River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  As his breathing returned to normal, Puck asked, “Do you really think it’s all over? Do you think I’m out of the woods with Addie? It has all happened so fast. I’m not sure what to think. I keep worrying that they’ll come back with an army of lawyers and social workers.”

  “Andrew said he thought we kicked all four legs out from under the stool this afternoon. He said Auntie Erin brought any arguments they might make crashing down by simply making an appearance.”

  “Do you trust Andrew?”

  Ross rested his arm across Puck’s slim belly and said, “He wasn’t the best of boyfriends. We had our problems. You take the prize as the awesome boyfriend, but he is one kickass lawyer. He knows his stuff, and he has a stellar courtroom record. If he had to do any actual legal work on this, they wouldn’t have a prayer.”

  Puck smiled. “How did I ever find you? I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.”

  Ross kissed his neck again. “It’s about time your luck started changing. You didn’t find me. One of those magical life events brought us together.” He stopped talking for a moment before he added, “I know who brought us together.”

  “Who?”

  “That little girl sleeping in the crib across the hall. She’s the one who cried in the grocery store. She’s the one who made you drop that box of mac and cheese.”

  Puck laughed. “I never thought about it that way. I guess she did. Addie probably saw you, and she did the only thing she could to alert her old man. She might as well have said, ‘Dad, he’s the one!’”

  “And silly you would have asked, ‘The one what?’ You didn’t think you liked guys then.”

  “I don’t like guys or girls. I like one guy, and he’s the only one for me. I like you.”

  29

  Birthday

  Alan was agitated. He paced back and forth across the room. “I’ve got to know what it is. I mean, I know what it is, but I have to see how it looks. These last two days have been torture, and Diego is far too gleeful about it. He must have been a sadistic dungeon master in another life.”

  Diego sipped a glass of red wine, grinned, and said, “Me? Would I do something like that to my man? I think I’m innocent of the charges. I only want you to have a wonderful birthday celebration.”

  Auntie Erin stood in the center of Alan and Diego’s living room next to a brown paper wrapped package that leaned against the end of the sofa. She said, “Alan, I’m sure you understand that Diego is acting out of kindness tonight. Your birthday doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, but he convinced me to let you unwrap your gift this evening.”

  Ross piped up. “I think Puck and I are actually responsible. If we didn’t have plans to leave for the beach tomorrow, I think all of us would have waited until tomorrow night.”

  Alan asked, “Who’s responsible for delivering the package and making me walk past it for the last two days while it sat there by the couch?”

  “I’m sorry. The lease on my apartment ended, and we were worried that Addie might find the gift a little too interesting.”

  Diego laughed. “I’ve worried day and night that Boomer might tear into it. Fortunately, he’s been a good dog. He sniffed at it once, and he’s ignored it ever since.”

  “Then why didn’t you put it in a closet where I didn’t have to look at it?” asked Alan.

  “Because this is so much more delightful. I watched you creep into the room to stare at an expanse of brown paper. You’ve done that over and over for the past two days.”

  “Okay, fine. Can I open it now? I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  Puck said, “Let’s have a toast, first. Then Alan can make a speech, and then maybe we’ll let him open it.”

  Alan growled, “You are all evil. Every last one of you.”

  Auntie Erin stepped up beside him. She said, “Give your Auntie a kiss on this cheek, and then, please, open the gift. I’ve not seen it yet either.”

  Wrapping his arm around Auntie Erin’s delicate shoulders, Alan bent down to kiss her cheek. He said, “I apologize for what I said. I love you.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he hefted the package up onto the corner of the sofa and tore into the brown paper. Everyone gathered around and watched as Alan revealed Ross’s painting. When the last of the brown paper fell to the floor, Alan held a hand up to his mouth. He was speechless.

  Diego said, “Wow, the brilliant colors.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” said Auntie Erin. “It’s easy to recognize it as your work, Ross, after living with the painting in my living room, but the character is unique to this house.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Alan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I’ve been so jealous since Auntie Erin bought her painting. I can’t believe this is ours, and you painted it for me.” Alan turned with arms spread wide and found Ross. He wrapped his friend tight in a massive hug.

  Tears of joy ran down Ross’s cheek. “I can never thank you and Diego for everything you’ve meant and done for me. From making me feel at home to hiring me for my job, you’ve both been there. Then you pitched in to help Puck and me. I can’t imagine life without friends like you.”

  Puck clapped Ross on the shoulder. “Well said.” He turned toward Diego and asked, “Where will the painting go?”

  “Alan will have input, of course, but I think over the fireplace is the perfect spot. We have some family photos there now as you can see, but we can move them. I want everyone to see this art when they first enter the house. We have plenty of other smaller works and objects, but this is the centerpiece.”

  Ross laughed. “That makes me nervous as hell. You’ve got so much great art, and I’m just an amateur. My paintings are hanging on the walls of the homes of three of the best people in town. I…I’m speechless again.”

  Auntie Erin shook her head. “You’re not an amateur anymore. You’re selling your pieces. You’re a professional.”

  Ross held a hand up to his mouth. “Oh, damn, I almost forgot. I got lost in the excitement around the painting, and I don’t want to steal the thunder from Alan’s little party, but Puck has some important news.”

  They all gathered around Puck. Diego said, “I hope it is good news.”

  “If it wasn’t, I’d probably be down there crawling on the floor. I can’t take any more bad stuff. The rest of this year has to be one long string of good news.”

  “Well, then, share the good news already,” said Alan. “I’ve got a whole day tomorrow to keep celebrating my birthday.”

  Puck smiled. “I hate to say something like this about anyone, but, basically, Miranda’s parents crawled back into their holes. I received a notice today that they decided to drop any claims on custody of Addie.”

  Alan led a round of applause. “That’s phenomenal! Did they say anything else?”

  “The message was from their attorney, so he wrote it, not Ellen or Myron. He said there was overwhelming evidence that Addie was receiving all the care that any infant would need. He could not identify any specific positive outcomes that would be caused by shifting her custody from her biological father to her grandparents. The letter mentioned that the loss of her mother was tragic, but not an unprecedented occurrence. In light of the caring community, the lack of having her mother present was not enough to necessitate taking her away from me.”

  Alan asked, “Did they say anything about Ross?”

  Puck shook his head. “Nothing at all. I sort of wish that the letter mentioned that she now has two fathers, but I suppose no mention is much better than negative insinuations.”

  Auntie Erin nodded in agreement.

  “I think this calls for one more toast! Diego, Auntie Erin, Puck, Ross, let’s all raise a glass. This one is for Addie. By the way, where is she?”

  Puck sipped his glass of wine and laughed. “She’s safe and sound. About now, I’m sure she’s running Dak and Brody ragged. Did I tell you they have a new puppy? One of Brody’s assistant managers convinced h
im to go to the animal shelter, and you can guess what happened next. He’s a golden retriever pup whose owners moved to New England. He’s adorable.”

  30

  A Wave

  Ross spread the blanket out on the sand and anchored it with a cooler on one corner and his shoes on the opposite. Puck kicked off his sneakers, lifted Addie to his shoulders, and headed for the water. Addie laughed and pounded her hands on his head as they traipsed across the sand.

  “Hey, wait! It’s warm here on the beach, but I bet that water’s cold. When you stick her feet into that, she’ll scream bloody murder!”

  Puck dismissed Ross’s worries and carried Addie to the edge of the water. She wore a bright floral bathing suit with a ruffle around her waist. When Puck spotted it in the department store, Ross said, “It’s too girlie. Let’s look for something else.”

  “But she is a girl.”

  “Okay, but we’re not going to make her drown in pink ruffles and ribbons for the rest of her life.”

  As Puck paid for the bathing suit, he said, “I think one dad is running away with his thoughts. It’s one suit, and I think it’s cute.”

  Puck held tight around Addie’s waist and slowly lowered her until her feet dangled in the water. She giggled and kicked while the water splashed around them.

  “Do you like that, Princess?”

  He pulled her up and then lowered her again, and she laughed louder. When her feet hit the sand on the bottom, she wobbled but soon stood with only light support from Puck.

  “Look at you! You’ll be running up and down the beach soon.”

  A few minutes later, Puck sat on the sand and spread his legs wide. He played in the shallow water with Addie. She splashed by pounding the flat palms of her hands in the water while he gently pushed water toward her with his fingertips.

  Ross sat on the blanket and watched from a distance, but he decided that he couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t stay alone on the beach. Ross jogged across the sand and asked, “Can I play, too?”

  “There’s plenty of Lake Michigan to go around.”

  “I never knew it was this beautiful.” As Ross sat in the shallow water beside Puck, he yelped, “This water is cold! The two of you must be cold-blooded.”

  “Oh, get over it. Addie’s a tough girl. She could handle it. You won’t even notice in a few minutes.”

  Puck was right. A few minutes later, they were all splashing with each other. Puck lay back on the sand letting the gentle waves lap up against his legs. He held Addie up with her feet bouncing against his belly.

  Ross said, “You know what? I wouldn’t have believed it a year ago, but now I think dreams come true.”

  “I think you’re right, but first you need to know what the dreams are.” Puck sat up, and he let Addie sit on the sand at the edge of the water. She looked content for a few seconds before splashing her palms into the water and laughing as the droplets landed on a surprised Ross.

  “I look at you and Addie, and I think about all of our friends at home, and it feels like all my dreams are coming true. Every single one of them.”

  Puck rubbed Addie’s back. “I think at first after Miranda died, I forgot how to dream. I spent that first couple of months behaving like a robot. I took care of Addie, and I didn’t do anything else. When I slept, it was like I was curled up in a black box of nothingness except for the few nightmares. I saw Miranda lying in that hospital bed way too many times in my dreams.”

  Ross reached out for a hug and nearly crushed Addie between them. “Do you have dreams now?”

  “Oh all the time,” said Puck.

  “What do you dream about?”

  “Addie growing up. I dream about all three of us in our own house. I dream about working all around the house on little projects. I dream about trips like this. I have a special dream where you’re wearing a handsome black tux.”

  Ross blushed. “I wonder what that one’s about.”

  “I had a great dream about Miranda three nights ago. I meant to tell you, but then it was time to feed Addie, and the day was off and running. Most of the time I forget the details of my dreams pretty fast, but not this one. I think it will stick with me.”

  Ross stopped splashing in the water with Addie. “What was it about? Is it okay if I ask? I know that I’m nosy all the time.”

  “Of course. I would never hide my dreams from you. Anyway, I was eating dinner at the table with you and Addie. She was laughing and pounding her hands in her high chair making a general mess of everything. You were trying to feed her some kind of mushy green baby food. It was like everyday life until Miranda appeared.”

  “She joined us during dinner? Wow, what happened?”

  “She leaned over and kissed Addie on her cheek. I started to speak to introduce her to you, but Miranda held up a hand to stop me.”

  “Did I say anything?”

  “You kept your attention on Addie. It was like you didn’t know Miranda was there.”

  Ross asked, “What else did she do? Anything?”

  “After she held up her hand, she stepped over to me, and she leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, too. I could feel it. I wasn’t like when you can push your hand through something in a dream, and it’s not really there. I could feel her lips on my face. I think it was the first time I’ve ever felt any physical contact in a dream with Miranda since she died.”

  Ross started to reach out for a hug again, but Puck waved him off. “I’m okay. I’m almost finished with the story, too. Then we can go get some ice cream and let Addie smear it all over her face.” He laughed softly.

  “How did it end?”

  “After she kissed me, she backed up a few steps. I watched her staring at all three of us. She smiled. It was a relaxed smile, and it calmed me down. Without thinking, almost automatically, I reached my left hand out across the table to curl my fingers together with your right hand. I held my right hand against Addie’s cheek and looked at Miranda.”

  “Wow, that sounds intense. I’m getting goosebumps on my arms.”

  Puck shook his head. “No, I was completely relaxed. As I looked at Miranda, she nodded. She stepped backward about another ten feet, and then she waved. I knew she was saying goodbye. Okay, thinking about that part gives me goosebumps, too. Look.”

  Ross reached out and rubbed Puck’s forearm.

  “Then she faded. She didn’t walk away. She faded into the wall or something.”

  “Did you cry?”

  “I wasn’t sad. That wasn’t the mood. It wasn’t like a final goodbye. It was more like she was saying you’ve got things to do with the people you love, and I’ll see you later. You squeezed my hand in the dream, and I woke up.”

  “That’s beautiful.”

  “It was. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better dream.”

  Epilogue

  Rhea turned the key in the lock and opened the front door of the house. It sat at the end of a small cul de sac on the west end of Coldbrook Bend. She said, “I know that it’s nothing special, but I think it has tons of potential. My sister and her husband lived here for ten years. They took care of the house, but you’ll notice they didn’t do much of anything to spruce it up. It could use a lot of TLC.”

  Ross wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a more generic house. The front foundation was lined with plain evergreen bushes. The walls inside were painted an eggshell white, and the carpet was beige. The furniture left behind provided some color, but the smoky blue of the living room set was far from inspiring.

  “Where did you say they’re going?”

  “They’ve already moved to St. Paul. It’s a condominium. The building’s design is modern, so they decided to leave most of the furniture behind. My sister tried to convince their daughter to move here to Coldbrook Bend, but she’s in medical school in Chicago and wants to stay there.”

  Ross glanced at Puck. He was smiling. He whispered to Addie on his arm while she pointed at the ceiling fan in the living room. He said, “I think the ho
use looks great. There’s so much that can be done to make it better.”

  Rhea said, “I thought I should at least show it to the two of you. I know that you must be tired of renting.”

  Ross said, “But I don’t know if we’re ready to buy a house together. We’re not even married.”

  “How long have we lived together?” asked Puck. “Are you planning to go anywhere?”

  “One year, two months, and three days,” said Ross.

  Rhea shook her head. “It’s not like you’re keeping track.”

  Puck set Addie down on the floor, and she immediately toddled toward the rear of the house. Puck followed and said, “There’s so much we can do with this!”

  Rhea beamed. “I thought so.”

  Addie found a patio door that looked out to the backyard from the kitchen. She pounded on the glass with glee.

  “And a backyard for Addie with trees.”

  “But we’re not…” Puck held a finger to Ross’s lips.

  “Maybe it’s time,” said Rhea.

  Ross’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Time?”

  Puck grinned. “I think it is. Rhea, please keep an eye on Addie. I’ve got something to do, and I can’t wait any longer.”

  Ross glanced at Rhea and then looked back at Puck. “Something to do? What can you do right now? This isn’t your house.”

  “My sister is willing to let it go for less than market value if you want it. She thinks it’s well worth losing a little bit of money if she can avoid going through the process of prepping for open houses and dealing with multiple interested buyers and their offers.”

  Puck said, “I’m not thinking about the house right now.” He stuck his right hand in his jeans pocket and turned to face Ross. A toothy grin spread across his face.

  “What are you…oh my God!” Ross watched as Puck fell to one knee. He tugged a small box out of his pocket.

  Rhea stepped back and joined Addie by the patio door, so they could both have a good view of Addie’s dads.