciate your support. I do. You know I respect you and Mom and your opinions. I don’t take what you say lightly. ”
“I know. Gina’s a good girl. She got off to a bad start, but she’s turned everything around and made a good life for herself and her kids. I’ve just got one other question.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you planning to give up the farm and move in with her? Find a job?”
“No. I’ve made that very clear. I think she’d be thrilled if we built a bigger house and they came here. She likes it out here. I think the kids would too if they had more room. But for now, we’ve just got to get over this hump.”
“Yeah, and what a hump it is. I hear that woman is Satan incarnate.”
Kyle laughed. “If she’s not, she’s at least his older, nastier sister!”
“Boy, you’ve got your work cut out for you! Well, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you weren’t out here setting booby traps and planting land mines.”
“I might need them before this is through.”
Kenton chuckled. “I might help you plant ’em.”
“I’ll hold you to that!” As his dad stepped into the truck’s cab, Kyle smiled. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, son. See you soon.”
“Yep. Later.” Kyle stood and watched as his dad drove out to the road and disappeared.
That had been a little intense, but he knew how his parents felt.
He also knew they only wanted what was best for him.
How did people who had no family manage to hang on?
How did they make it from day to day? He wasn’t sure.
And he hoped he never had to find out.