“Panicking over something that happened in the past is good?”
His chest rumbled with low laughter. “It’s good that you’re letting yourself feel. I’m sure this situation with your father and Mr. Blackwell has you on edge.”
Ella sighed. “I thought I left them behind when I married you. My father finding me isn’t surprising, but hiring his lawyer to break us apart?” Her head fell forward, resting against him. “He can’t do anything, right?”
“Right.”
The tension in her shoulders vanished, and the knot in her stomach unraveled. She closed her eyes. “I’m glad you’re in my life.”
“The feeling’s mutual, darlin’.”
Acouple days after Blackwell departed, Cody lumbered around the yard with Isaiah and Jonah. The afternoon sun lessened the chill of early spring. The boys giggled as they ran, a game of tag underway. The laughter gladdened him. Some of their somberness had lifted. Jonah’s smiles were rare. To see them now made Cody feel as though he was doing something right.
Ella came onto the porch, Addie perched on her hip. He paused to take in the sight. His wife smiled, ducking her head after a few moments. Her sweet modesty tripped his heart. Add how motherly she looked holding their daughter, and Cody was hard pressed not to march right up to her and take her in his arms. Her recent admission about not wanting to lose him lit a hope he’d never felt before.
Little hands clasped Cody’s leg. “Got you, Papa!”
His jaw slackened. He looked down at Jonah. The little boy grinned up at him, proud of his conquest. “You it!” He let go and raced off toward Isaiah.
Cody’s feet stuck to the ground. Something poured through him, weakening his knees and making his body warm.Papa.That single word healed a crack in his heart. He felt lighter, buoyed up by a child’s trust. Cody laughed and took off after his boys.
Their boundless energy kept the game going longer than he expected. As he took a break against the porch, a hand came to rest on his arm. Cody turned to see Ella standing beside him, her eyes sparkling. “You have a new title.”
“I didn’t expect that.”
She smiled. “It speaks volumes, Cody. That boy loves you.”
Tears stung his eyes. “I feel the same.”
Addie babbled, patting his arm with her pudgy hand.
Cody leaned down, pressing a kiss to her soft hair. “I never thought I could love them like this.” His hand found Ella’s. “They truly feel like ours. Even if I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Ella chuckled. “You’re doing better than you think.” She gave him a little push. “Now, go chase those boys. I’ll get some hot cocoa ready.”
For another quarter hour, Cody chased Isaiah and Jonah around the yard. Jonah called him Papa again, and Isaiah—despite looking shocked—didn’t contradict his brother. Cody counted that a blessing.
When the boys stopped their game of chase, breathing hard and shivering from the cold, he gathered one under each arm and hoisted them up. “Your mama has a treat inside. Want to get it?”
Jonah’s head bobbed up and down. Isaiah chewed his lip. Had he picked up the nervous habit from Ella? Cody smiled at the thought. As he walked toward the house, Isaiah spoke quietly. “Do I have to think of her as my mama?”
Cody stopped just inside the house. He set the boys down and shut the door. Jonah scampered toward the kitchen as soon as his feet hit the floor, leaving Cody alone with his oldest child. He crouched in front of Isaiah. “We talked about this before, son. You can call her Aunt Ella. She doesn’t mind.”
Tears welled in Isaiah’s eyes. “But…will Addie call her Mama? And you Papa?”
“I reckon so.”
The boy’s lip trembled. “That means I’ll be the only one saying Uncle Cody and Aunt Ella.”
Cody took Isaiah’s hand. “That’s all right. No matter what, we’re family. That’s what counts.”
“But I don’t want to be different.”
Isaiah looked so miserable, Cody pulled him into a hug. “I understand.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” He moved to a sitting position and motioned for Isaiah to sit beside him. “When I lived at the orphanage, people would come to see if they wanted to adopt a child. The other boys and girls talked easily with the adults. I didn’t. Something changed in me after my parents died. I couldn’t make friends. I felt alone, nothing like the other children. I was different and didn’t know how to change that.”
