“It was great,” Nick fibbed. “But the best part was coming back to you.”
“I know what you mean, Dad. Sometimes when I’m at school I miss you so much,” Miles admitted. “It’s like a little ache in my chest.”
Just hearing what was resting on his son’s heart nearly did him in. Tender moments like this one always seemed to come out of nowhere. Each and every time Miles said something poignant, Nick was blown away. His throat was clogged with emotion. He must be doing something right if he had nurtured such a wonderful soul as Miles.
“Buddy, I was thinking we should do something kind of wacky, just for fun.”
“What’s that?” Miles asked, leaning forward toward the front seat.
“Ice cream before dinner,” Nick said, looking in the rearview mirror so he could see his son’s reaction.
Miles let out a deafening scream. “Seriously? For real?”
“For real,” Nick said, chuckling at his son’s enthusiasm. “YOLO, right?”
“YOLO,” Miles yelled. “Best. Surprise. Ever.”
A few minutes later they were standing at the counter of Sweet Dreams ordering mint chocolate chip for Nick and cookie dough for Miles on waffle cones. Today had been a beast of a day, so in Nick’s mind this was the perfect way to salvage it. Being spontaneous and making his son smile lifted him up to the stratosphere.
As soon as they got home, Nick drew a bath for Miles, then threw some laundry in the washing machine while trying to come up with some ideas for dinner. Just as Miles sat down to do his homework, footsteps sounded on the floorboards. Luke, Stella, baby Jade, Lucy, and Dante walked into the kitchen.
“Uncle Luke!” Miles called out, jumping up from the kitchen table and wrapping his arms around his waist. “I didn’t know you guys were coming over. Are we having a party?” Miles asked, wide-eyed as everyone trooped in, rapidly filling up the space.
“Not a party,” Dante said, placing his arm around Miles. “Just family getting together to support one another.”
Miles leaned into Dante’s chest. “Just like at my soccer games. I love spending time with you guys.”
“You still have to do your homework,” Nick said, chuckling as Miles let out a groan.
Luke walked over to stand next to Nick. “Gary called me. We decided you needed some Thai food,” Luke said, holding up a few brown bags.
“And some TLC,” Lucy said, reaching out and hugging him.
Stella put the baby carrier down on the floor and quickly made her way to Nick’s side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “We’re so sorry, Nick,” she said in a low whisper. He knew she was making sure Miles didn’t sense anything was up. Nick had no idea when or how to even broach the subject with his son. Like most parents, he wanted his child to hold on to his innocence as long as possible.
Being surrounded by his family had turned an unbearable day into one filled with support and love. For so long Nick had stuffed down his anger about Kara’s accident, but he couldn’t very well continue to do so now that Frank Baker was a free man. The injustice of the situation nagged at him. Thankfully, he was buoyed by the support from his loved ones who wouldn’t let him wallow over the situation. He wasn’t battling this alone. And that meant the world to him.
***
A quick look at today’s schedule had shown Harlow that Nick was coming in this morning with Zeus. She still hadn’t recovered from their encounter at the Coffee Bean. All she’d wanted to do was set up a boundary so she and Nick were on the same page from the beginning. Instead, she’d inserted her big foot in her mouth and ruined everything in the space of a few seconds.
“Come on, Harlow,” Malcolm had said when she told him about it. “You wear this suit of armor in order to protect yourself from getting hurt. It’s way more about you than Nick.”
A sigh escaped her lips. She folded her arms tightly across her chest and blew out a huff of air. “I didn’t say it was Nick’s fault. And why are you so sure it’s about me? Maybe I was just being clumsy with my words.”
“Because it’s true. Tell me this. When was the last time you were in love with someone?”
Harlow rolled her eyes. “That’s a cheap shot. You know I’ve never been in love.” Every time she said it out loud, Harlow experienced a twisting sensation in her gut. She always flashed back to the pint-sized version of herself—the little girl who’d played dress-up bride and dreamed of a fancy wedding. She’d forced a reluctant Malcolm to play the role of groom by giving him her allowance.
Where had that little girl gone?she wondered.
You know where she went, a little voice buzzed.
“That’s my point. You’re afraid to fall. You’re scared to be vulnerable. You run when things get real.”
Harlow let out a hoot of laughter. “Thanks for the analysis, Doctor Jones. What are your hourly rates?”
Malcolm scoffed. “Laugh all you want, but I’m right,” Malcolm said. “Isn’t it time you faced it?”
