On a small table was a half-built Lego starship. Luke walked over to it and frowned. “I’m kinda stuck on this. Can you help?”
Finn smiled. “Sure. Although I bet you’re really good at this.”
“I am.” Luke sat down and motioned to Finn to sit on the bed. They worked in silence for a little while.
Then, out of nowhere, Luke asked, “So, you were in the Army? Did you have to shoot people?”
Finn snorted. “No, I was in the Navy. Then I became a SEAL. Sometimes we had to stop bad people. Sometimes that meant shooting, but only when we had to.”
“Was it scary?”
“Sometimes.” Finn took a deep breath. “But we trained a lot. I trusted the guys I was with. We had each other’s backs.”
Luke nodded thoughtfully. “That’s like my friend Jack and me. We have each other’s backs.”
“Good to hear. Everyone needs someone in their corner.”
“Yup.” Luke hesitated, biting his lip. “Will you teach me how to shoot?”
Whoa. Finn blinked. That came out of left field. Being a dad was a lot harder than he thought. He’d never been around many kids, didn’t know they asked so many questions.
He cleared his throat. “Umm, right now that’s a big no.”
Luke looked disappointed. “Oh.”
“But,” Finn added quickly, “when you’re older, much older, and if it’s okay with your mom, I will take you to the range. We’ll do it the right way. Safety first.”
Luke grinned. “Yay!”
They worked for a few more minutes in silence. Luke continued adding pieces to the project. Then he asked quietly, “Do you think … I could call you Dad? Maybe not right now. But sometime?”
Finn’s chest squeezed so tight he could barely speak. He nodded. “I would like that very much. Whenever you’re ready.”
Luke didn’t answer, but Finn saw the small, crooked smile on his face as he clipped another piece into place.
And that was enough. Finn’s heart nearly cracked open.
He was a dad!
Later that evening,Finn helped Lainey clean up the dinner dishes. The three of them played card games after dinner, laughing and joking around. It was the most fun Finn had ever had. Luke had a keen sense of humor. It felt like the missing piece of his life had snapped right into place.
And when bedtime came, he asked Finn to read him a story and actually hugged him good night.
“I think today went well,” she said when he came back down. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Luke’s always been a go-with-the-flow kid. I know he let Richard into his life without issues.” She smiled and leaned against the counter. “Thank you for today.”
Finn’s jaw tightened at the name.Richard.
He turned to face her. “Feels surreal, especially after missing so much.”
“You didn’t miss it by choice.”
“Still missed it,” he murmured. He glanced at his watch. “I should go.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. “Yeah. This has been a lot. For him. Probably for you, too.”
“And you.”
