It was spring. Grace had turned six in December, and Davy was soon to be three. The pair kept Dash and me on the run, but we were a happy group.
“Davy, son, let’s see if we can find a snack, and then we’ll go outside to play. Come on.” I held my hand out for him, and he toddled over.
I picked him up and kissed his cheek, feeling his hands on my cheeks. “Cookies?”
Davy had Dash’s sweet tooth, to be sure. Thankfully, if he was distracted by something else, he’d eat whatever we gave him.
As I was carrying him down the stairs, the doorbell rang. I put him down and opened the door, happy to see my mother and Lenny standing on the porch.
“Nana!” Davy rushed her, and my mother scooped him up with a happy smile.
“Thank you for coming! Come in, please,” I greeted them, so grateful to have them in my life.
They came inside, Mom taking Davy while Lenny followed behind. Hugs were exchanged as we all made our way into the living room. Dash stood to greet them as Grace rushed down the stairs.
“Nana!” Grace grabbed Mom around her thigh.
Mom and Lenny visited every few months. Since Lenny had retired and we’d had our two little angels, they’d started splittingtime between us in Reardon and Lenny’s daughter’s family in Minnesota.
If my father had to leave us behind, I was glad Lenny was brought into my mother’s path to be part of our family. She deserved the best.
“How are my beautiful grandchildren?”
“Hi, Mom. How are you?” Dash hugged Mom before shaking Lenny’s hand.
“Dash, son, are you okay? Have you been ill?” Mom put Davy down and gave Dash a good looking over.
“Just feeling a little under the weather, is all. How was the drive?”
“It was good. Not too much traffic, which was nice. I’ve got five copies of the deed for execution. Is everyone ready to meet at the recorder’s office on Friday? I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, boys.” Lenny had been thrilled when I asked if he’d help us with our plan to of what to do with the lot where Dearly & Son had once stood.
Dash and I had decided to donate the property to four local churches who had been accepting of us, hoping they’d accept the land as a cemetery. Our memorial for the unidentified souls who had passed would be the centerpiece, with the property being divided into four equal sections—one for each church. It would be a multi-denominational cemetery. as prescribed in the donation papers Lenny drafted for us.
The papers were to be executed at the Recorder of Deeds office in Sacramento on Friday. Dash and I had been invited to a dedication service at the property on Sunday, which was humbling.
It was quite a surprise when we got the call from Reverend Leann Cook, the minister from Reardon Unitarian Ministries, one of the churches named in our donation documents.
Dash and I had hired a company to remove the debris from the fire, but we hadn’t gone to the property since it had been cleaned up, and I felt guilty for not visiting the memorial since then.
I had so many memories tied up in the place that it was hard to say goodbye. A dedicated cemetery would ensure the memorial would be respectfully maintained for a long time.
I glanced at Mom. “Leann Cook invited us to the dedication on Sunday. They will sanctify the land and have a multi-faith picnic if you guys want to come.”
“Maybe we should keep the kids here so you and Dash can be properly thanked without Davy undressing.”
Mom gave me the evil eye as though I’d taught him to publicly disrobe. Kids did weird shit all the time. It wasn’t my fault our son wanted to feel the breeze on his nether regions.
Dash looked at me, a smirk on his face. “Like father, like son.” We all laughed at that one.
I’d never imagined being so gloriously happy in the aftermath of a battle that could have torn our world apart, but there I was, looking forward to the good times to come.
Chapter Twenty
Dash
My eyes snapped open as I sat straight up in bed. I’d had another of my ridiculous dreams.
This time, I’d been in Hell, or so I was guessing, talking to a demon dressed like a hip-hop rapper. I glanced around the room to see Keir. We were in our honeymoon suite in Mexico, and Aunt Josephine was with us.What the fuck?
