“Yes. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”
“About time, right?” Dennis, Felix’s father, said from beside her.
“So,” Felix said, his voice a mix of trepidation and excitement. “Elijah didn’t tell me you guys were coming.”
I put my hand on his knee. Since making up, he spoke to his parents on the phone frequently but never reached out to see each other in person. I figured both parties must have been saddled with guilt and were hesitant to bother each other, so I took it upon myself to bring them together.
“Elijah thought it would be a fun surprise,” Dennis said. “And speaking of fun surprises…”
A rustling noise, like tissue gift-wrap, proceeded another gasp from Felix. “Oh, dad, you shouldn’t have!”
“It’s not much,” Dennis admitted, “but your mom and I wanted you to have it. I mean, it’s not new or anything, but itisyours.”
“What is it?” I asked.
Felix let out a small whimper, his voice full of emotion. “It was my blanket, from when I was a kid. I haven’t seen this in years, I thought it was lost somewhere and gone forever.”
“We thought it’d be nice to pass the torch, so to speak,” Dennis said.
With some mild guilt, Evelyn added, “I’m sorry we didn’t get anything better.”
“No, mom, it’s okay,” Felix said. “This is perfect. Thanks for bringing it to me.”
I heard them hugging, and my heart warmed.
“There’s another thing, Felix,” Evelyn said hesitantly. “We know it’s been a long time now, but we wanted to apologize face to face about . . .”
When she trailed off, Felix finished for her. “Larry?”
“Yes.” She paused, uncomfortable. “We should have let you make your own decision. We can see now that that was the right path.”
I smiled and put my arm around Felix’s shoulders. The warmth of his skin brushed against mine.
“And Elijah told us you’re considering going to school?” Dennis said excitedly.
“When the baby’s a bit older, yeah. I decided an education would be good for me.” Felix chuckled. “Geez, how much stuff has Elijah been telling you? It seems like he talks to you guys more than I do.”
“Hedoescall more,” Evelyn chided him. “You know, I didn’t like Elijah at first--no offense, dear--but he’s really grown on me.”
“None taken,” I said, grinning. “We had a rough start.”
“Rough, yes,” Evelyn said with a sigh. “But necessary. It was a wake-up call we needed. Although the reality didn’t really set in until we watched it on TV.”
I thought back to Larry’s public arrest with a grimace. Felix’s parents had called after it aired on the news, and though Felix’s information wasn’t broadcasted to protect his privacy, it must have been obvious to Dennis and Evelyn who the victim was.
Dennis grunted. “Good riddance to Larry.”
I smiled. It filled me with happiness to know that Felix patched things up with his parents after the mistakes they’d made. Back then, when I first spoke to them on the phone, I was worried the tension might be enough to cut them out of each other’s lives for good--but for once, I was glad to be wrong.
“Enough about him,” Felix said. “This is my baby shower. Let’s talk about baby stuff instead.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Evelyn said, clapping her hands together. “Tell me all about her. It’s a girl, right?”
“Yes.” Felix’s voice beamed with pride. “And we’ve decided to name her Grace.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” Evelyn said, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it before.
“We can’t wait to meet her,” Dennis said. “How soon are you due now, son?”
“Soon,” Felix admitted. “She’s pretty big, and she kicks all the time. Unless she surprises us, it should be about a week or so.”
“Then you better get all the rest you can right now,” Evelyn warned. “Because if she’s anything like you, she won’t let you get a good night’s sleep for a long time.”
Felix sounded sheepish but amused. “Sorry, mom…”
“Hey!” Skylar’s voice piped up nearby. “Sorry to interrupt, but when are you gonna open everyone’s presents, Felix? We’re all dying over here!”
“Coming, Sky.” He stood up and linked his arm with mine. “Well, Elijah? Shall we?”
“Well, apparently we’ve got a public waiting,” I said. “Let’s go open some presents.”
