by Tabatha Kiss
And now it’s over, but life goes on in the best way.
“Hello?”
I follow the unfamiliar voice to the living room. There’s a young woman on the porch. She smiles through the screen door as she spots me coming out of the hall.
“Hi. Are you Mac?” she asks.
“Oh, no,” I say. “He’s downstairs working on the dryer.”
“Oh, sorry.”
She steps back, clearly shy.
“It’s okay,” I say. “Are you here to check out the house?”
“Yeah.”
I open the door and wave her in. “You can come in and wait. He won’t take long.”
“Thanks.”
As she enters, I notice her eyes. They’re golden and bright, shining beneath a head of blackish-brown hair. Cute. Real cute.
But I’m taken.
“Are you a freshman?” I ask.
She blushes. “Is it that obvious?”
“Well, you didn’t squeal when you saw me, so I figured you were new in town.”
Her eyes narrow. “Is that common for you?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations.”
I extend my hand to her. “I’m Junior.”
“Heidi,” she greets me without a hint of recognition as she shakes my hand. Not a sports fan, I take it.
“Where are you from, Heidi?”
“Iowa,” she says, ashamed.
“Home of Adventureland!”
“In Des Moines!” She nods. “That’s right.”
“My family went there almost every summer back in the day.”
I make a note of it. I have some great memories there, too. That’s a family tradition I definitely want to continue.
“Mine, too!” she says. “Until the time my brother threw up on me after riding the Outlaw. Then, we kinda stopped going…”
I chuckle. Great memories come in all shapes and sizes. “So, how do you like the house so far?”
Heidi glances around the living room. “I see four walls, a roof. I assume there’s a bathroom somewhere?”
I point down the hall. “Right over there.”
“Then it looks great to me! My roommate-to-be is on her way. She demanded final say, but it’s the only one near campus that’s in my budget, so I’m hoping she likes it.”
“Well, it’s a nice house,” I say.
“Is it?”
“No, not really.” We laugh. “But I have some memories here. Good things happen in this house.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I look around, into the kitchen, toward the bedroom. “No regrets.”
The back door opens and closes.
“Well, that’d be Mac,” I say, shifting toward the door. “I’ll get out of here. Just stopped by to drop off my keys.”
Heidi sidles to let me pass. “It was nice to meet you, Junior.”
“You too, Heidi. I’ll see you around campus.”
“You, too!”
I step outside onto the porch, smiling at the squeaky sound of the hinge one last time.
CHAPTER 48
ALYSSA
Junior takes my hand and gives it a light, reassuring squeeze as he rolls his eyes at me.
“Don’t think I didn’t see that, young man,” Bonnie says, pointing a finger at him from the loveseat across the room.
“Mom, we already said no,” he says.
“Not that we don’t appreciate the offer,” I add. “We do.”
“Right. We do.” He nods. “But… no.”
She sighs. “Well, why not?”
I chuckle at her desperation. Everyone else sitting around does, too.
Ty and Grant hold it back the best so they don’t appear rude in her home, but I see the humor dancing in their eyes.
Maggie lets it all out, cackling hard at her little brother’s expense while Nate keeps his head down beside her.
Roy just shakes his head quietly from his chair.
“Because…” Junior says, “I don’t want to move back in with my parents.”
“Well, this isn’t only about you, Junior.” She gestures at me. “This is about Alyssa and what she needs.”
“Really, Bonnie. Thank you, but…” I hesitate, trying to think of the best way to say it without offending her. “I have all the support I need near campus.”
“But it’s far quieter out here. You can’t raise a baby by a college campus. It’s too noisy! Especially now that the stadium will surely sell out for every game.”
“It’s fine, Mom,” Junior says. “The condo Ty’s cousin found us is far enough away that noise won’t be an issue.”
Bonnie flinches at the word condo. “But what about daycare?” she fires back. “It’s far too expensive nowadays. If the three of you move in here, then I can take care of the baby while you’re in class or at football practice.”
“You live an hour away from campus, Mom,” he points out. “The daily commute would probably cost the same as daycare.”
“I’m taking the fall semester off,” I say. “We don’t have to worry about the daycare situation until spring.”
Grant points at me. “And you absolutely have to be back by then,” he says. “Shakespeare showcase!”
I smile at him. “I won’t miss it.”
“What about you, little brother?” Maggie asks, her cheeks pink with wine. “Will you be gracing us with your amazing stage presence again next semester?”
Junior glares at her. “You’re not going to let me live that down, are you?”
She grins. “Never.”
“No,” he answers. “I’ll be sticking with football.”
Nate leans forward. “Have they chosen a new coach?”
The air shifts slightly. Junior squeezes my hand a little tighter.
“Yes,” Ty says. “Well, kind of. Bob is taking over, and he’s nailing it so far, if you ask me.”
Junior nods. “He’s doing great, yeah. Not surprising, though. He’s been around forever. He knows what he’s doing.”
Bonnie sighs to pull attention back on her. “Fast forward to spring and we’re right back to square one,” she says, gesturing with zeal. “What are you going to do with the baby then?”
Roy finally chimes in. “Bonnie, the kids have made their decision.”
“But they have better options.”
“I’m sure they’ve considered every single option available to them and they’ve decided, together, to do what they feel is best for them and their family.”
“But they don’t—”
“Remember when Maggie was born and how you used to complain about my mother not leaving us alone?”
Her jaw drops. The room cringes. “This is completely different.”
“No, it’s not.”
The doorbell rings.
Junior shoots up off the couch. “I’ll get it!”
“Don’t leave me,” I whisper.
He grins and drops my hand, abandoning me to fend for myself.
“Alyssa,” Roy says, looking at me.
I swallow hard. “Yes, sir?”
“We’re just a phone call away if you two need anything. You know that.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you.”
“Anything at all,” Bonnie says.
I smile. “Thank you. Really, though, we’re fine. We’ve figured out our routine and I don’t expect any big surprises to come knocking anytime soon.”
“Ally?”
I look up at Junior and pause, catching sight of the familiar face lingering behind him in the open doorway.
My father.
I stand up, but I can’t bring myself to step any closer.
He looks at me over Junior’s shoulder with soft eyes and a long expression, neither of which I’ve ever seen on him before. It’s strange, almost foreign, like an alien wearing his face as a mask. Strangely, I don’t feel an ounce of hatred or fear of him. I thought I would if I ever saw him again.
“I would like to talk to my daughter in private, p
lease,” he says.
Junior doesn’t budge. “That’s up to her.”
“Junior,” I say. He turns to me and I nod. “It’s okay.” I push forward through the silent room and Junior steps aside, his eyes asking me for reassurance, and I nod again. “We can go out back.”
My father scans the room, vastly outnumbered here. “Hello,” he says, nodding awkwardly at their wide, unblinking eyes.
I always forget how much of a celebrity my father is. Even after everything he’s done, it’s difficult for them not to look at him like that — Junior being the obvious exception in the room. There’s a subtle anger hidden behind his brown eyes, but he remains calm and strong.
“Come on,” I say to my father.
I lead him through the house to the backyard, feeling Junior’s watchful stare on me the entire time. Silence falls between us despite months of planning what I’d say to him. All the anger and frustration I imagined melt away. It’s pity that takes their place.
He seems older. More wrinkles. He hasn’t shaved in days judging by the scruff on his face.
“Where have you been?” I finally ask.
“I went back to New York for a while,” he says, his voice low. “Thought about staying there, but…”
“But what?”
He clears his throat. “I wanted to see my daughter again.”
My tongue twitches, but I force down my snarky reply.
He glances at the house. “Seems like you’ve been taking care of yourself.”
“The Morgans took me in after you… left.”
“Good. And Junior? I hear he’s still got that arm—”
“Dad, what do you want?”
He goes quiet, but looks right at me for several moments. “Alyssa, I was never meant to be a dad. Then, suddenly, I had a little girl. I didn’t know what to do with you. Where I come from, family was just something that held a man back. Love, marriage, kids — it was all a distraction from what really mattered.”
I cringe away from him. It’s one thing to know it, but to hear it so blatantly is something else entirely.
“I never gave that a second thought,” he continues. “Not until Junior walked away from that game last year. When he did that… I don’t know.”
His voice trails off.
“Is that why you took off?” I ask.
“I couldn’t bring myself to face you again after…” He shakes his head. “Alyssa, I don’t know a lot about what family means or what it’s supposed to be, but I know that you’re my daughter. You’re the only family I got left. I’m willing to try… if you’ll let me. I’d like to start here with the home you’ve built for yourself and hopefully… you can find a place for me in it.”
And just like that, I’m a little kid again, staring up at the television screen, screaming, “that’s my dad!” at the top of my lungs. It took years for the truth about who he really was to decay the rosy tint in my vision, but I’ve always longed to feel that again.
Turning my back on him now might feel good for a while. It’s downright tempting, to be honest. It’s what he’s done to me, but it’s not who I am.
It’s not how I’d raise my own child.
“Well, to start…” I shift on my toes. “Would you like to meet your granddaughter?”
He smiles. “Yeah, I would.”
I take him back inside and up the stairs. The house is far too silent for the number of people in it, but I imagine the voices ceased the second we stepped inside.
“She’s been napping for a while,” I say outside of Junior’s old room. “Being around people wears her out, but I don’t think she’d mind one more.”
I push the door open and we step softly toward the crib in the corner. Even before I see her, I can feel her turning to look at me — like a magic link constantly pulling us together.
“Hey, baby…” I whisper, reaching down to pick her up. “Someone here wants to meet you.”
She twists her head, instantly drawn to the massive man behind my back, but she doesn’t make a peep.
“Wow,” my father says. “She looks just like you did.”
“Yeah?”
He nods, gently smoothing his palm over the brown tuft on her head. “What’s her name?”
“Courtney.”
I shift her closer to him. There’s a quick panic in his eyes, but it passes as soon as he takes her from me. I chuckle at how much smaller she appears in his huge hands.
“Hello, Courtney,” he says, chuckling. “I’m your grandfather.”
Still, she doesn’t make a noise. She just stares at him with wide eyes, confused yet comfortable.
I take a deep breath to swallow the rush of tears down. “Dad, if you want, you can stay for a while. I don’t think Bonnie or Roy would mind setting another place at the table.”
He furrows his brow. “What about Junior?”
I raise my voice a little, sensing the near-silent movement in the hallway. “Junior won’t be a problem.”
Dad finally tears his eyes away from her face to look at me. “Is he taking care of you two?”
“Yeah,” I say, my heart throbbing. “He’s a good man.”
He nods, regret filling his eyes. “Yes, he is.”
CHAPTER 49
JUNIOR
I stay behind on the porch as Alyssa walks her dad to his car.
She holds our daughter in her arms, swaying confidently with her as if she always knew how. I can’t say it came that easily to me. Holding something so fragile has quite the learning curve.
Luckily, I had the perfect tutor to guide me through it.
She lets out a laugh and says goodbye to him. I breathe a thankful sigh. Cary Pierce showing up like this could easily have gone south fast, but it went as well as it could have. I’m sure Alyssa will spend the next several hours replaying the encounter in her head, but I don’t want that.
I’m not about to let Cary Pierce ruin tonight.
Alyssa walks up the driveway, whispering into the baby’s ear to keep her calm, but Courtney is far more interested in looking up at the dimming sky.
She climbs the porch. “Well, that was strange and slightly traumatizing,” she jokes.
“Which part?” I ask. “Your dad showing up out of the blue or my dad trying to have a conversation with him?”
“Both.”
“Think he’ll really be sticking around?”
“I’m…” she tilts her head, “cautiously optimistic. He really seems… different.”
“He does,” I say, agreeing.
I gesture for the baby, and Alyssa slowly slides her into my arms. “Hey, honey.” I kiss above her ear. She looks up at me with those tiny eyes. I breathe in the perfect, clean scent of her head and Alyssa smiles.
“Okay,” I say. “Time to go.”
“Yes, please,” Alyssa says. “I’m so tired.”
“Oh, I’m not talking to you.”
She stares at me. “What?”
I turn toward the front door. “Grandma, she’s all yours.”
My mother lunges out onto the porch. “I have been waiting all day for this,” she says.
I hand Courtney over to her and turn back to Alyssa’s horrified face. “I have a surprise for you.”
“No, Junior.” Her eyes constantly watch the baby over my shoulder. “I really can’t handle another surprise today.”
I smile. “Just one more.”
“No.”
“Ally, get in the van.”
She furrows her brow. “The van?”
I look at my parents. “Mom, Dad… we’ll come pick the baby up in the morning.”
Her face turns pale white. “Wait. In the morning—?”
“Ty…” I hold out my hand as Ty and Grant step out onto the porch. “Keys, please.” Ty tosses them at me. I hand mine off to Grant. “Try not to scratch it, okay?”
“Try not to get the van dirty.” Grant smiles. “I just replaced the sheets.”
Alyssa’s eyes shift wildly as Grant a
nd Ty walk straight toward our car. “Okay, hold on—”
“Maggie…” I shake my head at her in the house. “You don’t get a job. You’re too drunk.”
She scoffs. “I am not!”
“Nate, get my sister home.”
“Already on it,” he says, handing Maggie a large glass of water.
“And you…” I point at Alyssa’s confused face. “Get in the van.”
“That’s not our van anymore,” she argues.
“It is tonight.”
“No, ours has fully functional safety features and a car seat for our kid who was supposed to be in bed a half-hour ago.”
I grab her shoulders and spin her around. “Get in the van.”
She digs her heels in. “What about Courtney?”
“Courtney will be fine. Get in the van.”
“Junior—”
“Van.”
She grunts with frustration before stomping toward the van.
I turn back around and place one more kiss on my daughter’s head. “Be good, baby.”
“Have fun, you two,” my mother says, unable to look away from the tiny life in her arms. “Drive safe.”
I follow Alyssa down the driveway and climb into the van, an experience that actually feels a little more nostalgic than I thought it would. I haven’t driven this thing in months — not since I sold it to Ty in order to upgrade to something a little more baby-friendly.
We drive off down the street.
I glance over into Alyssa’s withering stare and laugh. “She’ll be fine!”
Alyssa taps her foot against the floor. I can’t help but trail a line up her bare legs to the hem of her skirt. “Where are we going?” she asks.
“Patience, woman.”
“Junior, come on—”
“You don’t remember what today is, do you?”
She pauses with a creased brow. “No…”
“I’ll give you a hint,” I say. “One year ago today, you touched my dick.”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh, my god. You’re right!”
I nod. “So… in honor of that wonderful occasion, you and I are going out.”
“Has it really been a year?”
“Yes.”
“It feels longer than that.”
“The year or my dick?” She slaps my arm. “Also, I forgot to ask. Do you like pizza?”