Chapter 27 #2
I grin as I take the handkerchief and dab at my eyes.
“I will say, you’re glowing. And it’s not just because of the moisturizer you put on.”
I look at my arms. “Is it that obvious?”
He waves me off. “If it is, he doesn’t mind.”
“He?”
Uncle Theo rolls his eyes. “Don’t play dumb, Alyssia. You’re much too smart for that. I see the way Travis can’t take his eyes off of you.”
I nod.
“I’ve never seen you smile like you have today, either. Not even when you lived with us for almost a year.”
My stomach drops.
“Lord knows that boy you dated in high school never had you smiling like this. What was his name?”
“Grant.”
Uncle Theo rolls his eyes. “Ol’ pretty boy Grant.”
I snicker at the nickname he’d given Grant back in high school.
“Grant is nothing compared to Travis,” I say, staring ahead at the plush scenery around us.
“I’m starting to notice. Probably why my jealousy started to kick up.”
My brows wrinkle.
He shrugs. “You never seemed happy while living with us, and once you graduated, you hightailed it out of Maryland faster than the 82d Airborne. Since then, we only see you a couple of times a year.”
The somber note in his voice tugs at my insides. It’s as if he believes he’s done something wrong.
“I didn’t want to weigh you down,” I confess.
He pivots his entire body toward me. “Explain that.”
I pinch my lips together, doing my best to encourage the words to come out. “I mean, I knew you wanted your career in the Army but after grandma died you had to retire to raise me.”
He looks at me for a beat, his head dropping to the side. “Is that what you believe?”
I nod. “Grandma and Mom always said how much you loved your career in the military.”
I stop when he lets out a loud guffaw, clapping his hands in front of him.
Uncle Theo drops his head between his shoulders, shaking it.
“I fear I thespianed too close to the sun.”
“Huh?”
He chuckles.
“I’m sorry.” He sighs, turning to me and taking my hands in his. “I appreciated many things about being in the Army. Loved?” He shakes his head in answer to his own question.
“Grandma always said—”
“Your grandmother only knew what I told her. The benefits and skills I acquired, the ability to travel the world, yes, those are all great opportunities I took advantage of. But to be honest, I didn’t have any other choice.
“After high school, I did nothing for almost five years. I hated school and had no desire to pursue a professional career. And then there’s Owen.”
“I don’t understand.” I spent years thinking my uncle had retired from the military only to take care of me after my grandmother passed away.
“When I spoke with your grandmother or my sister, I never told them about the dark side of my career. They wanted to believe I was happy, and I let them.”
He squeezes my hand.
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I had some great times in the Army, one of them being when I first met Owen. But it gets tiring having to keep our relationship a secret. We went back and forth for years, and broke up a couple of times due to the stress of it all.
“When mama got sick, I knew she was worse than she let on. She had you to take care of and the last thing she wanted was to leave you what you’d been through.”
His eyes drop to my rose tattoo. I squirm underneath that look.
“The day she told me the doctor told her the cancer had spread, I started my retirement submission.
“Owen did the same thing. No questions asked.”
A ghost of a smile crosses his lips, making my heart stutter. The love he has for Uncle Owen is apparent.
“I’m happy you had him,” I say.
“And you had us,” he tells me, squeezing my hands.
“If anything, coming out to take care of you gave us the opportunity to be free. There was never a moment of hesitation on my part. After my sister passed, your grandma insisted I stay in the military even after I’d told her I would retire so you could come live with me full-time.”
“I never knew that.”
“She thought she was doing what was best for everybody.” He squeezes my knee. “Maybe it was for the best, but I hate that you thought you interrupted my career or that taking care of you was an inconvenience.”
I use his handkerchief again to dab at the moisture gathering in my eyes.
“I just thought you felt obligated to take care of me.”
“Sweetie, taking care of you was my pleasure. When you rushed off weeks after graduating high school, I thought it was because you were uncomfortable with Owen and me.”
“No.” This time I take his hands. “It was never anything like that. I wanted you guys to have your freedom together. Maybe also …” I pause.
“Maybe what?”
I push out a heavy breath. “Being around you made me miss my parents and grandma even more. It hurt to be around you,” I confess.
Sighing, he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I wish I had been better equipped to know how to care for you,” he tells me. “The one time I mentioned grief counseling, you insisted that you were fine.”
My stomach tightens.
“I remember that. Grant had just broken up with me because he said I was ‘too sad’ and I decided that I was going to act like everything was fine. Instead, I shut everyone out. I should’ve known better.”
“You were seventeen, still recovering physically and emotionally from major traumas,” he says.
After the accident, I spent months in rehab for my shoulder. Even after rehab I still had to go every few months to doctor’s visits for my injuries.
Uncle Theo squeezes me to him. “None of us knows everything. I’m closer to sixty than fifty and I’m still learning every day.”
He takes my chin in his hand.
“Are you sure you’re happy, now? You wouldn’t lie to make me feel better, would you? The house in Maryland is still yours if you want to move back.”
“You have tenants in the house,” I tell him.
“We can kick them out.”
I throw my arms around his shoulders. “Thank you, Uncle Theo.”
For the first time in a long time, I squeeze my uncle with all of the love and gratitude I’ve failed to show him over the years.
“My wound’s all cleaned and bandaged up,” Uncle Owen calls out from behind us.
“Good.” Uncle Theo stands to his feet, my hand in his as he helps me to stand. “Because my niece and her baby are hungry. It’s time for lunch.”
I watch and laugh as Uncle Theo teases Uncle Owen about being a baby over a little cut on his finger. Watching them bicker is hilarious.
“Did you have a good talk with your uncle?” Travis wraps an arm around my waist.
I lean into his body without hesitation. “The best.”