Max glanced at Theo. Theo shook his head at his brother — could Max be any more obvious? It was such a transparent thing to do, to send his child over to ask for a dance. Of course, Theo wasn’t going to say no to that.
A new song started, and he took Jenna’s hands and drew her out onto the dance floor. She was so excited to be dancing that she ended up leading him through a series of messy, makeshift moves, and eventually the two of them dropped one another’s hands and Theo copied her wild arm movements and body shimmies. Jenna laughed ecstatically, and Theo found himself laughing right along with her.
When he stopped thinking so hard about it and just allowed himself to have a good time, being with a kid was fun. He liked being an uncle, and he loved Jenna.
But being a father wouldn’t be the same thing as being an uncle, he thought as he watched his niece twirl happily. There would be much more work involved, and so much more worry. He would have to stay up with the baby when it was crying. He would have to think about schools and bullies, doctors and nutrition. And it would be a lifetime commitment. That was the most difficult thing of all. If he was going to be somebody’s father now, that would change the shape of his whole life. After the way his own father had treated his family, Theo knew he would never be able to do things halfway. He would have to be all-in.
Could he make a decision like that with so little thought? Couldanybody?
But then, if he turned away from Harper now, he would be no better than his own father. This wasn’t a situation in which the two of them were planning their future. It was already too late to opt out. There was going to be a baby. He was going to be that baby’s father. And Theo knew that he didn’t have it in him to walk away, no matter how he might feel about it personally. He had to be a better man than his father had been.
“Uncle Theo,” Jenna said, planting her hands on her hips. “You aren’t dancing. Why aren’t you dancing? Dad said that you would want to. Don’t you want to?”
She was so assertive, Theo thought. It must be a trait she had inherited from her mother, because Max wasn’t that way. He was the fun-loving one in their family. Max was jolly and agreeable and was the sort to go along with whatever was happening around him. He wasn’t someone who insisted onhaving things his own way. For better or worse, Jenna had inherited that quality. And Theo thought it was a good thing. She was someone who would always stick up for herself, and he felt good knowing that his niece was going out into the world with that capability.
She was like Harper, he realized. Harper had done the very same thing, insisting on having things the way she wanted them. She had always been unafraid to speak up for herself when she didn’t like how something was going, and it was the first thing that had made Theo realize how much he liked and respected her.
Suddenly, he found himself wondering what their baby would be like. What traits it might inherit from Harper, and what it would inherit from him.
The song came to an end, and Jenna heaved a big sigh. “Now it’s over,” she complained. “You skipped the whole second half of our dance.”
Theo smiled at her. “You’re right,” he said. “Can I give you one more to make up for it?”
“Only if you actually dance this time,” Jenna told him firmly. “There are other people who want to dance with me, you know. I can’t spend the whole night with you.”
Theo had to laugh. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “You’re right. I wasn’t being very respectful of your time. One more dance, and this time I promise you’ll have my full attention.”
The next song began, and Theo and Jenna danced together energetically. Theo did his best to keep to his promise, and to keep his full attention on his niece, but of course it was impossible. He couldn’t stop himself from looking around the room, hoping to see Harper. Even though he knew that seeingher would mean that they would have to have a very difficult conversation, he couldn’t help wanting it to happen. He couldn’t wait.
It should be so much more difficult than this.
When he had been sitting outside, he had been sure that itwasmore difficult than this. He had almost left the wedding entirely, feeling simply unable to cope with what was happening.
What a mistake that would’ve been. Because now, as he looked around the room, he knew exactly what he wanted.
He wanted to know his child. He wanted to see what qualities of his it would acquire, and how those qualities would look in an entirely new person. He wanted to see what a blend of him and Harper would be like. And he wanted to prove himself as a father, to know that he was a better man than his own father had been.
Of course he wanted to be involved in this baby’s life. How could he have questioned it, even for a moment? There was nothing he wanted more.
He had to find her, and he had to let her know.
It wasn’t until the music was winding down that he finally saw her. She was standing across the room from him, her back to the wall. Her arms were wrapped around her body in a defensive posture that made him ache with sadness. He hated to know that she was feeling so uncomfortable and out of place.
It was his own fault, of course. He should never have walked out and left her here.
He would never walk out on her again. He was determined that he would always be there when she needed him, and that he would offer the same thing to their baby.
As the dance came to an end, he gave Jenna a little mock bow and squeezed her hand. “You head on back over to your dad now,” he told her. “When you get there, you can tell him that it worked.”
“Tell him what worked, Uncle Theo?” Jenna looked up at him with wide eyes.
“You just tell him I said that,” Theo said. “Tell him his plan worked. And tell him… tell him I say thank you.”
He turned away just in time to see Harper slip out the door onto the patio. He hurried after her. This was his chance to speak to her alone.
CHAPTER 24
THEO
