by Tawna Fenske
He smiled at her then, trepidation flashing in those dark brown eyes. She remembered what he’d told her about dreading public presentations. But as he glanced away and directed his gaze over the classroom, he squared his shoulders.
“Good morning,” he said with the faintest quiver in his voice. He cleared his throat and continued. “My name is Ty, and I make videos for a living.”
“Like for TV?” piped a little girl in the corner.
“Raven,” the teacher scolded, giving a stern look. “Remember to raise your hand.”
Ty smiled and went on. “Like for TV,” he confirmed. “Sometimes it’s commercials, and sometimes it’s videos like you see on the internet. Who here has watched videos on YouTube?”
A few hands went up, and Ellie said a silent prayer their parents had good monitoring software on their devices. God only knew what kids could see these days. She’d once caught Henry doing a search for “Little Mermaid mating.”
Her palms were sweating, and Ellie wiped them on her skirt and tried not to stare at Ty. Then again, he was at the front of a classroom. Wasn’t she supposed to stare?
His eyes met hers, and an electric current rattled down her spine. Those eyes. They were as dark as she remembered, but there was a light in them now that she hadn’t noticed before, some spark that seemed new.
He smiled again and looked back at the students. “Does anyone have any idea how those videos get made?”
A few more hands shot up, but Ty didn’t call on anyone this time. Instead, he touched the trackpad of a laptop sitting on the edge of a table beside the whiteboard. The screen behind him flickered to life, and Ty stepped aside, giving everyone a clear view of the presentation.
“I wanted to show you a quick demonstration of how video editing happens,” he said. “Henry, would you please turn off the lights?”
Delighted to be called on for a task, Henry scrambled up and flipped the light switch. Hurrying back to his desk, he grinned at Ty, then at Ellie. She reached over and squeezed his hand.
“Good job, baby,” she whispered.
“First, I’m going to show you some raw footage from a project I did recently,” Ty continued, using a little handheld remote to cue up something from the laptop. “How many of you have been to Great Wolf Lodge?”
Several hands shot up, and two kids in the back of the room began chatting excitedly about the Howlin’ Tornado. Ty held up a hand for silence, and the kids obeyed instantly.
“A couple of weeks ago I did a project for them,” Ty continued. “Would you like to see some of the video I took from inside the park?”
Ellie found herself nodding, even though it might mean coming face-to-face with photos of herself in a bathing suit. Even as she thought it, she realized Ty wouldn’t do that. The man might have faults, but a lack of discretion wasn’t one of them.
Amid a chorus of “yes, please,” Ty clicked a button on the remote. The screen flashed to life, filled with an image of water crashing from the mouth of River Canyon Run. Then it panned to a shot of the enclosed waterslide tube leading into the pool. From there the footage shifted to the wave pool and a sea of unidentifiable heads and bodies bobbing on the rolling swells. A few more shots of Fort McKenzie followed, with a sweeping shot of the Totem Tower slides, then close-ups of the water jetting from the ground. Ellie’s heart gave a soft little hiccup as she remembered how much fun they’d had galloping through the geysers.
Then, the images stopped. Ty surveyed the class and rubbed his hands together. “That’s raw footage,” he said. “It shows you what the park looks like, but not what it feels like. Does anyone know what editing is?”
This time, Henry’s hand was the only one that went up. Ty hesitated then pointed to her son. “Henry,” he said. “Can you tell me about editing as it relates to videos and not to burping?”
A few kids snickered, and Ellie smiled to herself. Say what you would about Ty Hendrix, but the man was a quick learner.
“It’s about looking at the stuff you’ve got,” Henry said. “The good stuff and the bad stuff, and how you make the best out of all of it.”
“That’s right,” Ty said with a note of surprise. Even the teacher appeared impressed, and several kids nodded. Ellie reached over and tousled her son’s hair, pleased by his powers of recall. Ty wasn’t the only fast learner in the room.
“So now, let me show you an edited version of the footage from that same trip to Great Wolf Lodge.” Ty clicked the remote again, toggling to another video file.
Ellie held her breath, not sure what to expect.
Then an image appeared on screen—Henry’s face, lit with delight as water droplets glittered on his lashes and he laughed so hard his whole body shook.
Several students shrieked with surprise, and Ellie heard the words Henry and famous and a lot of others she couldn’t make out.
But it was the images on the screen that stole her breath. The camera panned back, sweeping into a dramatic view of the waterslides and pool. Up-tempo music pulsed with the surge of water, and Ellie found herself moving a little to the beat. There was an energy to this footage, something raw and powerful and so filled with happiness it made goose bumps prickle her arms.
The shot cut away again. Another close-up, with her in the frame this time.
But it wasn’t the swimsuit-clad shot she’d feared, or even the water park at all. It was a shot of her, bent low over Henry’s sleeping form, tucking him into his little bear den bunkbed. His lashes were spread on his cheeks, and as Ellie leaned down to kiss his forehead, she heard a soft murmur of joy from Mrs. Colt.
Or maybe that was Ellie herself. She sat transfixed, savoring this precious moment with her child, treasuring the simple sweetness of it, loving the man who’d captured it.
Then, the scene ended.
The Great Wolf Lodge logo flashed on-screen, but Ellie barely saw it through the sheen of tears in her eyes. Her heart brimmed with gladness and nostalgia and love and so many other things she had no name for.
“That was beautiful,” Mrs. Colt whispered.
Ellie nodded and licked her lips, wishing she knew something to say.
“It was just like being there,” piped a little girl in the front row.
“That made me happy all over,” said the boy beside her.
Voices erupted all over the room, some of them asking Henry what it was like to be famous, while others gushed about how fun the park looked.
As Mrs. Colt shushed them, Ty’s eyes locked with Ellie’s. Very slowly, he smiled.
“That’s editing,” he said. “Taking the good stuff and the not-so-good stuff and all the stuff in the middle and making the very best of what you’ve got.”
That’s editing. Ellie nodded, her gaze still locked with his.
That was more than just editing. That was…that was… “Magic,” she whispered.
Ty smiled wider. “I’m not the best cameraman in the world,” he said. “But I do know how to take what I’ve got and do my very best to make something good. Something meaningful. And I hope that’s what each of you gets to do someday for your job.”
A few hands shot up in the air, and kids began to pepper Ty with questions about everything from dinosaurs to how many famous people he knew. Most wanted to share rambling stories of their own with little bearing on the lesson he’d just given, but he took it all in stride, responding with patience and grace and a little humor.
Ellie sat watching, amazed by the sight of the man she loved doing the one thing he said he’d never do. Here he was, in front of a room full of kids, being there for her.
For Henry.
As the questions wound down, Mrs. Colt stepped out from behind her desk and got the class’s attention. “That’s it for our first speaker today, boys and girls. Who’s ready to head down to the music room for singing practice?”
A few kids squealed with delight, and several of them began to line up at the door. “Make sure you say thank you to Mr. Hendrix before you go,” she
called.
“Thank you, Mr. Hendrix!” shouted a sea of cheerful voices as the line began to move toward the door.
“Thank you, Mr. Ty.” Henry grinned and ducked past as Ty reached out and tousled his hair.
“Thanks for having me here, little man,” Ty said.
“Thank you for coming.” Henry looked up and shoved his glasses up his nose. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Mr. Henry.”
“I’ve been working on being a gentleman,” he said, shifting from one foot to the other. “The good kind.”
Ty held out a palm and solemnly shook Henry’s hand. “So have I.”
Ellie’s heart clenched tight in her chest as Henry let go of Ty’s hand and scampered out the door with his classmates.
Then, she was alone with Ty.
She stared at him a moment, then unfolded herself from the desk and stood up. “Thank you,” she said. “Miriam and my brother must have told you I was in a jam with career day.”
“Yes,” he said. “But that’s not the only reason I came.”
Ellie blinked hard, watching his eyes. “Why did you come?”
He reached out and took her hands in his. Electricity arced up her arms and straight to her core. It was the first time he’d touched her since that night he’d said goodbye, and she shivered from the pleasure of it.
“I came to say I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“Oh,” she said just as softly. “You don’t have to—”
“And I came to say I love you, Ellie,” he said.
She must have looked stunned, because he squeezed her hands and kept talking, almost like he feared he wouldn’t be able to get the words out if he stopped.
“I came because I screwed up, but I’m hoping you can forgive me,” he said. “I’m hoping you can give me another chance, and then learn to have patience with me while I figure out how to be a better guy.”
Ellie’s eyes filled with tears, and she took a deep breath before she answered. “You’re already a great guy.”
He squeezed her hands again, offering a small, heartfelt smile. “I’m working on it,” he said. “But I want to be a better one. For you. And for Henry.”
“Ty—”
She didn’t know what else to say, and tears clogged her throat, so she settled for nodding like a big, mute moron. Ty smiled and reached up to touch her face.
“Will you forgive me, Ellie?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“There’s plenty to forgive,” he said. “There always will be. But I think that figuring out how to do that over and over again is the trick to making it through life.”
Ellie’s face broke into a smile, and she reached up to touch him. Her fingers traced the stubble on his jaw before sliding down to skim his shoulder, his collarbone, his chest—
Ty flinched. Ellie pulled her hand back, startled. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head then smiled at her a little sheepishly. “It’s just a little tender,” he said. “It’s still healing.”
“What’s healing?”
He glanced toward the door, but they were alone, surrounded by empty desks and the minty smell of paint and waxy crayons. Slowly, Ty reached up and undid the first three buttons on his shirt. As he pulled the fabric to the side, Ellie gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.
“Oh my God!” she said. “You covered up Johnny Cash.”
Ty nodded and gave another crooked smile.
Ellie stared at the artwork, trying to make sense of it. The skin around it was tender and red, but the image was clear.
Batman.
“I found the best cover-up artist in the city,” he said. “I’m amazed he managed to do it. If you look right here, you can still see the tip of Johnny’s finger behind the edge of the mask.”
Ellie stared at it, dumbfounded. “You got a Batman tattoo,” she said softly. “For Henry.”
“And for me,” he murmured, sliding his shirt back into place. “I decided it was time to send the Man in Black packing. To become the Dark Knight instead.”
Ellie looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. One spilled down her cheek, and she reached up to link her arms around his neck. “You’re already my knight,” she said. “My knight in shining armor.”
Ty laughed and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Ellie tipped her head back as his lips found hers, certain she’d never been this happy in her life.
Epilogue
Ty stepped into the waiting room of the hospital birthing center and looked around for a familiar face.
There were quite a few.
But the palest one at the moment belonged to Jason, so Ty made a beeline for Ellie’s brother and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Dude, you look like you’re going to throw up,” he said. “Everything okay?”
Jason shook his head and stood up, looking shaky. “Me? Are you kidding? It’s her I’m worried about. And the baby.”
Ty tried to offer an encouraging smile, but his own nerves and lack of sleep probably made him look like a serial killer.
Miriam stood up and grabbed him by the arm, her one-year-old son propped on one hip. “Come on, Ty! Don’t keep us in suspense.” She bounced the baby a few times, earning an appreciative glance from Jason, whose eyes dropped quickly to her cleavage.
“Focus,” Miriam said, grabbing his chin to direct his attention back to Ty. “Is Ellie okay? And is it a boy or a girl?”
Ty grinned as Henry jumped up on the seat beside them, his head sandwiched between his aunt and uncle’s shoulders. He kissed his baby cousin on his downy head, earning a happy gurgle from the baby.
“Am I a brother or a sister?” Henry demanded. “When can I see Mommy?”
“You are definitely a brother,” Ty told him. “And if you’re ready to meet your baby sister, we can go back there right now. Would you like that?”
Henry beamed and nodded, while a collective wave of relief washed over the whole room. “You go first, buddy,” Jason said. “We don’t want to freak her out with all of us storming in there like demons.”
“Good call.” Miriam bounced the baby again, then bent to plant a kiss on his dimpled cheek. “I remember how overwhelming those first few hours felt.”
“Hours?” Jason laughed. “Try months.”
The waiting room doors swished open, and Holly Colvin rushed in, smiling at everyone. Miriam and Ty’s business partner hustled over to them and pressed a gift bag into his hands. “I hope I’m not too late,” she said. “Sorry I can’t stay. Ben’s at home on potty-training duty with Evan, but I wanted to congratulate you and see how everything turned out.”
“We had a little girl,” Ty said, his chest swelling at the words. “A daughter. She’s beautiful, just like her mom.”
Holly beamed and squeezed Ty’s hand. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Ty clutched the gift bag to his chest as a wave of gratitude washed through him. “Maybe when we’re home later this week we can have you over for dinner.”
Holly and Miriam exchanged a glance then burst into laughter. Jason reached out and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Buddy,” he said. “You’ve got a lot to learn.”
Miriam grinned and bounced the baby some more. “Spoken like a man who’s never eaten uncooked ramen noodles straight from the pouch after six sleepless nights of midnight feedings.”
“Or gone to work with spit-up on his shirt,” Jason added.
“Or put his phone in the microwave instead of a bottle of formula,” Holly added, grinning.
“I’m looking forward to all of it,” Ty said, surprised to realize he sort of was. Okay, so he was anxious and a little freaked out, and he knew there were a zillion ways to screw up these kids. But at the moment, as he looked down at Henry, the main thing he felt was love.
“Come on, buddy,” he said, tousling his stepson’s hair. “Want to meet your baby sister?”
&nb
sp; Henry nodded and held out his hand. Ty took it, and together they walked back to the alcove where Ty showed him how to scrub his hands well. Then they walked side by side to the birthing suite where Ellie lay cradling an infant in her arms. She looked up as they walked in, and beamed.
“My favorite boys,” she said, angling the bundle to show them. “Want to meet her?”
Henry nodded and stepped forward, his little face filled with awe. He peered down at the pink bundle, poking his glasses up on his nose. “Do you know what her name is?”
Ty bit back a laugh, charmed by the idea that the baby might have emerged with a business card announcing her name and job title.
“Lily,” Ellie said. “She’s named after my mother.”
“And her middle name is Renee,” Ty said. “For my grandmother.”
Ellie smiled up at him, and Ty was certain his heart would burst with pride. “I texted with your sister a few seconds ago,” she said. “She’ll be here in an hour.”
Ty nodded, overwhelmed with joy that his wife and sister had bonded so well. “She stopped to visit John—um, our father.”
Our father.
The word sounded odd, and he thought of Johnny back behind bars again. The image was nothing at all like the father Ty wanted to be.
But he was working on forgiveness. It came easier for Anna, but Ty was trying. While he’d never forget the way his father abandoned him, forgiveness did seem like something he could manage eventually. Ellie and Henry and now Lily—they’d made it possible.
“Here,” Ellie said, angling up in the bed to hold out the baby. “Let’s let Daddy hold her for a minute. And if he sits over there in that chair, I can grab a picture of the three of you together.”
Ty leaned down and picked up his daughter, marveling at the weight of her—at the fact that he was holding a tiny human being that he’d helped create.
He made his way over to the easy chair across from the bed and sat down. Henry followed then wriggled into the crook of Ty’s opposite arm. As the boy cuddled against his chest, Ty took a deep breath.
He looked down at his kids—his kids—and an explosion of love knocked him back in the chair. Tears of happiness pricked the back of his eyelids, and he gazed at Ellie to see her eyes glittering, too.