“Liam. Have you asked anyone?”
His eyes darted around the room before he slowly pulled his hand back.
“You have to ask first before you take,” I said.
“Mew, can I have nana?” he asked.
“Dad, is it okay for him to have one of those bananas?” I asked.
“He’s a growing boy! He can have two bananas if he wants,” my father said.
“Two?” Liam asked, his eyes growing wide.
“One at a time,” I said, giggling.
We all sat down at the kitchen table while my father made up some snacks. There was no high chair for Hadley, but my dad was completely content with sitting her in his lap. He was asking Evan all sorts of questions. Everything from ‘what do you do?’ to ‘what happened to the kid’s mother’?
I watched him draw in a deep breath before I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm.
“They’re not my kids biologically. I’m their uncle.”
“Oh?” my father asked.
“They’re my brother’s kids. He and his wife died in an accident a few months ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” my father said. “It takes a good man to take in two children that aren’t his.”
“I love them. They’re my life. I wouldn’t have wanted them to go anywhere else,” Evan said.
I smiled over at Evan and saw my father’s eyes take on a shine.
“Son, you are every bit the man my daughter told me you are. I see the way she smiles at you. She hasn’t smiled like that in years. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for her, and for me. Knowing she is stronger and happy has been the best medicine for this old heart. Better than all those damn pills I have to take.”
“But you’re going to keep taking them, right?” I asked him sternly.
My father chuckled and shook his head. “Always the mother hen, this one. Yes, sweetheart, I will continue to take the pills. I have a lot to look forward to and I plan on being around for a long time.”
“Mr. Peterson, I have something I need to tell you,” Evan said.
“What is it?” my father asked.
“I’m in love with your daughter.”
My father fixed his eyes on Evan as mine filled with tears.
“She blew into my life on a snowstorm and fell into a comfortable rhythm with my family. She’s brought a light and a joy into my home that I didn’t think I deserved. The kids adore her and I’m head over heels for her. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out. And I can promise you, she will always be protected with me. She will always be looked after and taken care of as long as I’m in the picture. So, with your permission, I’d like to offer her a home with me.”
My eyes were watering with every single word that poured from his lips.
“You want her to live permanently with you?” my father said.
“She fits our family perfectly. She loves the kids, I know she loves me. She has a home with us, whether she chooses to stay or not. With your permission, I’d like to make it a proper home.”
The smile that crossed my father’s face was deep and full of admiration.
“Do you love him?” my father asked, turning his attention to me.
“I do,” I said, nodding. “I love him very much.”
“Then there’s only one thing I ask of you,” my father said, turning back to Evan.
“Anything you need,” Evan said.
“If there’s anything you need, especially with these two kids, you call me. Especially if you need a babysitter. I’d love to have little ones around me again. They bring so much life into a home.”
My father held out his hand for Evan to shake and I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
“You have my word,” Evan said.
The two of them shook hands and I sat back into the chair with relief. Smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces as Liam wiggled down from the chair. Hadley was blowing spit bubbles in Dad’s face and Liam was tumbling around on the furniture.
We wrangled Liam back to the table and we all sat for lunch. We stayed for a couple hours and I beamed when Hadley fell asleep on my father’s chest. The look on his face was priceless. It had been a while since he had been this happy too.
Thinking to how I would feel if anything happened to Hadley or Liam was like a punch in the gut, and they weren’t even my flesh and blood. My dad had been through hell, and I was happy that I was able to bring some light into his life again as well.
All thanks to the wonderful man sitting next to me.
We stayed for another hour until Hadley woke up and packed the kids up to head home. Home. What a feeling. I told my dad I’d be back the next day to pick up some of my things and he asked me to bring some toys over for the kids that he could keep at his house. I happily agreed and kissed him goodbye.