“Yup, I got here not too long ago.”
“I bet your nana was happy to see you?” There was a wistfulness in his father’s voice and knew that he missed his mother. They hadn’t spoken in twenty years, and it had to be killing them both.
“You know you can call and talk to her or come with me.”
“It’s not so easy, and you know that.”
“That’s just it, Pop, I don’t.”
Alphonso had gone through this conversation with his parents too many times to count, and each time he still didn’t understand their point. He didn’t plan on going anywhere, not when he could still feel the town’s magic repairing what he’d lost in the twenty-years he’d been gone.
“I’m glad you got there safe. Kiss my grandbaby for me, and tell my little brother I’ll call him later.”
Kayne hung up before Alphonso could say anything else. He shook his head and threw his phone on the bed. His father was a stubborn ass mule instead of a wolf. Instead of calling his pop back and with Tamia still sleeping, he took the opportunity to get their bags unpacked and shower. He’d told himself he was only going to relax for a bit and did not expect to fall asleep.
A coupleof hours later Alphonso woke up to the sound of laughter, coming from another part of the house. With how large the mansion was he was surprised that he heard anything. Alphonso sat up quickly and looked beside him, noticing that Tamia wasn’t there. Hopping out of bed he hurried around the room searching for his daughter. Not seeing her anywhere he hoped she was a part of the noise that woke him up.
Following the sound of laughter, his body relaxed when heard Tamia chuckle along with everyone else. Alphonso got to the kitchen and stood at the entrance watching his grandmother and Tamia get to know each other. The smile on both their faces filled him with joy he couldn’t put it into words. He had no idea what they were doing, but all that mattered was his daughter seemed to be fine without him around. Alphonso wasn’t sure if that was a good thing since they’d only been in town for a couple of hours.
He studied his grandmother’s face for a few minutes and shook his head. He marveled at how beautiful she was. Rosemary Vale didn’t look a day over one sixty in human years much less close to one hundred. Even in the comfort of her own home, she was dressed as if she was expecting dinner guests at any moment. Her ever-present diamond stud earrings, make-up, and a chic outfit to match. Rosemary Vale would continue to be the same and Alphonso hoped she would never change.
“Do you think your daddy wants to come and help us out?” Rosemary asked Tamia.
“Shh…” Tamia said putting a finger to her lips. “Daddy seeping.”
“Daddy is not sleeping,” Alphonso said walking into the kitchen
“Daddy!” Tamia screeched. With his quick reflexes he caught Tamia before she tried to jump off the chair she was standing on. He threw her up in the air catching her and kissed on her chubby cheeks.
“Are you having fun with Nana?” Tamia shook her head in response then buried her face in his neck.
“Don’t be all shy now that your daddy’s in the room, my little witchlet,” his grandmother said stepping beside them and tickled Tamia’s side and making her giggle.
Alphonso wrapped an arm around Rosemary’s shoulder and pulled her close to him. He placed a gentle kiss to the side of her head, and her familiar scent hit him, bringing back the nostalgia of when he was a child being in her arms. Rosemary wrapped an arm around his waist to rest her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, neither needing to say a word. They might have spoken to each other over the years, but it had been a long time since he’d been in her presence.
As a child, he’d felt torn wanting to visit but felt as if it would be a betrayal to his fathers. He’d let the feeling stay with him into adulthood, but after Tamia came into his life, he realized there was nothing for him to feel guilty about. The strife was between his grandmother and father, and it had nothing to do with him.
“I’m sorry, Nana,” he whispered.
“For what?” She raised her head and looked at him.
“I shouldn’t have taken so long to come home.”
She rested a hand to his cheek. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Your father will return one day as well. He just needs time.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Trust in your nana, child. Soon all the Vale’s will be together again.”
Alphonso went to speak, but his stomach growled so loud Tamia, jumped in surprise, and his grandmother stepped back a bit looking at him before she barked out a laugh.
“What do you think, my little witchlet, should we feed your daddy what we were making?” Rosemary said once her laughter died down.
Tamia nodded. “We make food for you, daddy.” She seemed so proud of herself that she did something new. At home, he’d never thought to have her help him in the kitchen because of the fear that she’d get hurt.
“How did you get her to warm up to you without me around?” He asked his grandmother.
“When I went to check in on you, she was sitting up in bed. I asked her if she wanted to come and help me out in the kitchen and the rest, as they say, is history.”
