by Conn, Claudy
Abbie nodded in agreement. It wasn’t long before they came to the smooth part of the road, allowing her to regain her composure. Thanking God on the last turn as her home was finally visible. She had never been so relieved to see her front door. A huge grin stretched across her face when she saw Emmie bouncing up and down on the porch. The second the vehicle came to a complete stop, Emmie rushed the passenger side of the car and pulled the door open.
“Mommy, you’re home! Do you feel better now? Do you have any boo-boos I can kiss? Did you miss me?”
Despite the pain in her stomach, Abbie laughed. How could she not when her kid was just too cute for her own good. “Of course I missed you, baby. Are you feeling better? Is your nasty cough any better?” Abbie got out of the car, gingerly giving Emmie a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
“I’m mostly better. Just a little cough now and no more fever. What about you?”
“I just ate something that didn’t like me very much, and I got really sick from it. The doctor said I’d be fine to come home. He wants me to take it easy for a few days.”
“Does this mean we get a movie day?”
“It sure does, kiddo. You can pick the movie out while I get changed and settled.”
“Yay!” Emmie exclaimed.
“Hey, munchkin. What about me? Am I chopped liver?” Jason playfully pouted at Emmie.
Emmie ran to the front of the car and jumped into Jason’s arms. Her little arms wrapped tight around his neck just as she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “I missed you, Uncle Jason.”
Jason returned the hug before setting her back on the ground. “So, what movie are we gonna watch, munchkin?”
“Little Mermaid,” Emmie spun around, her arms stretched out for dramatic effect.
“Emmie, you know I’m allergic to shellfish,” Jason joked.
“Fine. What about Beauty and the Beast?”
“That movie’s too violent for you to see.” Jason winked at Emmie, teasing her about her choice of movies. Partly because she always picked princess movies. His testosterone demanded less princesses and more ass kicking in movies. But he had to remember who would be in the audience with him.
“Ohhh ohhh,” Emmie jumped up and down. “Frozen! I love Elsa and Olaf! Please, Uncle Jason.”
“Frozen, again? You sure, munchkin? How about…UP? Or How to Train Your Dragon?”
Abbie laughed as Emmie shook her head and threw her hands theatrically in the air. “No! Those are boy movies. You know I prefer princesses.”
“How could I ever forget, princess munchkin?” Jason scooped Emmie up and tossed her over his shoulder. “Let’s get your mom inside and settled down. The doctor wants her to rest.”
Moving a little slower than normal, Abbie followed behind Jason. It was impossible for her not to smile as Emmie bounced on his shoulder, giggling all the way through the front door. Jason was a natural with Emmie, always patient, kind, and caring. Abbie knew a very lucky woman would find Jason to be an amazing husband and dad one day. What she wouldn’t give to have a man like that by her side, a certain man.
As she made her way onto the porch, it dawned on her that she needed to break the news of Grandpa Parker’s passing to Emmie. It broke her heart to think about what it meant for her daughter. There would be no more Friday afternoon play dates, or impromptu summer fishing excursions with Grandpa.
Abbie’s mom held the door open for her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Do you need me to stick around for a while, baby? If not, I’m going to go home and get your dad fed.”
“I’m good. Thanks again, Mom.”
“Anytime, sweetie. Anytime.”
Jason made himself and Emmie a light dinner while Abbie took a nice warm shower and changed. Her mind tossed around different ways to tell Emmie about her grandfather, opting for the simple truth. Abbie felt the weight of the world crushing her. Knowing she needed to talk to her daughter about Dylan gave her anxiety. She had always been open with Emmie about who her daddy was, but not the reason she never saw him. There was no way in hell she was about to tell her daughter, ‘Uh, the thing is, honey, he doesn’t even know you exist’. She’d made excuses over the years about his job in the Navy keeping him busy, and reassured Emmie that he loved her nonetheless. Dylan’s mom had always given Emmie the most up-to-date pictures Dylan sent home for his parents, so Emmie knew who her dad was and what he looked like. She had to talk to her about him before she ran into him in town or at the funeral.
Snuggled with her daughter next to her on the couch, Abbie thought about Dylan. Her heart pounded harder in her chest. How the hell was she going to tell him about Emmie, without him hating her for the rest of his life? She should have had his mom tell him, instead of playing the ‘I want to be the one to tell him card’. At the time, she thought she was doing the right thing by letting him live his life. In retrospect, she could clearly see she robbed him of many precious years with Emmie. It was a mistake she had to own up to. She just hoped Emmie didn’t get hurt in the process.
Abbie slowly sat up and motioned for Emmie to climb into her lap.
“Come here, kiddo. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Am I in trouble?”
Abbie smiled. “No, sweetie.”
Emmie crawled gently across Abbie’s lap and rested her head on her shoulder.
“You know Grandpa Parker has been really sick lately.”
“I know. I heard Grandma Tammy talking about a funeral.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I should have been the one to tell you, but I found out last night, then ended up in the hospital.”
Tears fell slowly down Emmie’s face. Abbie hugged her daughter tighter, wishing she could take the pain away.
“I’m going to miss Grandpa.”
“So am I, sweetie.”
Jason had finished picking up the kitchen and joined the girls on the couch.
“Hey, why all the tears in here?”
Abbie wiped away the tears in hers and Emmie’s eyes. “We were just talking about Grandpa Parker and how much we’re going to miss him.”
“I’ll miss him, too,” Jason nodded to Abbie.
“Mommy, do you think my daddy will come to the funeral?”
Taken by surprise at the question, Abbie’s heart stopped. It had been so long since Emmie asked about Dylan. “Yes, he’ll be there, sweetie.”
“Do you think he’ll come see me?”
“I know he will.”
“When, Mommy?”
“Tell you what, I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he can come over, deal?”
“Deal. Now, let’s watch the rest of Frozen.”
Emmie slid back into her snuggly spot, with her head resting on Abbie’s lap and her feet in Jason’s lap. Abbie stroked her hair gently, like she always did, and she quietly worried about what tomorrow would bring.
Chapter Ten
Dylan awoke to the sound of his cellphone buzzing across the nightstand. He quickly grabbed his phone and pressed the talk button.
“Hello.”
“Hey, sexy. Got any plans for the night?”
Dylan rubbed his hand over his head. Veronica Smith was the last person he wanted to talk to.
“I’m out of town right now. I’m actually at my mom’s house. My dad passed away last night.”
He hoped if he told her the truth, she’d end the call in record time.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry to hear. Is there anything I can do for you? You shouldn’t go through this alone.”
“I’m fine, Veronica. My family is here with me and even more are flying in over the next few days.”
“Do you want me to see if I can find a flight?”
Jesus Christ, that was the last thing he wanted. She really didn’t get the fact that he wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship with her. They’d only gone out a handful of times. “Uhh, no. That’s okay, but thank you for offering.”
“Okay, if you change your mind, just let me know and I’l
l be on the first flight out of here.”
“Thanks.”
With that, Dylan ended the call, crawled out of bed, and headed for the shower. Images of Abbie flashed through his thoughts, instantly rousing more than just his mind. The want…the need he had for her was just as strong now as it was all those years ago…and that was exactly why he stayed away as long as he did.
Dylan knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if he came home and something started between them again, he would never be able to walk away from her a second time.
He finished his shower, a little more irritated than when he woke up. The constant want of Abbie was wearing on him and he didn’t like it. After a quick shave, he threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and went in search of his mom, but didn’t find her anywhere. Dylan paused on his way through the living room. A family photo caught his eye. It was one he’d never seen before.
Glancing around the room, he noticed several more photographs, some were recent. They all contained a little girl with a mop of curly brown hair. The photographs of the child spanned the years from birth through toddlerhood, to childhood. Dylan picked up his baby picture when he noticed another image had been added next to it. A picture of the mysterious baby girl sat side-by-side with his baby picture.
Looking around the room, Dylan noticed other images with the girl. He made his way across the room, studying each new picture he came across. One thing was clear, she was a happy child and his parents loved her. The next picture stopped Dylan dead in his tracks. It was a picture of his Abbie holding the baby just after her birth.
Being hit by a freight train would have been less painful. He picked up the picture of Abbie with her daughter. A million and one thoughts bounced around in Dylan’s mind. All of which seemed impossible…yet true. Why else would his parents have a shrine of Abbie’s child?
“Dylan! I…I didn’t know you were awake,” Linda stuttered as she entered the room.
Dylan glared at his mom, then back to the frame in his hand. Not wanting to believe the images he held, he prayed for his mom to say something, anything.
“Oh god, I didn’t want you to find out about Emmie like this.” Linda’s hand flew to her forehead, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.
Unable to trust his temper, or his voice, Dylan set the pictures down and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing his coat and keys, he headed for the door. “I need some air.”
“Dylan, wait! Please don’t leave like this. Let me explain,” Linda begged.
“Explain? Explain what? That I have a daughter and no one bothered to tell me! No one picked up the phone and said, ‘Oh, hey, congratulations’ or ‘You need to get your ass home’. I’ll be back later. You know, when I was with Abbie at the hospital, she told me Emmie was her dog. Her damn dog!”
“Dylan, please let me explain,” Linda pleaded with her son.
The snowflakes fell as Dylan stomped to his rental car, his jacket clenched tight in his hand. Climbing in the car, he found himself at a loss. Where was there to go? He searched his pockets for his cellphone, his fingers flew through his contacts list. There was no one to call, no one to talk to. He wanted to call Abbie and unleash his anger, but he had no idea what her number was.
Wanting to put his fist through the windshield, he opted for tapping the steering wheel harder than necessary. Dylan opened Google on his phone and typed in Abbie’s name and hit enter. The quick search returned her home phone number and street address. There was only one person that could give him the answers he needed. With that thought in mind, Dylan started the car and headed for Abbie’s.
The short drive to her house did zero good for calming Dylan’s temper. He was ready to snap at the first person who looked at him the wrong way. He was pissed. At Abbie. At his mom. At Jason. Even more so at himself. He’d never given Abbie a chance to tell him that she was pregnant. I fucked up. Dylan had no problem owning his guilt for this situation. Would Abbie?
Chapter Eleven
Pulling quietly into Abbie’s driveway, Dylan was surprised by her choice in houses. There were numerous, small, cute homes for sale in town, yet, she picked an older farmhouse on the outskirts of town, with a driveway that needed just as much work as the interstate. Not one to linger, he hopped out of the car and made his way to the front door.
Stopping short of knocking on the door, Dylan couldn’t help but notice Abbie, his daughter, and Jason relaxing on the couch together, like one big, happy fucking family. His jaw clenched tighter with each passing second. He took a deep breath, then another, counting to ten—twice, then he knocked.
Expecting Jason or Abbie to answer the door, Dylan was at a loss when the door flew open and he looked down to see a little girl dressed in her pajamas and bunny slippers. His adorable little girl with big brown eyes that actually sparkled. The pictures he saw did her no justice. Each image failed to capture the full shine of her curly dark hair, the rosy blush of her chubby little cheeks, or the light dusting of freckles that covered her tiny button nose.
Her mouth hung open in what he assumed was surprise at seeing a stranger on her porch. The thought of him being a stranger to his child made him ill.
“Emmie Lou! You know better than to open the door when we don’t know who’s standing on the porch!” Abbie scolded as she slowly made her way to the door.
“But Mommy, I know who it is. It’s my daddy!” With all her might, Emmie leapt into Dylan’s unsuspecting arms, promptly burying her face into his chest. Her small arms wrapped around Dylan’s neck quicker than he could blink.
Stunned beyond belief, Dylan did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around Emmie and held her tight. She knows who I am. Abbie didn’t hide the fact that I was her father.
Emmie’s tiny body began to shake against his solid frame. He looked to a shocked Abbie for assistance as tears began to soak his T-shirt.
Abbie held the door open for the pair to enter. “Let’s get you two inside and out of the cold.”
Dylan made his way into the house, following Abbie’s lead. His eyes threw daggers accusingly at Jason when he entered the living room, with his little Emmie imitating a koala bear.
“Emmie, sweetie. Are you okay?” Abbie gently stroked Emmie’s back.
Emmie shook her head up and down, indicating she was indeed all right. “I just want to hug my daddy. I’ve never hugged him and I missed him so much.”
Hearing those words shattered the heart Dylan swore he was born without. With one hand, he rubbed her back in a soothing motion. “I missed you, too, kiddo. More than you’ll ever know.” Dylan couldn’t help the knowing look he gave to Abbie. Now was not the time to have it out with her. Even he knew better than to pick a fight with her in front of Emmie. And a fight was definitely on the horizon.
When Emmie finally loosened her hold, she met Dylan’s gaze. “You have my eyes, Daddy. Mommy’s are different, that’s why I know I don’t have her eyes. Gramma and Pappy always said I looked just like you, but I’m a girl, so I’m supposed to look like my mommy, but I don’t.”
“You look beautiful just the way you are,” Dylan reassured her.
The thousand megawatt smile plastered to her face melted his soul. He didn’t know how he’d lived this long without her. Or how he’d be able to accept the orders he’d be getting in a couple of weeks. Dylan didn’t want to think about all that right now. All he wanted to do was get to know his daughter.
“Daddy, we were watching Frozen. Will you watch it with us? Please, pretty please.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Dylan took a seat on the couch. Emmie snuggled tight against him, not wanting to let go.
A myriad of emotions rushed Dylan at once as he sat there on Abbie’s couch, holding his daughter for the first time. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to punch something or someone, but most of all, he never wanted to let go. Leaning his face gently against her head, he smiled when he noticed her hair smelled like bubblegum.
Dylan chewed on his l
ip as he thought about all the things he didn’t know…things a father should know. How could he ever make it up to her? He knew nothing about raising children, and even less about the child in his arms. He’d been robbed of five and a half years of her life. The thought of missing out on birthdays, holidays, first steps, and first words sent his anger spiraling again.
Abbie’s sniffles filled the room, drawing him from his thoughts. A quick glance confirmed her eyes were filled with unshed tears. She mouthed the words I’m sorry before quietly wiping away the tears.
So many questions, so few answers. Dylan wondered what was going through her mind. Was it regret that made her cry? Could it be fear? There was no doubt she could tell he was upset, but he wouldn’t let Emmie see it.
“Daddy, will you help me build an Olaf later?”
“Absolutely, but you’re going to have to explain what an Olaf is first.”
Emmie chuckled, “Are you even watching the movie? He’s the snowman with Elsa, silly.”
“I don’t want you up too late tonight. You have school in the morning,” Abbie reminded Emmie. “You’re also just getting over being sick. Maybe you can build a miniature Olaf instead of the full sized one?”
“Can’t I stay home and play with Daddy?” Emmie pouted.
Dylan waited to see how Abbie would respond. When he realized she didn’t know how to answer Emmie, he jumped in. He should get bonus points for the improv he’d been forced into.
“You need to go to school. But I’ll make sure I’m here when you get home. How does that sound?”
“Fine, but you have to pinkie promise.” Emmie held out her pinkie, her eyes grew larger with each second she was forced to wait.
Dylan mimicked Emmie and held out his pinkie finger, not knowing what to expect. Slowly she wrapped her pinkie tight around his and shook her hand. Huh, Dylan thought. Learn something new every day.
“It’s a deal, Daddy. I’ll go to school and you meet me here when I get off the bus.”
“You got it, kiddo. I’ll be here.”