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“Dad is home! Dad is home.”
Lainey bounces down the stairs, Collin on her heels. She jumps from the third step right into my arms. I catch her, and she holds onto me so tight, I’m barely able to breathe.
“Lainey, sweetheart, I’m here. I’ll always come home.”
I look up the steps, wondering if Mom is here or if Noah has made it home from the hospital, but it’s Carl. It’s the man I’m part of. With Lainey still holding onto me, my eyes hit his. It’s different this time. I’m looking at my biological father, the man who I’m built like, both of his sons are built like him.
“Hey Ash,” he says, like we’re meeting for the first time, and in a way, we are.
“Hey, Carl.” What do I say to the man who is so much more than simply my father-in-law.
“Lainey, could you give me a chance to speak with Grandpa for a little bit? Think you and Collin can play outside for a while? It’s beautiful.”
“Will you come out and shoot basketballs with me, later?” Collin asks. We put in a half court on the side of the house, and he spends several hours outside practicing his skills.
“Of course I will, buddy.”
“Can we play horse, Col?” Lainey asks, and Collin nods his head. “You’re going down, brother.”
The kids are my therapy. I have no idea what will happen with Noah and me, but these kids will always be the best thing I’ve ever done.
“I love those kids so much,” Carl states as we both watch them disappear through the backdoor. He’s five feet away and turns toward me. “I know this is a stupid question, but how are you doing, son?”
Son. He’s called me son from the beginning, but today it holds a whole new meaning.
He’s always been welcoming of me, and today is no different. He opens his arms to receive me, and with the two steps, I let him welcome me as his son.
“I’m so sorry, Ash. I’m not sure if I would have done it any differently. I want to be mad at Evelyn, and we love Liam as our son, that will never be in question, but…”
I get it. Caitlyn will always be my mom. It has taken me a while to figure out if this changes things with my mom or Tia. And it won’t. They are my family, but now Evelyn and Carl are too. It doesn’t change things. It just adds to the amount of people who love me.
“Caitlyn is my mom. I get it. But, I’m still your blood.”
He still has his arms around me.
“I saw Evelyn this morning,” I say. He pulls back from this embrace that is almost twenty-eight years in the making.
“You did? She gave me space, once we knew Liam would be okay. Though, I’ve already forgiven Evvy. Then I came here to give Caitlyn some time to see both Tia and Liam. Caitlyn needs to see you, son. She is distraught. And you need to tell her what you’ve just told me, how Caitlyn will always be your mother.”
“I’m going to the hospital later, but the kids have to know I’ll always come home. I want to play basketball with Collin, Barbies with Lainey, and take a much-needed shower. Are you willing to stay with them a little longer?”
Carl has tears spilling over his eyes. “I’m here for you, anytime and anyway. I’ll start some dinner, and you go spend time with your kids.”
“Carl?” I ask, and I pull him back into an embrace. “Thank you for everything.”
“I love you, son. My love for you is unconditional, as it always will be.”
I didn’t realize I needed to hear his words until they hit my ears. And I’ll hold on tight to them.
* * *
After a coupleof hours of one on one with Collin, playing Barbie’s with Lainey, a shower, and Carl’s famous spaghetti and meatballs, I’m pulling into the parking garage. I have no idea where Noah is. I want to see him, but my focus is my mom and sister.
The door to her floor opens and I turn to the nurses’ station. They all know me. “Ash, are you here to see the General?” Sonya, mom’s work bestie, isn’t joking. Tia is a handful on the best of days. On the worst, she is bossy and domineering.
“The General? Tia giving you grief?”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “She’s something, and we’re all having grace on her because, well she’s Caitlyn’s little girl.”
