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I chuckle, envisioning chasing my son around the house while he protests putting on a new diaper. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve already got the whole place baby proofed.”
“I personally think you went overboard,” Eden admits. “Did you have to baby proof the cupboards above the sink? There’s no way he’s going to be able to reach those.”
“You know me. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Food, Lucas signs to Mei-Lee. We’ve been teaching him baby sign language for ease of communication. It fills me with an immense sense of pride to see him take to it so quickly. It’s evident to everyone that he inherited his mother’s intelligence.
Here you go,Mei-Lee signs back with a wide smile.
“When do you fly out again?” Eden asks her mother.
“First thing tomorrow,” Annabeth answers. “Spielberg needs me in Italy for his new biopic. You better make sure to send me lots of pictures of Lucas. I don’t want to miss a thing while I’m gone.”
The sound of a car pulling into our cul-de-sac grabs my attention. I’ve never seen the vehicle before, a dull red Toyota that I know for a fact doesn’t belong to any of our neighbors. The car parks by the curb.
Out steps Thomas.
An odd tension fills the air, but it isn’t immediately hostile. I rise to my full height just in case. We haven’t heard from him in a while. I knew that he fell off the wagon, but it was radio silence thereafter. A tiny part of my brain worried that the worst had happened.
For the most part, he looks good. Clean and put together, a stark contrast to the man who confronted me about seeing his daughter. I hold my breath, silently praying that he’s cleaned up his act.
“Hey,” Thomas says.
Eden picks Lucas up in her arms and stands. “Hey,” she replies softly.
Thomas smiles gently when he lays eyes on his grandson. There’s hesitation behind his eyes, but there’s a hint of joy, as well. “So, this is him?”
Eden nods. “This is Lucas Stride. Sweetie, this is Grampie. Can you wave?”
Lucas flexes his fingers, mimicking his mother’s gesture.
Thomas glances at Annabeth. They exchange a respectful nod.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, deciding it’s better to rip the Band-Aid off.
He swallows, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I… wanted to see my daughter. And my grandson. I heard about what happened. Talk about crazy.”
“Yeah,” Eden whispers. “Wild.”
Thomas stands a bit straighter, steeling himself. “I took what you said to heart, Eden. I was granted more than my fair share of chances to better myself, but I threw those opportunities away. It wasn’t right of me to put so much of the burden on you. I see that now. I want you to know that I’ve been attending AA meetings. I actually just received my one-year chip.”
Eden smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I’m really glad to hear that, Dad. I’m really proud of you.”
“I wanted to come see you sooner. To apologize. But I wanted to make absolutely sure I was ready.”
She nods understandingly. “The point is that you’re here and you’re doing better. I’m sorry that I wasn’t more supportive. I felt guilty for what I said to you that day.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. You did everything you could and tried to help me every way you knew how.Iwas in the wrong for taking you for granted.” Thomas turns to me. He chews on the inside of his cheek, likely searching for the right words. “I’m sorry, Hunter.”
I’m a little dizzy. I don’t know if it’s because I’m suffering from sunstroke or because I never thought I’d hear Thomas say those words. “It’s fine, man. Don’t worry about it.”
“No, no. I… I want to apologize. Ineedto. I’m sorry I accused you of having an affair with Annabeth.”
“We’re going back that far, are we?”
“Please, just let me get this out.”
“Sorry. Go ahead.”
