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“I owe you an apology.” Her mouth fell open, and I suddenly wished I’d said that a lot sooner. I’d never seen my sister-in-law so off guard. “I’ve been—well, I’ve been a jackass, and it wasn’t your fault. I still don’t like you, and I don’t want us to pretend to get along, just for the sake of getting along. But maybe, given some time and a more open mind, we can get to a civil place.”
“What are you up to?” she asked when she found her voice.
Her suspicion was only fair. “Apologizing.” I couldn’t help but be the smartass I was.
“You don’t know the meaning of the word,” she snapped, folding her arms in akeep outgesture.
I didn’t expect automatic forgiveness, but she deserved the apology, even if it was difficult to say. “Maybe. Maybe not. But for what it’s worth Iamsorry.”
I left her and Easton in stunned silence. I’d said what I needed to. She could do with it what she wanted.
“Drew.”
I was almost to my room when Holly’s voice stopped me. She kept enough space between us so she felt comfortable. Her watchdog, Carlos, observed the whole thing from a distance far enough away to give us privacy, but close enough he could step in swiftly.
“I heard what you told your mother,” she said. “About Gabriel and not wanting to interfere with his life.”
“I meant it.” My assurance probably didn’t do much to comfort her, but it was true. “He’s a good kid. You’ve done an incredible job, not that you need to hear that from me.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Please don’t keep him from my mother,” I pleaded softly. “It’s not just you and Gabriel I’ve treated poorly.” I swallowed hard, looking away until I could get my composure. “There might not be a lot of time,” I whispered, eyes stinging.
“Mrs. Carter can spend as much time with Gabriel as she likes.”
“I appreciate that.” I gave her a tight smile and turned to go. She put her arm on my shoulder.
“When you signed over all your rights, I thought you did the right thing. It surprised me, though. I’ve asked myself why you did it a thousand times. Now I know.” Her eyes were kind, much like they had been the first time we met. “When you accepted that Gabriel was yours, your instinct was to do the right thing by him.” I blinked at her, uncertain if she was right or not. “I won’t close the door on you having some sort of relationship with him. I don’t mean visitation or anything like that, but I’ll try not to freak out every time the two of you are around one another.”
I nodded, unsure what to say. In the space of a few hours, one relationship had imploded, one was on the fritz, and three were on the path to renewal. That was a lot to take in. “Whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m-I’m still getting used to the idea that he’s—”
“Mr. Drew. Mr. Drew.” Gabriel ran down the hall toward us. “Miss Sonya said you would tell me a story about baseball. A really good one. And she said you could teach me how to play.”
Holly’s hand went to the top of his head as he looked up at me with interested eyes. I was frozen, not knowing what to say. I even looked at Holly for help, but all she gave me was a slight nod.
I dropped to a squat, getting eye-level with my son. “She did, did she?” I asked with a smile. It was easy and natural. This weird swell of pride that he wanted me to teach him something washed over me. “How about we get it organized with all the boys, and I’ll show you what I know?”
“Okay. Can we ask now?”
“I don’t see why not. Let’s start with your dad?” I looked down the hall at the man I was pretty sure I’d never like, but I still had to respect him on some level. He’d stepped into a role I’d pretended wasn’t mine for nearly six years. He loved Gabriel. What more could I want for my son?
“Daddy, can we have a baseball game?” He’d taken off like a rocket down the hall, so much energy it was infectious. Carlos caught Gabriel, and they high-fived, the giggle bittersweet as it sliced through me. I didn’t want kids, had resigned myself to the fact that it would never happen.
What was it about this one that made these strange things happen inside me?
Carlos scruffed his hair, the ease between them as if he’d been there for Gabriel all his life. “We’ll see who’s in, but you know it’s freezing outside, right?”
“I know, but I want to play.”
“All right. You’re tougher than I am about that kind of stuff.”
“That’s why we have jackets and gloves,” Gabriel reasoned and grabbed Carlos’s hand, dragging him toward the living room where everyone else was gathered.
I stared at the empty space, unsure how I felt, only knowing that now that Gabriel was gone, I was a little hollow.
“Imagine that magnified a million times. That’s how I felt every time you threatened to take him away from me,” Holly said.
“I wouldn’t have done it.”
