“We’re going to your house, Uncle Eli?” Raelynn was shifting in her booster seat to peer out the window of the truck.
“Yes.” Eli shifted in his seat to look back at her. “We’ll be home in just a few minutes.”
“Okay.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “When do we get to go home, though?”
The question sent shards of pain through Willem. He knew exactly what the little girl was asking for. She wanted to go back to the house she’d shared with her daddy and Aurora. Uncle Eli’s and Willem’s house was a fun place to visit - but it wasn’t home.
“Soon.” Eli made the vague promise as the gate to his house came into view. “Maybe tomorrow we’ll head over and get a few things.”
“Okay.” The tremor in her voice was heartbreaking.
“Lookie…a snowman, sissy.” Jeremy was gesturing wildly to the snow man that he and Eli had made early yesterday afternoon after the first few inches of stuff had fallen. Now half-covered in fresh snow, only the red scarf and plaid hat perched on its misshapen head were visible.
“Where?”
Willem gave a sigh of relief when the girl’s attention swung toward the snowman as he braked and came to a stop in front of the gate. Like always, Eli hopped out of the truck and went to open the gate. It was one privilege that Willem never took away from his boy, no matter how snow covered the drive was. All it had taken was one huge Eli melt-down when he’d tried to protect his boy during an ice storm earlier in the year. Eli might look to him to take care of him, but there was still a grown man inside of his boy that took pride in doing certain things for Willem. Opening the gate satisfied Eli’s love language.
Once the gate was open and Eli gave him a thumbs up, he eased through it, stopping the truck as Eli rushed to close it behind them. A minute later, a very snow covered Eli popped back into the cab of the truck.
“Look, kids. I think Uncle Eli wants to be a snowman too.” Willem chuckled as Eli shook his head, the snow falling off his curls to land on his shoulders.
“Silly Unca.” Jeremy chortled, clapping his little hands together.
“Me, silly?” Eli acted offended. “Never!”
“Really?” Willem made his way up the drive, slowing as Bessie mooed at them. The sudden bellow distracted the kids, of course. “Look it’s a snow cow.”
Willem felt Eli’s gaze land on him. “Derek sent a couple of his boys over to take care of the morning chores for us.”
A look of relief crossed Eli’s face. “Good, because I was gonna ask when Bessie got opposable thumbs.”
A giggle from Raelynn had Willem shaking his head. “Cows don’t have thumbs!”
“Really?” Eli gave his niece a confused look. “Are you sure?”
She nodded vigorously, her red curls bouncing. “Yes!”
Eli shook his head. “I’ve been schooled by a seven-year-old, Willem.”
“Obviously.” Willem pulled up in front of the house, then gave directions. “Okay, kiddos. We’re here. Wait for Uncle Eli and me to come around and help you out of the truck. The drive is slick.”
A chorus of yes’s answered him. Yep, this was definitely going to take some getting used to.
* * *
Eli softly closed the door to Willem’s childhood bedroom. Inside, Jeremy and Raelynn were snuggled down in the twin bed with one of Willem’s many stuffies cuddled in their arms. He hadn’t had the heart to separate them, even though Raelynn could’ve used Nona’s old bedroom. He’d let them share as long as they wanted. He was just grateful that they were here, and Willem seemed okay with having the house guests.
He should’ve been shocked at the calm acceptance Willem had shown, but it still boggled Eli’s mind sometimes how supportive his Daddy could be. Like after Eli had ushered the kids into the house, Willem had parked, then came inside, only to disappear upstairs to their room for a few minutes. When he’d come back down, with two stuffies – a gator for Jeremy and a princess mermaid bear for Raelynn, Eli had wanted to kiss his Daddy in thanks. Each kid had taken the stuffed animal and kept them in easy reach all night. It was as if they were a touchstone to the youngsters.
“Did they settle okay?” Willem asked from the couch where he’d been reading a book.
“Yeah. Only three stories, Daddy.” He trudged over to Willem’s side. “I don’t know how you do it.” He sank down next to Willem.
“Because I love you, boy.” Willem closed the book he’d been reading. “Come here.”
He eagerly crawled half onto Willem’s lap. It should’ve been awkward, but after their short time together, they’d found a way to make their height difference work. Daddy wrapped his arms around him.
“Damn, I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” Willem pressed a kiss to Eli’s temple. “But the kids needed you. It was worth the wait. I’ve missed my boy’s snuggles.”
