When I get home, I don’t go inside right away. It’s a gorgeous summer night, with stars shining, and the air warm, but not humid. I sit on the glider on the front porch and listen to the sounds of the evening. As I peer out into the endless sky, I send love to my dad, wherever he is.
“You’d be proud, Dad. You raised some amazing men, even Holden,” I tease. “Seriously, though, I miss you so damn much. But tonight, I feel like I saw glimpses of you. Henry’s kindness and desire to make sure everyone gets along are something he most definitely gets from you. Hayden has your common sense and your call-you-on-your-bullshit, no-nonsense attitude down perfectly. Hell, and Holden, he’s probably the most like you, Dad. I’d never admit this to him, but he’s the one who practically forces us not to take ourselves too seriously. To find joy in thesimple things.” I stare at the sky for a minute or two before I say, “I just really hope they see some of you in me, too.”
I smile up at the heavens and rise from the glider. Just before I reach the door to head inside, my text alert dings. I pull my phone from my pocket and glance down at the text.
Holden
Dad would be proud of you, Harrison. You’ve stepped up and taken care of our family—protected us, even—just as well as he would have. Love you, brother.
I glance back up into the stars. “Thanks, Dad.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Delaney
Iyelp and nearly pee my pants when a little sprite dressed in a ballet tutu jumps out from around the corner.
“Surprise!” she yells.
Yes. Most definitely a surprise.
Layla Aron bursts into a fit of giggles. It might be the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.
Seconds later, her mom, Tillie, follows with a sleeping toddler in her arms.
“I’m so sorry. When she said she wanted to surprise you, I didn’t think she meant literallyjumpingout andscreaming‘surprise.’”
I smile and nod, still catching my breath. “It’s okay. Nobody peed their pants. Almost, but not quite.”
Tillie chuckles, and for some reason, I’m almost completely at ease around her.
“Mom, Delaney ismyfriend,” Layla announces. “I’mhere to seeher.”
“Well, she can be my friend too,” Tillie says with a gentle smile. “She doesn’t have to be just your friend.”
Layla eyes her mom with skepticism for a few seconds while twirling a long piece of her curly blonde hair. Then, she grins.
“Okay, but she was my friend first.”
“That’s okay,” Tillie replies. “She can be both of our friends. She can even be Lena’s friend.”
Layla twists the side of her mouth and pops her hip out, sassily planting her hand on it.
“Mom, Lena can’t have friends yet. She still poops her pants. You don’t get to have friends if you poop your pants.”
I cover my mouth, trying hard not to laugh out loud. There’s no question Layla’s logic makes perfect sense—toher.
“I’m not sure that’s how it works, Ladybug,” Tillie says. It’s clear she’s fighting a smile that’s trying to escape.
“Itis, Mommy. She stinks sometimes. You can’t have friends when you smell like poop. Nobody wants to be friends if you’re a smelly belly.” She shrugs.
“Oh? Is that how it goes, then?” Tillie asks.
“Yeah. That’s why I brush my teeth two timeseveryday now. Daddy said if I didn’t, my breath would stink and I wouldn’t have friends. Well… he didn’t say Iwouldn’thave friends, but he said my breath would smell bad, and I know you don’t have friends when you’re like that. He said I’d have halley… halley toes is.”
“Oh, hedid, did he?”
“Hedid.When I was”—she pauses and scratches her head—“four. Yeah, it was before you was my mommy.”
