“Something else,” he says, and he motions for me to look.
Scurrying over the window, I take a peek outside, and I’m blown away by what I see. It’s something I didn’t expect to see today. Something that makes things seem just a little more whimsically magical.
Snow.
“I didn’t expect this.”
“Yeah,” he says, looking up at the sky. “Me neither. I’m going to go get some more wood,” he says. “It’s going to get cold. First, though...” He looks over at the little makeshift baby bed where Brandon is obviously awake. The only thing we can see from where we’re standing is one tiny hand reaching up and moving around, but we can hear him cooing.
Jace walks over to his son and without a word, sweeps him into his arms.
“Good morning, little fella,” he says, and he hugs the little boy.
For just a second, I think I’m going to start crying.
Seriously, I might completely lose it.
I can’t really believe what I’m seeing and to be honest, it feels very strange to me. Jace starts murmuring to Brandon, and I’m trying my best to hold it all together, but the truth is that I never knew my dad. I grew up with an awesome mom who loved me and would have given me the world, but there was always something missing.
I always had questions.
I always had these big dreams.
I always wanted to know what he was like.
I found out a few years ago who my father was, but I’d missed him. He passed away when I was only five from an incurable illness. My mom hadn’t kept in touch with him and had no idea, but I always wondered what he would have been like if things would have been different.
Much of my time as a kid was spent imagining what it would be like to hang out with my dad and just talk. What would it be like to just sit and chat for hours? What would it be like to have my dad show me how to use roller skates? There are so many things I missed out on because I didn’t have a dad.
Brandon isn’t going to have that same experience.
Nope, Brandon is going to have a dad. He’s going to get to know Jace, who, from what I can tell, is totally fantastic.
Jace is going to show him how to be a man and how to be a bear and how to be a good person, and it fills my heart with happiness to know just how lucky this kid really is.
I’m only a little jealous.
Just a little.
“He’s happy, isn’t he?” Jace asks, looking over at me. “He’s always making this happy face.”
“Yeah, he’s a good boy,” I say. “He’s probably ready for breakfast and a change, though.”
“Can I do it?” Jace asks.
“You want to feed him and change him?”
“Of course. I don’t know how. You’ll have to teach me.”
“Uh, sure. No problem. I mean, it’s pretty simple.”
“I learn fast,” he says, and he flashes me a smile that makes me want to melt. It feels strange, but good, to be able to show Jace how to care for his son. We walk through the steps of changing Brandon’s diaper. I even talk about different diapering options with Jace and let him know he can use disposable or cloth. Then I show him what it takes to make a bottle, how he can burp the baby, and how he can tell if Brandon is wet or tired or hungry.
“You’re good with him,” Jace says, observing me.
“Well, I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” I point out. “Pretty soon, you’ll be the one who’s good with him.”