Page 14 of Daddy’s Little Secret

“It really is quite peaceful here. No noisy neighbors fighting or sirens blaring down the road. I love how each cabin has a front porch.” Calm was what the group seemed to crave after living in the big city all our lives.

“I knew you’d love it up here, Grandma. Just wait until you see all the animals. And we get snow in the winter.”

“Snowmen!” Tae cheered, and Trey joined in as they danced and played around.

The cabins were far enough apart to allow for a bit of privacy but close enough to where we could still see each of the homes. Having as many acres as we did gave us plenty of space. We did our best to situate the homes in areas where any trees we removed were either dead or small enough to be relocated elsewhere on the property. It was important to us to keep our carbon footprints to a minimum.

Who knows, sustainable off-grid cabins could be the wave of the future. Or for northern Arizona, at the very least.

Chuck entered the code to his mom’s cabin. “It’s the same code for all cabins, that way in case of an emergency any of us can get inside. When the cabin is occupied, we utilize common courtesies and knock first,” Chuck told Esther then gave her the code. “Here we are.”

“Oh, now, this is adorable. I love how she’s decorated it.”

“Momma has a bit of an obsession with sunflowers, but they do brighten the place and tone down the wood.” Chuck was all smiles. I knew it meant a lot to him to be able to do this for his mother.

“Tae, did you paint this beautiful field of sunflowers?” Esther asked him.

“I did. I love sunflowers, it’s like they’re always smiling at you.” I was certain the smile on his face wasn’t forced in any way.

“So, mine will look just like this?” Chuck nodded. “I’ll have a fireplace too?”

“Yes, ma’am. We can show you the plans if you’d like,” Chuck offered. “Same room sizes, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and utility room.”

“Can I help with any of the costs? Is it okay to go ahead and order furniture? I feel like I should be helping.” Esther was overwhelmed, in a good way. But I understood her trepidation. Things like this didn’t happen to people like us. At least not before Chuck came into our lives.

“Tell you what, feel free to cook for us anytime you like and we’ll call it even,” Chuck said. “We work long hours at times, and it would be nice to come home and have a warm meal waiting.”

“Not only can I do that, but I’d love to. It’s been far too long since I cooked for anyone besides me.” Grandma was the best cook I knew, and I really missed it.

“Let’s show you the last cabin, Chuck and Tae’s. It’s also where our office is, and the shop is in the connected garage.” I loved having all of that on site. Made life up here much easier.

The boys ran ahead of us, and Esther stepped up beside me. “I’ve got to say, while I don’t fully understand this Daddy lifestyle, I’ve never seen my grandson happier. It’s like a part of him he’d held back for so long is finally free.”

“That’s a great way of putting it. It’s all about being true to yourself and letting go. Trey has that freedom with me because he knows Daddy will be there to take care of everything and catch him if he falls.”

“You’re a good man, Oscar.”

“Thank you, Esther, coming from you that means a lot. You did a great job raising him, now you can sit back and relax and know I’ll always put him first.”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you. Those two together are adorable. Moving up here with you all was definitely the right choice for me.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Tomorrow, we can run into town and show you around. Pick up any groceries I may’ve forgotten. There’s a really good diner we usually hit when we’re there.”

“Sounds good, and lunch is on me.” Esther smiled. “God above, this land is beautiful.”

“It definitely draws you in.”

“Daddy,” Trey called out. “Can you build us a fort for our new playground?”

“Playground?” Esther questioned.

“Yes, in the empty area the cabins were built around. Then the boys can play right where we can keep an eye on them,” I told her. “I think that’s a great suggestion, Angel.”

“Angel?” Esther asked.

“Yes, Trey has always been my angel, lighting the way when all I saw was the dark. Trey is my happy place.”

Esther dabbed her eyes. “I guess all this time I missed that about you, Oscar. All I saw was the man putting his brothers first, which I both understood and loathed, watching Trey sit back hurt. But now that I’m getting to know you better, I understand more, and I apologize for judging you so harshly.”