Chapter 15 #3
“No, I’m sorry. All I could think about was keeping Lizzie safe, and I’m grateful you got here when you did.” He didn’t know what else to tell them, but he answered all their questions and then saw the officers to the door. “Please let me know when you find him.”
“We will,” Carter told him before leaving. Conrad closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone is okay. He kept telling himself that as he joined Lizzie and Forrest.
“Is that really Bethany’s daddy?” Lizzie asked and made a face. “He seemed mean.”
“I think he needs help,” Conrad told her.
“Does this mean I can’t be Bethany’s friend?” Lizzie asked.
Conrad knelt down. “It means that she needs friends, so you should be one. Okay? She isn’t responsible for how her daddy acts. So definitely be her friend.” He hugged her, and Lizzie seemed happy enough. She seemed to be bouncing back from what happened a lot quicker than Conrad was.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Forrest told him, then hugged him tightly. “You kept him talking until help arrived. That was what you needed to do. Lizzie wasn’t hurt, and I know you were scared, but you didn’t look it. You were fierce, and the police will catch him. Then all of this will be over.”
“Will it? There will be talk all around the school because of him and what he said. People will be talking about you and….” His feelings were such a jumble right now that he wasn’t sure about much of anything.
Forrest just held him, and they stood together without talking, which was exactly what Conrad needed.
“Daddy, Mr. Scoville is hugging you.” Lizzie stood back.
“I know. It’s okay. I just needed a hug.” He knelt, and she hugged him too. “See, I feel better already.” He stood back up and stared around the room.
“How about I order a pizza for dinner?” Forrest offered. Lizzie was thrilled, and Conrad was grateful he didn’t have to get his head around cooking. He nodded, and Forrest placed the order.
Conrad didn’t want to make too much of what happened for Lizzie’s sake, but he felt like his legs had been kicked out from under him, and it only got worse when his mom rushed in the back door. “I saw that the police left. Are you okay? Did he hurt any of you?”
“Have a seat, Mom.” Conrad opened one of the high cupboards and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a couple of glasses.
“We’re all okay, if a little shaken. Forrest arrived in time, and the police came just after.
” He poured a finger of the amber liquid and downed it in a gulp.
The fire burned to his stomach and then warmth bloomed through him.
Forrest took the glass and put it on the table before taking his hand. “Everyone is okay. It’s just been a little difficult. But it’s okay.” He was so steady and calm, and that helped Conrad a great deal.
“We ordered pizza if you want some,” Conrad said.
“No, I’m fine.” She seemed calmer. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Conrad hugged her. “You did good, Mom. You got the police here, and that helped a lot.” He didn’t release her for a while. “I think we’re going to have dinner in the living room, watch TV, and try not to think too much about all this.”
“As long as you’re okay.” She stepped back and patted his cheek.
“I’m going back home to try to rest.” She smiled, and after giving Lizzie a hug she left, and Conrad just stood there, staring at the wall without even realizing it.
His thoughts gradually settled on Forrest and what he meant.
Conrad loved how strong he was, and yet how gentle and calm.
Forrest was big, and he was also kind and soft-spoken.
That made it easy for Conrad to forget his size and just see into his heart.
“What is it?” Forrest asked.
Conrad turned to him, realizing he had been looking at a crack in the plaster and smiled. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” Forrest asked.
“You. And how you make me feel,” Conrad said, swallowing hard. He knew he was reacting like an angsty teenager, but he was nervous. What if he said something and Forrest wasn’t ready? It was so easy to just put your cards out there, but then what if it wasn’t reciprocated?
“And what is that?” He drew closer. “What is it you want to tell me?”
“Daddy!” Lizzie ran in, clutching his legs. “I’m really hungry.”
“The pizza will be here soon, I promise. If I get the plates and things, will you put them on the coffee table?” It seemed he had a reprieve for the moment while he got the plates and napkins.
He handed them to Lizzie, who carried them to the living room.
Then he handed her forks and glasses. Just about anything to keep her busy until the doorbell rang.
“Pizza!” Lizzie flopped the silverware on the table and raced to the door.
Conrad got there first and checked that it was the delivery guy.
He took the pizza and thanked him, offering a few more dollars as a tip.
Lizzie was already seated back at the table with her plate in front of her.
Conrad put a slice on her plate and set the rest of it on the table.
“Yummy,” she said before starting eating.
“Be sure to thank Forrest. He got it for us,” he told her.
“Fank you,” Lizzie said, her mouth full, but she was smiling. “I was starved,” she told him between bites.
Forrest sat next to him and put a slice on his plate. “Lizzie. You know your grandma and I talked about you moving to Mrs. Wood’s class.”
She nodded. “Do I have to?”
“No. But you see, Forrest and I like each other.” Conrad took his hand.
“Like, kissing like?” she asked and scrunched her face.
“Yes. I like Forrest, like in a kissing way, and that means you can’t be in his class anymore. Now if you want to stay in his class, then he and I can’t like each other anymore.”
Lizzie tilted her head to the side, like she was trying to work things out. “You’ll still be my daddy?”
“Yes. Nothing is going to change that.” He wasn’t sure how to put it so she would understand.
“Are you going to get married? Bethany says that boys can marry boys and girls can marry girls if they want. Bobby says that you can’t because it’s a ’bomination, but he’s a dumb boy, so he doesn’t know anything.” She crossed her arms like she knew and that was all there was to it.
Conrad turned to Forrest. “I don’t know if that’s what is going to happen. But if you’re okay with it, I’d like Forrest to be my boyfriend.”
She put her finger to her lips. “And he can’t be your boyfriend if I’m in his class?” she asked. Conrad nodded.
“Okay. I like Mrs. Wood. She’s nice.” Lizzie went back to eating her pizza as though everything was fine and there hadn’t just been a big decision made. Still, if Lizzie was okay with it and he hadn’t pressured her, then everything was fine.
Conrad took a minute to find The Little Mermaid, and they watched it while they ate.
As usual, Lizzie was enthralled, and once the movie was over, he took her to clean up and get ready for bed.
Once she was in bed, he read her a story and said good night before leaving her room with the door partway open.
“She’s a smart one,” Forrest said when he returned.
“Yeah, she is. Though she keeps asking if tomorrow is Christmas.”
“A lot of the kids do that. I always have a calendar in the room so they can get an idea of how days pass and how dates and months work. I think she is so excited she can’t wait.”
“I know that. Her mom passed away a few months before Christmas of last year. I did my best for her, but it wasn’t much of a celebration.
We were both grieving at the time. I tried to give her a good Christmas.
This year a lot of that grief has subsided.
She and I have built a life, and yes, I still miss my sister, but it isn’t a daily hurt. Lizzie has moved on too.”
“I can see that.” He smiled and leaned closer. “So you want me to be your boyfriend.”
Conrad laughed. “Yeah, I do.” He swallowed hard. “Because I love you.” God, all he could do was hope that saying the words didn’t send Forrest running for the door. Not that he really thought that would happen. “You don’t have to say it back if you….”
Forrest drew closer. “But I feel the same way. You took my heart almost from the beginning and you held it. I will never forget that day when you stood up for Lizzie at school like you were a guardian angel. No one was going to accuse your daughter of anything without all the facts. You were so worked up and beautiful. Parents often fight for their kids, but quite often their kids are in the wrong. I got the feeling that if Lizzie had done something wrong, you would have stood by us, but she had been defending herself. It was impressive.”
“I see.”
“No, I don’t think you do. You’re smart, and warm, and you have a heart as big as anyone I have ever met.”
Conrad snickered. “I think you stole my line. I was going to say the same thing about you.”
Forrest kissed him and wrapped Conrad in his arms. “You know, we can say the same things about each other.”
“I know. But I don’t want you to think that I lack imagination.”
“Oh, I think that we can clear that up easily. Just give me a few minutes.” Forrest gathered the plates and took them to the kitchen. Then he turned off the television, grasped Conrad’s hand in his, and led him toward Conrad’s bedroom.
“Oh, you want me to use that kind of imagination,” Conrad whispered, so they didn’t wake Lizzie.
Forrest stopped. “What did you think I meant?”
“I don’t know. I was wondering if you were going to lead me downstairs so we could work on the model of the Egyptian god.” He smirked.
Forrest stood tall, shoulders back, chest out. “I think we can get back to that a little later. Right now, there’s another kind of god that I want you to become acquainted with.”
“And what exactly is that?”
Forrest drew him to him, chest to chest, bringing his lips to Conrad’s ear. “Specifically, the god you call out to again and again as I send you into orbit.” Conrad’s mouth hung open, but he couldn’t make a sound.