One Year Later
Reed
“Alright buddy, you ready?”
Evan nods. “I’m weady, weed!”
It’s been a full year since the day I brought Holland to Serenity Ranch for the very first time, and to say our lives have changed feels like an understatement. The good thing is, change is kind of our thing. We take it as it comes, and we adapt.
Evan turned four a few months ago, and Holland and I made the decision to put him in preschool here in Chicago. That meant they were no longer on the road with me, and damn I miss them but, ultimately, I know it’s what is best for Evan. The Avalanche went on to win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, and to say that seems prettyunfuckingreal, but we did and I’m proud as hell of my team for doing it.
Today, we’re headed back to Serenity Ranch to visit Holland’s dad, Mike. Six months ago, when Holland decided to move in with me, it was only after Mike had really started to thrive with the staff and people at Serenity. He’d been going there for six months and it was obvious it was improving, not just his condition, but his happiness as well.
He still has bad days. There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, but those bad days are far outweighed by the good ones. Just last month, we spent the entire day in his workshop, tinkering with his boat. Even though it hasn’t been run in over five years, he remembers it like it was only yesterday and that’s what I continue to let him believe.
That day changed my life too.
“Hey Mike, I have a question for you.”
“Hmm?” Mike looks up at me, oil smeared on his face and a wrench between his lips. From the outside looking in, you’d never know he has a disease that steals his mind every day. Not on a day like today where it feels like all of those years ago, when Holland was just the girl next door, and I was just her best friend’s brother.
“I’m asking for your permission to propose to Holland. I want to marry her, sir.”
His eyes fill with unshed tears, and he nods. “You have my blessing, Reed. Always knew you two would end up together.”
“You did?” I ask.
Mike nods then shrugs. “Just the matter of you both figurin’ it out. Bout dang time.”
His smile makes my heart constrict, and I hold out my hand for him to shake. He bypasses it and pulls me into a hug. “Gonna give you a piece of advice, son. One that I don’t want you to ever forget. Love each other, even when it’s hard. Never go to bed mad, and always put your family first.”
“I will, Mike, I promise you.”
“Welcome to the family, son, now are you going to help me with this motor or stand there like a pretty boy?”
I grin and take the wrench from his extended hand.
I’ll never forget that moment. Even twenty years from now, I’ll remember Mike and the advice he gave me in that workshop.
Today, I’m making good on that promise and I’m proposing to Holland.
It’s just Evan and me, standing near the horse stable, waiting for her to walk around the corner. I’m not nervous for what I’m about to do.
I know without a doubt that Holland is our future. There’s never been any question. Not since that first night she sat next to me, shoving gummy worms into her mouth without a care in the world.
She’s been my girl, through it all.
Evan slides his clammy little hand into mine, and I grasp it tightly. He doesn’t really know what’s happening today, but he knows that it’s important, and hopefully, one day, he looks back and knows how important he is to me. How much he changed my life.
Without Evan, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. I’ve done a lot of changing over the past year. I’ve learned patience, understanding, and how to be a father. How to learn from my mistakes and not make the same ones over and over. How to love this little boy who has put his trust in me to take care of him. I’ve learned how to half-ass paint pictures, how to build Lego castles and to always check pockets before I do the laundry. Well, that one is more for Holland than me, and the thought makes me grin.
I’ve cleaned cuts and scrapes, checked under the bed for invisible monsters, and held my little guy when a bad dream left him in tears.
It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it. Over and over again.
Suddenly, I see a flash of Holland’s blonde hair, and she comes around the corner with a wide smile. Her eyes meet mine, and she looks between Evan and me and her brow furrows.
“Reed? Evan? I thought you were at the cabin?”