“Atlas,” he whispered. “Your grandma prayed for you before you were born. Well over a decade before. Did you know that?”
He whimpered, eyes glued shut.
“Well, it’s true,” he said, the tears flowing. “She blessed you before she knew your name. Before Carly, before anything, before she died. She blessed you and me and the whole next generation.”
He stroked the warm, bald head and kissed him again.
“She knew,” he said. “She knew I could be a father. And that my child and your child and all the little Lawsons that will come in the future would be a blessing. Not a curse! No word of a curse!”
Atlas made that “eh eh eh” sound that was a sure sign he was waking.
“Good. I want you to wake up,” Jonah said. “I want to tell you all about your most amazing Grandma Melissa. She was beautiful. Funny, smart. Never dropped the ball in life, you know? And still she found time to pray for you and me.”
Tears fell again, and Jonah wiped his face with the back of his hand, rocking the probably very confused and hungry baby. His baby. Her grandchild.
“A blessing,” he said, suddenly understanding the meaning of the word in a way he never had. “That’s what you are, Atlas Lawson. I thought I was broken, you know? But I’m not and you’re not. We’re part of a family that is absolutely amazing and blessed.”
“You certainly are.”
Jonah jerked his head up to see his father standing in the doorway, his face streaked with tears. He wore nothing but sleep pants, holding the small monitor receiver over his bare chest. He raised the device and gave a sleepy smile.
“It was my night to be backup, remember?” he said in a thick voice. “So…I had the monitor.”
“And heard everything.”
Eli stepped into the room and reached out both arms, enveloping Jonah and Atlas in a hug.
“Everything,” he confirmed. “And, no surprise, she said it better than I ever could. The woman had a way with words, didn’t she?”
Jonah managed a soft laugh. “She sure gave me the right ones tonight.”
Eli patted his shoulder and inched back to look Jonah in the eye. “She’s right, you know. We—you and Atlas and all of us—are blessed. I’m not afraid of Carly’s parents or imagined curses or whatever the future holds. I’m completely confident we’re on the right side of this story and it’s going to be a good one.”
Jonah let out a sound that was half sigh, half moan, with no desire to argue. In his arms, Atlas nestled closer and opened his mouth.
“He agrees,” Jonah said. “And he’s about to make sure everyone knows.”
Eli chuckled. “Let’s go get him his three o’clock bottle.”
“You take him up,” Jonah said, handing the baby over. “I just need a minute.”
“You got it.” Dad took Atlas, cooing soft words to him as they walked out and up the stairs.
Jonah took a few seconds to gather himself, trying to fully understand what just happened. Something, everything, had changed. The world shifted. His heart felt…different. Renewed and reborn and different.
With an exhale, he scooped up the Bible, not really sure why. Maybe because he wanted to read Mom’s prayer again, this time with Dad. Maybe he just wanted to talk about this book that obviously meant so much to both his parents.
Holding it against his chest, he took the steps two at a time, reaching the main floor just as a shadow moved on the stairs.
“Jonah?”
He turned at his sister’s voice, seeing her padding down barefoot. “Everything okay?”
“It’s so okay, I don’t even know what to say.” As she reached the bottom step, he held out both arms, the Bible in one hand. “C’mere, Mer Bear.”
“Seriously?” She gave a sleepy laugh at the nickname he was sure he hadn’t used since before their mother died. “What’sgoing on?” she asked groggily. “Where’s the baby? Is that a Bible? Are you crying?”
“Too many questions. Come on. Dad’s in the kitchen with Atlas. Let’s have a family hang.”
