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“Yeah. Thanks. I’ll think about it. But I’m still not going to the jamboree ... dances are boring.”
The legs on Cash’s chair scraped against the floor as he pushed it back to stand. He walked toward the center of the room and pushed back the furniture until an empty square of hardwood was left. Jimmy and I exchanged a curious glance before Cash came back and offered me his hand. “Will you do me the honor?”
Confused, I furrowed my brow and glanced at Jimmy, whose expression mirrored mine. “There’s no music.” He told his phone to play Country Playlist One, and “Chicken Fried”by the Zac Brown Band came on. Pulling me up, he looked at Jimmy. “Watch and learn, Son.”
When Jimmy smiled, I couldn’t help but do what Cash asked. Before I knew it, we were dancing like we had all those years ago. We moved in sync, his hand flexed around mine as he guided me around the small square he created in the middle of his living room. He spun me out of his arms before pulling me back toward him, only for him to make me squeal as he dipped me.
Jimmy’s laugh was better than any song that could have been playing. Cash brought me back into his arms and continued to two-step me around his living room. The song changed, and Cash stopped dancing and looked at Jimmy.
“Your turn,” he said, to which our son shook his head. “Come on, you never leave a beautiful woman waiting.”
Slowly Jimmy got up, and I had a feeling this was all part of Cash’s plan. And if that was the case, I needed to thank him. Jimmy stood in front of me. Before I knew it, we were moving around the room. Every so often, he would stutter-step, but Cash kept encouraging him.
When the second song ended, Jimmy gave me a tight smile. “Thank you for the dance,” I said.
“What do I tell them about you and Cash? Not back then, but now? And what do I call him?”
Taking his hand, I moved us to the sofa, where we sat down. Glossing over his first question, since I didn’t have an answer, I moved on to a more important one. “What would you like to call him?”
He looked at Cash, who stood off to the side with his arms casually crossed over his chest. “I don’t know.”
We remained silent as Jimmy looked off into the distance. After a few long minutes, he turned toward Cash. “Can I call you Dad? It’ll be weird for a bit, but I think I could get used to it if it’s okay with you.”
Cash’s eyes misted over, and a lump formed in my throat.
“I’d love that.” Cash dragged the coffee table in front of us and sat down on it. “What about your mom? Do you think you can forgive her? People make mistakes, and if I can understand why she did what she did, maybe you can too? I mean, you’ve got to admit, she’s pretty cool ... and beautiful too.”
Sitting there listening to them talk about me as though I weren’t there was odd. Even after a short time, Cash and Jimmy’s connection was undeniable.
Not being able to remain silent, I added, “If you’re not ready to forgive me, I’ll understand. I was wrong, and I’m so sorry. Please know that everything I did and didn’t do was because I love you.”
“I know. That’s what Grandma said.”
“You talked to Grandma?” Why that surprised me, I had no idea. Of course she’d called him.
“Yes. She explained some things to me. I still don’t get it, but I suppose I can understand it a little bit better. But you never answered my question.”
So happy that he was coming around; I’d answer anything he asked. “Which one?”
“You and Cash. I mean Dad. Are you going to get back together? You’re not still mad at him, right?”
Was I? Should I be? “I’ve realized that you’re not my little boy anymore. So I hope you understand that my relationship with Cash is a bit more complicated. Do I believe that he didn’t know that you were his son? Yes. Do I forgive him?” I took a moment and looked at Cash. “Yes, I do, but that doesn’t mean we’re getting back together.”
Cash chimed in, “Your mom and I will figure things out. For now, why don’t we take one day at a time?”
“Cool. Is it okay if I stay here one more night?”
One more night.A gentle tingle spread through my chest as though my heart had doubled in size, knowing we were going to be okay.
“Yes, of course.”
“Thanks. I’m going to call Max now. He’s going to freak out. Oh, Mom, I need to sign up for camp soon. I can still go, right? I have my allowance if you need it.”
I could practically feel Cash vibrating. Yes, he had a lot more money than I did, but Jimmy never went without. We just didn’t go overboard.
“Yes, you can still go.”
“Great! Thanks.” He ran upstairs.
