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“Oh, how do you know? You weren’t out here.”
He tosses a thumb in my direction. “Cash told me so.”
Hadley throws her hands up in the air and marches back to the kitchen. “Y’all are ridiculous. They’re cute together. Weston is respectful with her and she’s happy. If either of you interfere with that, she won’t be as happy. Do you want to be the one to make her unhappy?”
“No,” we both mumble.
“I’m glad we can agree on something. Now, I need you two to get over here and help me with the dressing and cutting the vegetables for the crudité.”
“Yes, ma’am,” we say together.
As we’re walking to the kitchen, Robert whispers to me, “When did she get so bossy?”
I shrug. “Not a clue.”
“I heard that!”
“You’re in trouble.”
He nods and pours himself a cup of coffee before picking up a knife. He stares at it and then with a sheepish look says, “I have no idea what I’m doing with this.”
Hadley laughs. “I’ll show you. About time you learned to do stuff for yourself.”
I watch the two out of the corner of my eye while I mix the ingredients for the dressing together. Hadley is holding the knife above Robert’s hand, helping him cut carrots and celery. Encouraging him when he makes a good cut and correcting him when he holds the knife wrong.
It’s such a backward scenario, the child teaching something to the parent, but neither of them seems to mind. And Robert appears to be enjoying himself.
Once my task is complete, I switch gears for the corn casserole and place both casserole dishes into the fridge until we’re ready to leave.
“I need to shower and change,” Hadley announces, wiping her hands on a towel. “The veggies can go in the fridge. I think there’s room.”
“We’re leaving in an hour? Is that right?” Robert asks.
“Yeah. I won’t be long.”
Much like Brooklyn did with me, she kisses him on the cheek and as she’s walking past me, slaps me on the butt.
“He got a kiss and you hit me?”
She looks over her shoulder and winks.
Robert and I settle on the couch, watching the parade that always bores me to tears but he seems excited to watch it.
“You going to ask her?”
“Huh?” I tear my eyes away from watching Snoopy float over New York City.
“To marry you. Are you planning to ask her?”
I choke on absolutely nothing and he grins, patting me on the back.
“So? What’s your answer?”
“Yes, I plan to. And before you say anything, I also intended to speak with you first. We might be older but I’m a man of tradition and I would never propose without your blessing.”
“Well, you have it. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. And trust me, I know what she went through to get here. Her mom and I didn’t do much right in raising her, which means I can’t take credit for how incredible she is, but I do know my daughter well enough to see the change in her. I know part of that is moving away from Chicago but the biggest difference is you. You’re good for her, and my granddaughter, too. Even Trotter and Logan have mentioned it as well. I’m not saying Trotter isn’t a good dad, because he is. Of course, he didn’t start off that way. He was stuck in the lifestyle for longer than Hadley was, but he learned and grew up. In a way that took me a lot longer. I’m ashamed of the way I was.”
I swallow hard and open my mouth to say, what, I don’t know, but he holds up a hand to stop me.
