Damien huffed as he shook his head and then turned his attention back to George.
“You know what, I believe your Cece is right. I do growl and bark a bit, do I not?” he asked George in an amused tone.
The boy giggled as he nodded.
“She is also right about me biting,” Damien went on. “Even if I sound angry, I am never going to hurt you.”
George looked hesitant for a moment, then asked, “Promise?”
Damien gave a grave nod as he looked at the boy with great seriousness.
“I swear it,” he promised.
He then gave the boy’s palms a soft squeeze, then let go so he could rise to his full height.
“Now you said you wanted to go on a picnic, yes?” he asked, and George, with his excitement renewed, readily nodded his head.
“Very good. Let us go then. But perhaps instead of swimming today, I could teach you to fly a kite.”
George’s eyes widened with excitement as Caroline’s expression softened into a look of gratitude, a look that immediately made Damien’s heart throb with longing.
“I would like that very much,” George agreed.
“Excellent,” Damien announced, rubbing his hands together as he drew on a smile. “Now let us go down to the kitchens and havethem make us a basket.”
“It is so high!” George exclaimed with joy.
Damien’s smile was wide and genuine as he looked away from the floating kite and down to the little boy at his side. His tiny hands were wrapped tightly around the wooden peg the spool of string was attached to, holding it just as Damien taught him to.
He had been nervous at first. He had never taught a child to do anything before. However, George’s willingness to learn made it quite easy, and it did not take very long to teach the boy how to get the kite into the air.
Behind them on their picnic blanket under the shade of the tree were Caroline and Jeremy. Caroline had brought some embroidery along, but her eyes were fixed on Damien and George, with a hopeful, affectionate smile on her face. Jeremy was on the opposite side of the blanket, lying out and snoring softly.
“You like it?” Damien asked.
George beamed at him.
“I love it,” the boy readily replied.
A surprising surge of pride swept through Damien.
“I am so glad,” he replied earnestly. “It was so long ago that I made this kite, I was worried it would not fly.”
George’s eyes grew wide with wonder as he looked from Damien to the kite.
“You made this yourself?” he asked.
“When I was not much older than you,” Damien confessed, “Jeremy and I would fly our kites all of the time until...”
He cut himself off, his chest suddenly feeling tight as awful memories flooded his mind.
“Did something happen to Jeremy’s kite?” George asked.
Damien nodded.Somethinghad happened to the kite. To Jeremy as well. Both had been damaged by the hands of their father. He cleared his throat and shook his head, forcing the memories to stop.
“Maybe you could teach me how to make a kite?” George asked, his little voice becoming a tether to reality for Damien. “We could make a new one for Jeremy, too, and we could fly all of our kites together.”
Damien’s heart throbbed at the thought, and a grateful smile spread across his lips. George had saved him from getting lost in awful memories and had not even known it. He crouched down and rested his hand on the little boy’s shoulder.
