“And then can I show you my new story?” Molly added. “It’s about a girl who builds a rocket ship out of plastic bottles and flies to Jupiter to meet aliens who are really good at math.”
“Plastic bottles wouldn’t work for a rocket ship,” Dylan said seriously. “The heat from the engines would burn them up.”
“It’s not true, Dylan,” Molly replied with dramatic exasperation. “In fiction, plastic bottles can do whatever you want them to do.”
Patrick laughed. “I’d love to read your story, Molly. And Dylan, after we test your bridge, maybe we can all design a plastic rocket that might work.”
“Really?” the twins asked simultaneously.
“Really,” Patrick confirmed, and meant it. This was what he’d missed with Jack and Noah—not just the achievements and the milestones, but the wonder, the questions, the simple joy of discovering the world alongside someone you loved.
Over the last few years, he’d learned that love multiplied when you gave it freely. That patience was a gift you gave not just to children but to yourself. And that the time spent listening to a nine-year-old’s theories about alien mathematics was infinitely more valuable than any business deal he’d ever closed.
As they ate the delicious meal Emma had cooked, Jack leaned closer to him.
“Thank you,” his grandson said quietly.
“For what?”
“For being the grandfather to Molly and Dylan that you wanted to be to Noah and me, but didn’t know how.”
Patrick lowered his fork to his plate. “I’m sorry I wasn’t better at it back then.”
“You were doing the best you could with what you knew,” Jack replied. “And look how Noah and I turned out. We’re not perfect, but we’re okay. More than okay.”
“You’re both incredible,” Patrick said, the words coming more easily now than they ever had when Jack was young. “I should have told you that more often.”
“You’re telling me now,” Jack said simply. “And you’re showing Dylan and Molly every day what it looks like to be loved. That’s a pretty good legacy.”
As Molly launched into another story about school, Patrick thought about how strange life could be. He’d spent decades thinking he understood love, success, and family.
It wasn’t until he was in his late sixties that he discovered that the secret to a happy life was much simpler than he’d imagined. It was showing up. It was listening. It was believing that the people you loved were worthy of your time and attention and wonder. Not because of what they achieved, but because of who they were.
Chapter 5
Kathleen settled into one of the plush velvet chairs arranged in a semicircle at Emily’s Fashion Boutique in downtown Bozeman. She smiled as Isabel emerged from the dressing room in her third dress of the day. This one was a classic A-line with delicate lace sleeves, beautiful but somehow not quite right.
“What do you think?” Isabel asked, turning slowly on the platform as the boutique owner adjusted the train with practiced hands.
“It’s lovely,” Susan said diplomatically, though Kathleen could hear the lack of conviction in her voice. Susan had been quieter than usual today, and Kathleen knew her friend’s mind was still wrestling with the challenges at her catering business.
“Lovely, yes,” Lynda agreed, “but is it you?” She was perched on the edge of her chair, wearing her typical sweater and slacks. “You need something with more... I don’t know, more personality. Not that I’m the font of all knowledge when it comes to clothes. My idea of high fashion is adding a scarf to an outfit.”
“Your scarves are gorgeous,” Kathleen told Lynda. “Besides, you have to be more careful than most people when it comes to clothes. Wearing a pretty silk shirt or a sundress when you’re treating the animals at Paws of Hope wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Susan grinned. “But Matt would think it was great. That man is so in love with you that it makes me envious whenever I see the two of you together.”
Lynda said something that made Susan laugh, and Kathleen sighed. How many years had they been helping each other through the important moments in their lives?
They’d shopped together for Susan’s first wedding dress over thirty years ago and found an outfit for Lynda’s first job interview as a vet. And now they were here for a special moment in Isabel’s life.
Emily, the store owner, tilted her head to the side. “Let’s try the next one. I have something I’ve been saving for just the right person.”
As Isabel disappeared back into the dressing room, Susan leaned over to Kathleen. “I needed this today,” she said quietly. “I’ve been so buried in menu planning and vendor negotiations, I’d almost forgotten what joy felt like.”
Kathleen reached over and squeezed her hand. “That’s what friends are for. To remind us that there’s beauty in the world, even when everything else feels like it’s falling apart.”
The rustling of fabric from the dressing room grew more excited, and Emily’s voice could be heard offering encouragement. “Oh my,” Emily said, “this is the one. I can feel it.”
