Chapter 5
Chapter Five
When Tyler pulled his truck into Rita’s driveway that evening, she was overwhelmed for a few moments.
She swallowed around a lump in her throat and blinked back tears as she saw him climb out of the cab, his boots crunching on the gravel.
She flung the front door open and grinned at him, eyes blurred, as he tramped toward her, his black suitcase bumping along behind him.
She’d never seen that suitcase before, but apparently he’d bought it when his duffel broke, and it’d been lost by the airline.
He’d stayed at a friend’s the previous night, much to her dismay.
She wanted to see him the moment he stepped off the plane, but he was adamant.
“You’ll see more than enough of me, Momma. Let me catch my breath,” was all he’d said, and she hadn’t wanted to argue. He’d been an adult for a decade and she’d grown accustomed to it, finally. It’d taken her a few years to get the hang of having adult children.
He’d be living with her for the first time since he was twenty years old, and she was delighted, if a little nervous.
Since he’d last slept under her roof, he’d spent two tours serving as a Marine.
He’d been deployed to Germany for the past four years and Japan before that.
He was a twenty-eight-year-old man now, not the same as the one she’d kissed goodbye.
His blond hair was close cropped, and his skin was tanned. He dropped the handle of his suitcase to envelope her in a giant bear hug.
“Come on in, sugar. It’s good to see ya.”
When they were settled around the kitchen table with mugs of coffee and a plate of chocolate chip cookies between them, Rita leaned forward to cup her son’s cheek with one hand, then patted it gently. “You look thin.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you’ll fix that in no time, Momma.”
“I’ve missed this face.” She pinched his cheek, then pushed the plate toward him. “Cookie?”
“Yes, please. I’ve missed your baking.” He took a cookie and bit into it with a sigh before leaning back in his chair. “It’s good to be home.”
“Where’s the rest of your stuff?”
“This is it. I travel light.”
“You sure do.”
“But I’m sure I’ll accumulate plenty of stuff in no time, now that I’m home.”
Rita laughed. “That’s how it goes. But there’s no rush since your things are still in your room. I haven’t really touched it since you were here last, other than the occasional dusting.”
“Thanks, Momma. I’ll probably do some shopping soon, but for now, it feels good just to sit down. I picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. Looked exactly like mine does, but it was locked, so I figured it out pretty quick. I finally got mine back just now, and I’m anxious to get to relaxin’.”
“Well, at least you have it. Do you have plans with friends this week, or will you be hangin’ around here?”
“I don’t have much planned.” His gaze shifted to the table, and he cleared his throat. Then he sat up straight and linked his hands together on the table. “I need to talk to you about somethin’ real quick.”
She blinked. The look on his face made her pause. “Okay.”
He inhaled a deep breath. “You know I was dating Candy right ’fore I left for my last tour?”
Rita arched an eyebrow. “Uh-huh, I remember her. I stand by my advice to never date a woman named after food.”
His lips pursed. “Right, I recall the two of you didn’t get along too well.”
“Oh no, she and I were fine. Just fine.” Her tone betrayed her words.
“Anyhoo, we’re gettin’ off topic here. Right ’fore I left, I broke up with her. I didn’t see it going anywhere, and the two of us were fightin’ all the time. She didn’t share my values, and I realized I’d gotten involved in something I shouldn’t have. So, I ended it.”
“I remember,” Rita replied. “I was sorry for both of you—I know that’s hard to do. But you did the right thing.”
“Thank you. Well, about a year ago, I heard from her. She sent me an email giving me an update on her life, what she’d been up to.
Sounds like she pulled herself together, stopped drinkin’, even went to community college and became a beautician.
She’s got herself a good job now. And she sent me a few photos — she’s lookin’ well. ”
Rita didn’t like where this was going. Was he telling her they were back together? She’d never believed Candy was good enough for Tyler. But then again, who was? She was his momma, and she would likely never find anyone who lived up to her standards.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she replied with her best and sweetest smile.
“Well, the thing is, she has a daughter. I mean… I have a daughter.”
Rita gaped. That was not what she was expecting to hear come out of her son’s mouth within five minutes of him getting home from his final tour of duty.
“How? When? What on earth?”
Tyler ran his fingers through his hair and looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Momma.”
“But you haven’t been home in months…”
He dipped his head. “She’s almost four years old.”
“What? Four years… you kept this a secret for four years?”
“No, I’ve only known for about a year. Candy sent me an email last year and told me that she’d gotten pregnant right before I left, but because we broke up, she didn’t want to let me be in the baby’s life. She’d lost her job and needed some financial help, so she reached out.”
Rita pressed a hand to her mouth. She needed time to process this information. There’d been so much happening lately in their family, she wasn’t sure how many more surprises she could take.
“Is anyone in this family an open book besides me? I mean… sweet Lord, have mercy!”
Tyler laughed softly. “Momma, I didn’t mean for this to happen. It took me a while to believe her, first of all, then to come to terms with it. Don’t worry—after everything that happened with Matilda, I did a DNA test recently, and it was a match. Cecilia is mine.”
“Her name’s Cecilia?” Rita couldn’t believe it.
She had a granddaughter? It was what she’d always wanted.
She hadn’t pressured her kids to get married or have children, and had begun to wonder if it would ever happen.
But now to find out there was a little piece of Tyler somewhere out there, running around and she’d had no idea— emotion choked her.
He nodded. “Cecilia Honey Buchanan. It’s Candy’s last name, but she’s agreed to add mine as well now that I’m back. So, she’s about to be Cecilia Honey Buchanan Osbourne.”
“Well, ain’t that just a mouthful?” Rita cleared her throat. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’m going to see her tomorrow at the park. We’re meeting there for a play. You can come with me, if you’d like to.”
Rita’s eyes filled with tears, and she choked back a sob. “I would love to. Thank you, bud.”