Chapter 34 JP - A HERB’S HOMECOMING
I knew it was Ali coming down into her parents’ kitchen by the sound of her light footsteps, and I was more grateful than ever to be waking up in the same house. After that dream, I wanted to keep her in my arms and never let go. I just wished my shoulder wasn’t busted so I could properly hold her.
After a few minutes, she brought over two mugs of coffee. After handing me one, she maneuvered onto the couch by my legs and snuggled up in the corner, tugging my blanket up to her chin.
“Sleep okay?” she asked with a small smile over her mug. “It’s a little cold down here, no?”
Her face broke into a brightest smile. “Could you really hear us? I’m sorry,” she said, but she didn’t look sorry at all. “It was fun catching up with Annie. She was telling me all about her ex.” She gave me a conspiratorial little grin and whispered. “You know who I think she’d be perfect with?”
I raised a curious eyebrow.
“Val.” Her eyes lit up. “What do you think?”
Seeing her so excited had me cracking a grin. “Your skating partner from the cruise?”
“Yupp. He’s like this big brother grump, and he takes himself way too seriously sometimes, but I think she could lighten him up.”
“Well, set it up,” I said. I loved seeing her so excited about the future.
She bit her lip as she smiled. “You think?” She shivered then. “You sure you weren’t cold down here? I’m freezing.”
“Nah.” Reaching down by my feet, I fished a hoodie out of my duffle bag and handed it to her.
“Ooh, yes.” She handed me her coffee to hold while she pulled it on. “How does it look?” she asked, turning slightly like she was showing off a dress.
“Great,” I said with a chuckle. She was basically drowning in it, but she looked much warmer.
She brushed her hair behind her ears and curled back up on the couch. “I don’t think you’re getting this back.”
Reaching over, I massaged the back of her head, making her hum. “What’s mine is yours, babe,” I joked.
Her smile slightly faltered, and I internally kicked myself for referencing anything that had to do with marriage.
“Don’t worry about it. I already contacted my lawyer. We will figure this out,” I whispered.
Her nose flared with a shaky breath. “Okay.” After a beat, she patted my leg and forced a smile. “Ready to tell your dad today?”
“Yeah.” My voice came out a little higher than intended.
“Oh my God.” She laughed. “Are you nervous?”
I could feel her stare boring into me. My eyes dropped to the floor. “No, not at all.”
“Liar!” She cackled. “Wow, you were so chill yesterday when it came to my family. Not as fun when you’re in the hot seat, eh?”
“Brat,” I said with a chuckle.
Her gaze stayed trained on my face, studying me. “Do you think your dad’s going to be upset?”
“With you and the babies? Absolutely not. With me…” I weighed my head to the side. “Most likely, yeah.”
“I don’t think so, your dad is so nice.”
“Yeah, to you,” I scoffed. “Did you forget the favoritism he showed you back in the day? If the two of us made the same mistakes, he’d comfort you, but he’d beat my ass.”
Laughing, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out of the room to get ready.
___________
When Ali turned down my dad’s driveway, I immediately felt like a neglectful son.
His driveway hadn’t been shoveled, the large tree next to the cabin was dying and needed to be taken down, and the gutter had come unattached from the roof and was almost falling down.
These were all things he usually would’ve taken care of immediately.
The fact that they weren’t done just showed how much he was slowing down, even though he constantly denied it.
“When’s the last time you came out here?” Ali asked, as if reading my mind.
“It’s been a while,” I admitted. “He usually comes to visit me. He was gonna come up to Chicago for Christmas because the team does an annual dad’s trip for the first away game of the new year.
” That was another thing that was wrecked now because of my injury.
My dad loved that trip. Then again, this year would feel different anyway.
In past years, Kappy always invited Hans, and my dad loved watching the game with him.
When Ali put the truck in park, I didn’t immediately reach for the door.
“We’ve faced much harder things, right?” Ali gave me an encouraging nod.
“Yeah.” My eyes drifted over to Ali. She was bundled up in my hoodie with an old Carhartt jacket overtop, so the baby bump was mostly concealed. I cleared my throat. “Let’s just ease into this, yeah? Don’t wanna give him a heart attack or anything, ya know?”
“Are you gonna have a heart attack?” She gave me an amused smile before propping the door open and jumping down from the truck. “C’mon, it’ll be okay, I know it.”
My dad opened the front door before we even reached the porch. Hank ran out faster than I’d seen him move in the last decade.
“Aww, c’mere boy,” I said, but he didn’t even glance at me. He went directly to Ali, crying loudly as he rolled around in the snow by her feet.
Ali immediately dipped down to him. “Oh, you big boy. I missed you too, Hankiepoo,” she cooed, hugging my old, chubby, snow-covered dog. Hank licked at her face, making her laugh.
“Wow, didn’t know that dog still had it in him to run like that,” my dad said with an amused gleam in his eye as he watched the two of them.
Holding himself up against the doorway, he was wearing his typical heavy flannel and work pants with paint stains on them.
“C’mon in you guys, I’ve got the fireplace going and some biscuits and gravy on the stove. ”
“Fuck yes,” I murmured, immediately moving to the porch.
But my dad held his arm out, blocking me from entering. Even though he looked older and frailer, he was still strong as an ox. “Ladies first, Jamie,” he said with another smirk.
I could hear Ali giggling as she and Hank walked up behind me. Hank struggled on the porch stairs, his big belly hitting the edge of the step and his frail legs struggling to hoist himself up.
Ali’s face dropped and she immediately went to help him, but I quickly grabbed her coat before she could bend down. “He’s gotta be pushing 40 pounds, Al,” I said, hoping she’d remember that the doctor said not to lift more than 25.
Her cheeks heated as she brushed the snow off her hands. “Forgot.”
My dad’s curious eyes bounced between us, but if he found the interaction weird, he kept it to himself.
When Hank finally got himself up, he slowly made his way to me, wagging his tail. I bent to greet him. “Wow, buddy. Now you’re happy to see me?” I cocked an eyebrow up at Ali, who was practically bursting with happiness.
“Hi, Mr. McQuaid,” Ali said with a warm smile.
“None of that,” my dad said, waving her off, “you know you call me Cliff.” He pulled her into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Ali,” he said in a gruff voice.
After shedding our shoes and jackets in the front hall, my dad ushered us to the stove.
“Been keeping the food warm for you guys,” he said. “How ya feeling?” he asked me. “Well enough to shovel the driveway?”
“Ah, I don’t know about that,” I said.
“Damn.” He gave me a smirk. “Saw it snowing yesterday and thought I could wait for ya. I’ll go out now.”
Ali gave me a worried look.
“No, I’ll just hire someone,” I countered.
“Hire someone? Why would we do that?” His forehead creased.
“So we can relax together. It’s okay, Dad,” I said with a chuckle.
He frowned. “No, I'll go take care of it.”
“No, c’mon, just stay.”
“Yeah, stay,” Ali chimed in. “We need to catch up.”
Ali’s words had him pausing, and I had to chuckle to myself because of course he’d only listen to her.
When we were all settled around the kitchen table, he studied my arm. “So, I guess you’re out for a while? Stinks you won’t be on the team’s Dad Trip this year.”
“Well, you won’t be either, so I’m sorry,” I said, barely taking a second to breathe while inhaling the biscuits and gravy on my plate.
“Yeah, I will,” he said gruffly. “Colt already asked me.” He gave a proud smile.
“Oh.” I was taken aback.
Ali giggled at my reaction. “That’s so fun. You’ll have to stay with us in Chicago though, right?”
His eyes darted between us. “Uh…if you guys have room for me?”
“Of course,” she answered, shivering against the chill in the air.
He gave a small nod. “Let’s go to the living room. It’s warmer in there with the fire going.”
Ali slowly hoisted herself up while my dad and I cleared the table.
Hank hadn’t left Ali's side. He trailed her to the living room, then climbed up on the couch next to her. He laid his head on her stomach and cried. Ali’s hands flew to her mouth and her eyes glistened. “Oh my God, do you think he knows?” she gushed.
“Knows what?” My dad smiled fondly.
Ali’s mouth opened but no words came out. Her eyes shifted between me and my dad.
I coughed to clear my throat.