“With open arms, Devon.”
He accepted the hug Rebecca offered, and the subject changed. Devon appreciated their candor, and he was happy for them. They were giving themselves a second chance, and they deserved it. Theirs was a family he could picture being a part of, one that would allow Hailey to flourish as Chloe reconnected with her parents. He liked and respected the Hemsworths.
“Hailey asked when dinner will be ready,” Chloe said when she came into the kitchen a moment later.
“Are you sure you’re not the one who wants to know?” David teased.
“Very funny, Dad.” She leaned into his side, and Devon smiled when David wrapped an arm around her.
“It should be less than ten minutes, Chloe,” Rebecca responded.
“Let me set the table, then,” Chloe said.
“No, Hailey and I can do it if you’ll show me where everything is.”
Chloe looked long and hard at Devon. “Okay, I’ll bring out the dishes and silverware, and the two of you can set the table.”
“Okay.”
Devon went to the backyard to find Hailey and get her to wash her hands. He looked around at the privacy fence and the shade trees, spotting his daughter sitting on a tire hung from a branch.
“Are you having fun, bug?” he called on his way across the yard.
“Chloe said Grandpa David put this up just for me!”
He felt a stuttering in his chest at the name she used, but he couldn't place the origin; happiness or tension. Either way, she was happy, and that was what mattered.
“That’s great. Dinner is almost ready, and we’re in charge of setting the table.”
She hopped down. “Okay.”
It was an easy evening, something Devon could picture doing for years to come. His own family got together on occasional Saturdays, depending on Lydia’s work schedule. He had a brief flash of Christmas and other holidays, and what it would look like if both families came together.
He heard Hailey call Rebecca Grams a few times and realized his daughter already considered them family. He wondered why they had such differing titles, but Chloe explained it to him when he took her back home. Hailey was playing with Tugger on the floor, and Chloe and Devon were sitting together on the couch.
“She wants to call him Grumps, and I assured her she could. She hasn’t tested it out yet.”
Devon stifled a laugh. “She wants to call them Grams and Grumps?”
Chloe nodded, shaking with suppressed laughter. “Yep.”
Devon quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure David would go for that?”
“Oh, come on. She’s got him wrapped around her finger already.”
He kissed the side of her head. “I saw the tire swing.”
“They’re making an effort to live life on the surface, not with their heads buried in the sand.” Chloe bumped his shoulder. “Like someone else I know.”
“It’s less of an effort each day.”
“That’s good.”
“Just as loving you is now second nature.” He pushed her hair away from her neck and kissed the spot behind her ear. “When can I have you this week?”
She swallowed, watching Hailey drag a ribbon across the floor for Tugger. “I, uh, I don’t know. I can’t think with you this close.”
“I can run Hailey home and be back in twenty minutes.”
