He laughed. “I’m sure you’ll fix that in no time, Momma.”
“I’ve missed this face.” She pinched his cheek, then pushed the plate toward him. “Cookie?”
“Yes, please. I’ve missed your baking.” He took a cookie and bit into it with a sigh before leaning back in his chair. “It’s good to be home.”
“Where’s the rest of your stuff?”
“This is it. I travel light.”
“You sure do.”
“But I’m sure I’ll accumulate plenty of stuff in no time, now that I’m home.”
Rita laughed. “That’s how it goes. But there’s no rush since your things are still in your room. I haven’t really touched it since you were here last, other than the occasional dusting.”
“Thanks, Momma. I’ll probably do some shopping soon, but for now, it feels good just to sit down. I picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. Looked exactly like mine does, but it was locked, so I figured it out pretty quick. I finally got mine back just now, and I’m anxious to get to relaxin’.”
“Well, at least you have it. Do you have plans with friends this week, or will you be hangin’ around here?”
“I don’t have much planned.” His gaze shifted to the table, and he cleared his throat. Then he sat up straight and linked his hands together on the table. “I need to talk to you about somethin’ real quick.”
She blinked. The look on his face made her pause. “Okay.”
He inhaled a deep breath. “You know I was dating Candy right ’fore I left for my last tour?”
Rita arched an eyebrow. “Uh-huh, I remember her. I stand by my advice to never date a woman named after food.”
His lips pursed. “Right, I recall the two of you didn’t get along too well.”
“Oh no, she and I were fine. Just fine.” Her tone betrayed her words.
“Anyhoo, we’re gettin’ off topic here. Right ’fore I left, I broke up with her. I didn’t see it going anywhere, and the two of us were fightin’ all the time. She didn’t share my values, and I realized I’d gotten involved in something I shouldn’t have. So, I ended it.”
“I remember,” Rita replied. “I was sorry for both of you—I know that’s hard to do. But you did the right thing.”
“Thank you. Well, about a year ago, I heard from her. She sent me an email giving me an update on her life, what she’d been up to. Sounds like she pulled herself together, stopped drinkin’, even went to community college and became a beautician. She’s got herself a good job now. And she sent me a few photos — she’s lookin’ well.”
Rita didn’t like where this was going. Was he telling her they were back together? She’d never believed Candy was good enough for Tyler. But then again, who was? She was his momma, and she would likely never find anyone who lived up to her standards.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she replied with her best and sweetest smile.
“Well, the thing is, she has a daughter. I mean… I have a daughter.”
Rita gaped. That was not what she was expecting to hear come out of her son’s mouth within five minutes of him getting home from his final tour of duty.
“How? When? What on earth?”
Tyler ran his fingers through his hair and looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Momma.”
“But you haven’t been home in months…”
He dipped his head. “She’s almost four years old.”
“What? Four years… you kept this a secret for four years?”
“No, I’ve only known for about a year. Candy sent me an email last year and told me that she’d gotten pregnant right before I left, but because we broke up, she didn’t want to let me be in the baby’s life. She’d lost her job and needed some financial help, so she reached out.”
Rita pressed a hand to her mouth. She needed time to process this information. There’d been so much happening lately in their family, she wasn’t sure how many more surprises she could take.
