“That’s okay. As long as you’re open to understanding us. I don’t expect a miracle right away.” I sighed. “I’ve missed you.”
He smiled sadly. “Same.”
“This awkwardness between us feels…weird.” I blew a breath up into my hair. “I just want to like…shake you or something.” I smiled.
He chuckled, a hint of sadness still apparent.
Nicholas’s bedroom door opened and he wobbled out, rubbing his eyes. “Uncle Taylor!”
“Hey, buddy.” Taylor opened his arms as Nicholas walked over.
As Taylor wrapped his arms around my son, he closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, I could see that they were red.
“I missed you,” he told Nicholas.
“Did you go back to Aruba?” my son asked.
“No, bud. I just…haven’t been able to come by for a while. But I didn’t want to go any longer without seeing you.”
“Did you bring me a present?”
“Actually, I did.” Taylor reached into his pocket and pulled out a mini redtruck.
Nicholas’s face lit up. “A truck!”
“Did you know I saved every single one of the toy cars from when I was almost as young as you? This truck is one of a kind. You can’t find it anymore. I know how much you love trucks.”
Nicholas stared down at it as Taylor wiped his eyes.
I felt my own eyes watering. “What do you say, Nicholas?”
“Thank you, Uncle Taylor.”
“You’re welcome, buddy.”
“That was a really cool gift,” I told him after Nicholas ran off to play with the new toy. “I know how important your old Hot Wheels collection is.”
“Yeah, well, time to pass the torch.”
That warmed my heart. As an only child, I loved that Nicholas had a big brother. “Thank you for being so sweet to him.”
“Well, I have even more reason to bond with him now, don’t I?”
I lowered my voice. “We haven’t told him about you being Tate’s son, too. We wanted to make sure you were ready.”
He nodded. “I do want him to know.” Taylor thought for a moment. “He understands now that my father is his dad?”
“We explained it only recently. We weren’t sure what he remembered from the hospital. They’ve gotten close. Especially after the accident, Tate just needed him to know.”
Taylor looked down into his mug. “I’m happy that Nicholas will have what I didn’t. He doesn’tdeserve anything less.” He sighed. “It might not have seemed like it at first, but I’m happy he found his dad.”
I smiled, though I still felt sad. “Your friendship has meant so much to me over the years. I hate to see you unhappy because of my decisions.”
He stood and walked his mug into the kitchen as I followed. “It’s gonna be okay. I just need more time.”
“Will we ever have the same friendship again?”
“I don’t know if it will be exactly the same. That just comes with the territory. But you haven’t lost me as a friend. And you never will.”
