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Chapter 40 – Uh…
Vander
I stood outside the bedroom door, listening as Ruby said goodnight to the boys.
She murmured softly to Jace. His voice reached me easily.
“It’s just weird to call someone dad for the first time.”
“Mm-hmm. The good news is that you’ll only have to do it once. There will be no other occasion where you’ll have to call someone ‘dad’ for the first time.”
“You think he wants me to?”
Ruby snorted. “I know he does. He loves you.”
George interrupted. “Just do it, man. You can’t just keep calling him ‘uh’ every time you want to get his attention.”
Ruby chortled. She must have turned towards George because her voice came through clearly. “He does respond to ‘uh’, doesn’t he?”
George chuckled. “He does.” Then, in a more serious tone, he said to Jace, “He’s a good dad, Jace. He won’t let you down.”
I swallowed hard. The truth is, I had let Jace down. Astronomically.
For a moment, there was complete silence, then Ruby spoke. “Tomorrow, I’m going to call him ‘uh’ and see if he responds.”
“I’m going to do it, too,” George laughed.
Ruby’s voice came closer as she crossed the room. “Would you like to collect that hug now, my knight in shining armor?”
“Okay,” George hesitated.
I heard the rustle of covers as George sat up.
“Oh, you’re a good hugger, just like your dad,” Ruby murmured. “You’ll make a good dad one day. A good husband, too.”
“Thanks,” George whispered.
“Goodnight, agoria mou,” Ruby said.
Goodnight, my boys.
I walked into the room, straight to Ruby, and pulled her against me, curling my body around hers for just a moment.
Releasing her, I went to George and went through our nightly, manly, fist-bump routine before I kissed him goodnight. “S’agapo, Georgie mou.”
“I love you, Dad.”
Crossing to Jace’s bed, I sat on the edge and brushed his hair off his forehead. “The moment George was born I fell in love with him. There will never come a time I don’t love him. The moment I saw you, I knew you were mine, and I fell in love with you. There will never come a time I don’t love you.”
Jace looked back at me with big eyes, so I continued. “You call me Dad whenever you’re ready. I’ll answer to ‘uh’ until that time.”
Jace chuckled, and I grinned at him.
I decided to take a chance. “Do you need a manly fist-bump before I kiss you goodnight?”
“I grew up with Yiayia. If I resisted kisses, I’d be dead.”
Ruby chortled behind me, but it sounded a little choked.
