AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Been thinking about it. She sees Doc Patterson in a few days. Then another visit after Christmas. If she gets the all clear when the tour is done, I’ll see about taking her somewhere close. But I don’t know that she’s gonna want to be really far from the kids.”
“Fair.” I got that. Selfishly, I also didn’t want her far but we would do whatever she and Archie needed. Sometimes, Frankie forgot she needed to look after herself too. “We’ve got backup coming though.” Starting in January, the grandparents had all set up a rotating schedule.
“Dad’s actually excited about that,” Archie said with a faint smile. “He likes when the other grandparents visit. Apparently, they now have their own regular group chat so they can keep up on everything.”
“And gossip about us.” I harbored no doubts about it. My father had mentioned it the year before. The moms loved to talk and the dads enjoyed the information. Not all the parents were in the chat. Coop’s dad and Archie’s mom… “Have you talked to your mother?”
He cocked his head to the side like he needed to consider his answer. “No. But she sent a card for Christmas, one addressed to me only, as usual.”
Damn. “She’s still salty about the lack of wedding invite?”
Archie just shrugged. “I don’t care what she’s salty about. Not anymore. Dad and I—we’ve come a long way. I extended an olive branch to her after Izzy was born. Then she was such a bitch about wanting to know if Izzy was actually my child versus you know…’the pretend game’ we’re all playing.”
The absolute hostility edging his voice was something we all shared. The kids were ours period. For medical reasons, we needed the DNA knowledge and Frankie loved picking names that went with our initials. Beyond that, Izzy was every bit as much my daughter as Josh was Archie’s son and these twins would belong to us as well.
Our kids.
Our family.
“Well, fuck her.” The last time I’d even seen Muriel Standish had been senior year when Maddy had Eddie convinced that Frankie was his daughter. We’d flown all the way to Manhattan, Archie and I, to confront her and see what she knew.
“Pretty much.”
I bumped his shoulder and he just gave a shrug.
“Don’t worry about me. I got a dad for real out of all this and Muriel is where she chose to be. She wants to be out, she can be out. My family and I will be just fine. Looks like we’re done.”
We were but I still hated this for him. Granted, I’d had my own issues with my father for years. Issues I’d really needed to grow up to understand. I didn’t think all the years and the distance would ever help out Muriel.
Her loss.
“Papa!” Josh yelled as he spied Archie as he skated over.
“Little Big Man,” Archie held up his hand for a high five, and Josh smacked it.
“Did you see, Daddy?” Josh practically glowed with his accomplishment. “Coach says I’m good.”
“I’m with Coach,” I told him and then helped him put on the covers to his blades before I just picked him up and moved him clear of the other kids.
Between me and Archie, we got his skates off and his shoes on. “I’m starving,” Josh said. “Can we get pizza?”
“We can look at that later,” Archie said. “I actually came to get you and Daddy to go get Mama and Dad.”
Josh’s expression transformed. “Mama’s coming home?”
“Yep.” Archie checked his watch. “Flight should be here in just under an hour. We have time to get food on the way.”
“Yay!!”
Josh half-skipped out to the car, then screeched as we cleared the doors. “It’s snowing!”
I caught his shoulder before he could tear off into the parking lot.
“Sorry, Daddy,” he apologized then clasped my hand.
“I know, no taking off.”
“I won’t.”
