by Parker, Ali
I tucked my head under his chin and pressed my cheek to his chest. His skin was warm. His heartbeat steady. “I have dinner at my mom and dad’s at five. I was thinking it would be nice if you and Roy were there.”
He stroked my shoulder. “Oh?”
I lifted my head and stared into his dark brown eyes. “Will you come?”
Dallas cupped my cheek. “I’d love to. What can I bring?”
Chapter 29
Dallas
I woke with the pressure of two small knees pressing into my lower back.
I groaned. My spine ached, and I inched to the edge of the bed before rolling over to find Roy in bed behind me. He had my blankets half covering his face. All I could see of him were his closed eyes, brows, and messy hair. He was curled up in a ball, facing me.
I massaged the spot in my back where his knees had probably been digging in for hours before it was enough to wake me up. Parenthood.
I got out of bed and padded quietly to the bathroom, where I did my business and took a hot shower. Under the hot water, my mind wandered to the previous evening and my time with Elise.
If I thought hard enough, I could almost feel the silky-smooth kiss of her skin beneath my palms.
I slicked my hair back under the water and massaged shampoo into my scalp.
Leaving Elise’s apartment last night had been more than a little difficult. It was clear that both of us wanted to spend more time together. But Roy and my father were at home waiting for me. I couldn’t take advantage of my father like that. And I’d told Roy I wouldn’t be gone long. Unlike my father, I was the sort of dad to Roy who kept his word.
So, after sitting on her sofa for fifteen minutes, I’d cleaned myself up, got dressed, and left. Begrudgingly.
It was nice to have Thanksgiving to look forward to now. Roy was thrilled to be going to the Billingsly house for dinner, while I was a bit nervous and intimidated at the idea of sitting across the dinner table from her mother and father, who knew me and my father from high school and knew more than anyone else the hurt I’d caused their daughter. They also knew the money I came from. That made things a tad bit awkward, given Mr. Billingsly’s financial crisis back in the day.
It had nothing to do with me, of course. He’d worked for a shady guy for too long, and when push came to shove, he chose to push. It backfired, and it left him and his family with nothing.
Now that I was a grown man, I often thought about what I would do in that situation. Was the right and moral thing the choice I would have made if it meant giving up everything? Would I have jeopardized Roy’s quality of life to try to take down a corrupt businessman?
Probably not.
For that reason, I admired Elise’s father for his choice. It was the hard call to make, and one I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to make. Not if it cost Roy his loss of innocence.
I turned the shower off and toweled dried. I cracked open the bathroom door to see if Roy was awake. He wasn’t, so I shaved and slicked my hair back.
There was no way to know how dinner would go. But I was hopeful that it would be smooth. I liked Elise’s parents and always had. When she and I were dating, I’d admired them more than I admired my own father. It confused me. A lot. But it was undeniable.
My worst nightmare would be to learn that Roy respected another man more than he respected me. I wondered if my father cared about things like that. Maybe he didn’t even think about them.
“Dad?”
I stuck my head out the bathroom door as Roy sat up. Like every morning, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were puffy from sleep. He blinked sleepily at me.
“Morning, Roy.”
“Morning.”
I walked back into the bedroom and sat down on his side of my bed. “Did you have a bad dream last night?” Roy didn’t often come and sleep in my bed at night. The only time he ever did was when he had a bad dream or if he couldn’t fall asleep.
Roy nodded.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded again.
“What was your dream about?”
“I think it was about Mom.”
I blinked. That was a new one—and an answer I wasn’t sure I knew how to respond to. “Oh. How do you know?” Roy didn’t know his mother. He’d seen the pictures I had of her, but he never knew her. We talked about her often because I thought it was important that he understood the sort of woman she was, and that she wanted him more than she wanted anything else in this world. She loved him as soon as he came into existence, and she still loved him now.
“We were in the hospital. And you left with me, but Mommy stayed behind.”
Good lord. I swallowed and looked down at my sheets. “Sometimes, our dreams reveal what our subconscious is thinking. Do you miss her?”
Roy nodded.
I reached out and pulled him into my lap for a hug. I rested my chin on his head and smoothed his wild hair down. “I know, kiddo. I miss her too. All the time. But I know she’s here with us.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she would never leave you, Roy.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I love you more.”
Roy looked up at me and smiled. His eyes were glassy but not wet. The tears had stayed at bay with my reassurance. I held his face in my hands. “What do you want to do today, kiddo? Whatever you want to do, we’ll do. Just tell me.”
Roy smiled, and his cheeks puffed up beneath my hands. “Can we go to the lake?”
“The lake, huh?”
He nodded. “And can we invite Elise?”
My son, the matchmaker. I chuckled. “Sure.”
“Do you think she likes fishing?”
I shrugged. “Only one way to find out. You go shower. I’ll call her. Sound good?”
Roy shimmied off the bed and hurried down the hall to the bathroom beside his bedroom. I heard the water turn on as I leaned across the bed and grabbed my phone from its charger. It was eight in the morning. Not too early to call her, surely.
She picked up on the third ring, and her voice was sweeter than honey. “Morning.”
“Morning. What are you doing today?”
“I was going to drink an obscene amount of coffee and work on my manuscript.”
“That’s a shame.”
She giggled softly. “Why? Did you have some grand plans to take me out on another yacht or something?”
I laughed. “Sadly, no. Roy and I are going out to the lake. He wants to go fishing. He also asked if I would invite you to come along.”
“So, this is him who wants me to come, not you?”
“I don’t believe that’s what I said.”
She paused on the other end, and somehow, I could feel her smiling. “I’d love to come.”
“Great.” I grinned, standing up. “I’ll pick you up in an hour. We’ll stop and grab coffees on the way. I hope you like watching a five-year-old fish. It’s agonizing.”
Elise laughed on the other end. “Roy isn’t your average five-year-old. I can’t wait.”
After picking up Elise just after nine, we went through a drive thru and grabbed lattes for us and a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream for Roy. He sat in his booster seat in the back, chattering on about how excited he was for Thanksgiving and, more specifically, pumpkin pie.
Elise looked at me and arched an eyebrow. “Well, he might get two pumpkin pies this year.”
“Really?” Roy asked ecstatically.
I nodded. “You’re so spoiled.”
I parked in the gravel lot at the lake, and we all got out. Elise chatted with Roy and held my latte as I got everything out of the back of the car. Three collapsible chairs, a bag of snacks, and Roy’s fishing pole and tackle box. We walked across the lot, and then the grass, and then the sand, until we reached the dock that stretched out over the first twenty-five or so feet of the lake.
The wood creaked beneath our feet as I set up
the three chairs at the very end of the dock. Nobody else was at the lake. That was the best part of coming here in the fall. Everyone would rather stay indoors where it was warm and cozy.
Elise pulled a couple blankets out of the bag she’d packed and draped one over Roy’s lap as he got situated with his fishing pole. He cast it out into the water. Little ripples fanned out from the point of entry as he pinched the pole between his knees and adjusted the blanket. “Thank you,” he said to her as she sat down on my other side.
“You’re welcome.”
Elise sipped her latte as she looked out across the still water, framed by trees of bright yellow, orange, and crisp red. Like last time, the surface was a mirror, and if I leaned forward and looked down, I could see myself clear as day in the dark reflection.
“I need to come here more often to write,” Elise said. “It’s perfect. So still and calm.”
“It’s pretty, just like you, Elise,” Roy said, leaning forward to look past me at Elise.
Elise blushed. “Thank you, Roy. That was sweet.”
I chuckled and pointed out at the water. “Watch your line, Roy.” Then I looked over at Elise. “My kid has better game than I do.”
She laughed. It echoed across the water and warmed me from the inside out. I reached over and put my hand facing upward on her thigh. She took her hand out from beneath the blanket and entwined her fingers with mine.
We sat in comfortable quiet and watched Roy reel in his line and recast it. On his fourth cast, something nibbled, but when he reeled it in the fish had managed to get away. I helped him put more bait on the hook, and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing while Roy half-fished and half-talked to us about Thanksgiving and everything he was looking forward to.
“You know what the best part is about Thanksgiving, Elise?” Roy asked after giving up on fishing and putting the pole down at his feet.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Roy grinned. “As soon as it’s over, it will be Christmas time wherever you go. And that means Santa is coming.”
Elise leaned across my lap. Her voice was a mischievous and gleeful whisper. “I know. Can I tell you a secret?”
Roy nodded eagerly.
“I wait all year for Christmas to come. It’s my favorite holiday. And Santa Claus?” Elise straightened up and smoothed the blanket in her lap. “Well, let’s just say he and I have the best relationship.”
“You’ve met him?” Roy asked, his eyes almost as wide as his gaping mouth. It took all my self-restraint not to laugh.
“Oh yes.” Elise nodded. “I saw him once when I was little. About your age. It was an accident. I was sleepwalking in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. And I went downstairs where Santa was eating the cookies we’d left out for him. He put me back to bed so my parents could get some rest.”
Roy gasped. “Really?”
Elise nodded. “Really. It was the best Christmas ever.”
I smiled as I watched Elise and Roy talk. This must be what it would have felt like if my wife hadn’t died when he was born. This was what a family looked like if it wasn’t broken.
Chapter 30
Elise
“Are you sure you don’t want to give it one more shot?” Dallas asked Roy, putting his hand on his back.
Roy sighed. I could tell he was a bit disgruntled. He’d been trying to catch a fish all afternoon with no success. “No, it’s okay.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and checked the time. “It’s only noon. We have plenty of time. Personally, I’d like to give it one more shot.”
Roy peered over at me. “Really?”
I nodded. “For sure. I’ve never caught a fish before. Maybe we could try together? Beginner’s luck, right?”
“Beginner’s luck?” Roy asked, cocking his head to the side.
Dallas nodded and answered for me. “Yeah. Sometimes people who are new to something have the best luck succeeding at it. Like they win a card game the first time they play it.”
“Like how I beat you at Mousetrap the first time we played?” Roy asked his father.
I snickered and covered my mouth.
Dallas shot me a cross look. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
Dallas narrowed his eyes. “Uh huh. Sure. You think it’s pretty funny that I got beat by a five-year-old at Mousetrap, don’t you?”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t think it’s not funny.”
Dallas cracked a smile and shook his head at me. Then he looked back at Roy. “I think you beat me fair and square at Mousetrap, Roy. But I think Elise has the right idea. Let’s give this thing one more shot. Come on. Grab your pole.”
Roy sighed and hopped off his chair. He picked up his pole and opened his tackle box. I stayed cozy under my blanket and watched as Dallas helped him replace the old bait with something new and slimy from the tackle box.
“Go on back there,” Dallas said. “Get it out as far as you can.”
Roy went to the end of the dock so he could cast it farther and within a safe distance from Dallas and me. I watched, a smile playing on my lips as he sent the line out into the lake.
It bobbed on the surface.
I pushed myself up out of my chair and went over to Roy. “So, can you explain some of this to me?” I asked.
“Some of what?”
I nodded at Roy’s fishing pole. “What does this do?” I pointed at the reel.
Roy went into an explanation about his pole. I caught Dallas’s eye as I listened. He was smiling at us and had his chin resting in one hand. He looked perfectly at ease out here on the lake. Somehow, he looked in his element here in nature and back at the office. He suited a suit as well as he did jeans and a T-shirt.
“How many fish do you think are in the lake?” I asked Roy when he was done explaining all the moving parts on his fishing pole.
Roy shrugged. “I don’t know. A million maybe?”
“Whoa, a million? That’s a lot of fish for a lake like this.” If there were a million fish in this lake and he hadn’t caught one yet, he was the world’s worst fisherman.
Dallas rolled to his feet and slid his hands in his pockets as he walked over and joined us at the end of the dock. “I don’t think there’s quite that many fish in here, buddy. Maybe a few thousand or so.”
Roy shrugged. “Close enough.”
Dallas and I exchanged a look, and we both smiled.
I nodded. “Yes. Close.”
Suddenly, Roy’s pole dipped, and the water rippled. Roy let out an excited cry and called out to his father. But Dallas motioned for me to help.
I had no clue what I was doing. This was all new territory for me. “I’ve never done this before,” I said.
“I’ll walk you through it,” Dallas said.
I stood behind Roy, and he started reeling the fish in. I helped him hold the pole up, as per Dallas’s instructions, and as we reeled, the pole shifted from side to side as the fish tried to get away.
“Give it a good pull up,” Dallas told us.
We did as he said, and the water splashed as the line came up. Dangling off the edge was a silver fish, no bigger than the length of my hand from the tip of my middle finger to the base of my palm.
Roy jumped up and down in place with excitement. He put his pole down as Dallas caught the line and held the fish up. He called Roy over. “Here. I’ll show you how to take the hook out so we can set him free.”
I smiled and watched over Dallas’s shoulder. I liked that they were going to release the fish. Roy watched in total fascination as Dallas gently pulled the curled hook free. I felt for the poor little fish, who would now have a wound in his mouth, but I thought the lesson was a good one for a father to teach his son. The way Dallas handled the fish was with careful ease and respect.
“Hold out your hands, Roy,” Dallas said. “He’s slippery, so get a good hold on him. You don’t want him wriggling free and falling on the dock. They’re fragile.”
Roy held up his palms. Dallas placed the fish in his son’s outstretched hands, and Roy closed his fingers over the squirming slimy creature. Dallas led him to the edge of the dock and held the back of his jacket as Roy leaned over to put the fish back.
He released the fish when it was just an inch above the surface. The fish disappeared with a plop, and the water rippled as its tail worked to propel it far away from us.
“Good job, buddy,” Dallas said, releasing Roy’s shirt after he stood up straight on the dock. “Very nicely done. Now he can swim back to his family and live out the rest of his life.”
“Will his mouth heal?” Roy asked.
Dallas nodded. “Absolutely. Did you want to try again?”
Roy frowned and shook his head. “No, I’m getting cold. But can we come back soon?”
Dallas nodded. “Of course.”
The three of us began picking up our stuff. I tucked my chair under my arm, and Dallas tried to take it from me, but I shook my head. He had his hands full with our other bags and the fishing gear. We made our way back down the dock to the car in the parking lot.
After buckling Roy in, Dallas loaded up the trunk.
“I hope you had fun,” he said.
I nodded as I handed him my chair, which he tucked in along the side of the trunk. “I did. Thank you for inviting me. I’m glad Roy caught a fish. That was pretty cool.”
Dallas grinned and put his hand on my upper back. “Roy had a good time. He’s glad you came.”
“Are you glad I came?”
“Of course I am.”
I wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned into his side. He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my shoulder before releasing me. I left him to finish packing up the trunk and got in the passenger seat of the car.
I twisted around to look at Roy, whose cheek was already resting on his shoulder. His eyes were closed.
I smiled to myself.
Roy was a good kid. A great kid actually. And I knew it was all because of his father. Dallas had done an exceptional job raising his son all on his own, something no parent was ever prepared to do. Not only that, but he’d managed to maintain a healthy work and home life balance.