Chapter 41
forty-one
PATRICK
ONE MONTH LATER
I lean my head back as the sun beams down on me, the grass tickling my wrists, and sweet laughter ringing in my ears.
It’s not just any laughter, though. It’s the laughter from two very important ladies.
With one eye open, I squint over at them from across the picnic blanket. Lottie and Johanna are whispering and giggling to each other. My daughter is attempting to braid Jo’s long hair, the blonde locks shining the brightest I’ve ever seen them as the sun kisses the tops of their heads.
My girls.
I’d find the interaction sweet, if I wasn’t suspicious of them secretly plotting something against me.
“ What are you two up to?” I ask, both eyes open now.
“ Daddy , don’t sneeze-drop, it’s rude,” Lottie scolds.
“ It’s eaves-drop, spud. And it can’t be eavesdropping if you are sitting right next to me and cackling away like a pack of hyenas.”
“ It’s a need to know, sorry. And you need to be a girl to know,” Jo says. She’s lying on her front, head turned toward me as Lottie plays with her hair. She doesn’t seem to mind the knotted mess Lottie is causing at the back of her head and lies there looking serene and radiant.
Things have moved quickly since that initial meeting at the restaurant, and although it didn’t end conventionally, we all met up a week later to discuss the prospective buyer’s proposal. It didn’t feel right not to include all our siblings, so Graham came along to the meeting, and we dialed Florence and Harriet in. It was a unanimous decision, and a no-brainer. I still have my apprehensions, but for now no changes are being made and we take each day at time.
My mom and George are waiting for the final purchase agreements to be written up, and once signed, the restaurant will officially have a new owner. They’ve remained anonymous, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad sign, but no one dares question it.
Graham has decided to take a step away from some of his bigger clients, handing them over to other accountants at his firm, claiming he wants to spend more time around the restaurant. He’s not the only one to be suspicious of our prospective new owner, but he’s been hanging around Robin Road an awful lot lately.
As for Jo and me, there was no big announcement about our relationship. There didn’t need to be, either, because it seems everyone knew what was going on before we did. We just took some catching up. And now that we’re all caught up, we aren’t wasting a second.
We’re not sad about the years we spent apart, because it only made us stronger. Time allowed us to grow and heal into the people we are today. That doesn’t mean I’m not making up for every missed smile, kiss, and night we could have spent together.
I show her exactly how much she means to me every moment I can. I’ll never stop showing her, and soon, I’ll show her by asking her to be my wife. By growing our family.
I won’t stop, even after my last breath.
I no longer have to guess where one of her new freckles is from, or what made her smile that day. Because I’ll be by her side the second a new one appears, and I’ll be the one putting that stunning smile on her face.
I’ll be the one making her happy.
Jo’s not a new person in Lottie’s life, but I still want to speak to her about Jo being around more often. I can’t imagine she will complain, because Jo has quickly become one of my daughter’s favorite people.
Once we finish our picnic, and Lottie has had the chance to burn some energy off in the park, we settle on the blanket and share a bowl of blueberries as we look out at the lake.
“ Hey , Lottie , can I talk to you about something?” I ask.
She looks at me with purple-stained lips and fingers and nods her head.
“ You know that Jo is one of my best friends?”
“ Uh -huh,” she says and grabs another handful of berries, before shoveling them into her mouth.
“ Well , I’d really like it if she would be more than that. Sometimes she might stay for dinner or be over for breakfast. Would that be okay?”
“ Like a best-best friend?” she asks.
“ A bit more special than that.”
She gasps and bounces on her knees. I’m grateful she caught on so quickly, because it was making me uncomfortable having to explain my relationship to a five-year-old, no matter how persistent she was about setting us up a few months ago.
“ Like a big sister?” she whispers excitedly.
Nope .
I look toward Jo in panic, hoping she will help me out, but she’s too busy trying to control the violent shaking of her shoulders before a gut-busting laugh breaks free. I can see it in her eyes. I won’t hesitate to leave her here if she makes a single daddy joke.
“ Johanna , please help me here,” I plead, feeling a headache coming on.
“ Lottie ,” Jo says, catching her attention. “ You remember when you asked me if I had a boyfriend?”
“ Yes .” Lottie shoots me a side glance and leans in toward Jo . I know she thinks she’s whispering, but I hear every word. “ Like my boyfriend, Malcolm ?”
“ Malcolm who?!” I all but shout, sitting up straighter. Jo glares at me over Lottie’s head, and I bring it down a notch. “ Umm , yeah, like that.” I try to act cool, and pretend I’m not going to find out where this Malcolm punk lives and ask what his intentions are.
“ Well , you said your daddy needs a girlfriend, and I don’t have a boyfriend, so we thought we’d help each other out. I’d be your dad’s girlfriend, and he’d be my boyfriend. Whaddya think?”
Lottie looks between Jo and me. Her expression gives nothing away as she continues to gobble down berries. She swallows her last mouthful, and with a shrug, she stands up and reaches for her bubbles. “ That’s cool. I’m going to blow some bubbles.” And then walks off.
I stare after my daughter as she skips away and spins around in a cloud of bubbles.
“ That was a bit underwhelming. How did you make that so painless?”
“ By not talking in code, just get to the point. It’s a good thing you have me,” she says and army crawls toward me. “ Although , I would have loved to call you daddy.”
“ That’s it!” I shout and dive for her. I grab hold of her wrists in one hand and start poking her in the sides. She squeals at me to stop, laughing so hard, until tears are streaming down her face. The moment she surrenders, I steal a kiss.
“ I love you.”
“ I love you too,” she breathes out, gifting me with a smile.
The afternoon sun begins to cool as we walk to my truck, Jo’s hand securely in mine as Lottie snores softly against my chest.
I settle behind the wheel of my truck, with Johanna tucked into my side and my daughter dreaming behind us. I’m reminded that this town has always been home. But with Johanna in my life again, my home feels whole again.
And that makes me so happy.
She makes me happy.