by Nikki Ash
Jack looks at me. There’s so much emotion in his eyes, in his features. He’s hurting, and I caused it even though that was never my intent. “I’m not going anywhere, Charlotte. I don’t even know her and can already say she’s the best thing to ever happened to me. Already, my life has meaning and purpose. I’ve never had something that belongs to me until now.”
Without hesitation, I pull him into my arms. I know all about his childhood and going from home to home. He confided in me when we were teens how he’d often show up at a new home with nothing but the clothes on his back. Until he met my family and me, Jack never had anything new. One day, while we were shopping, my mom bought him a whole wardrobe of things without him knowing. When we arrived back at my house, and he was helping carry bags in, she pulled him aside and handed everything over. I know he cried in her arms that day, but he would never admit it.
“I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long for you to find out.”
“I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to return.”
We part, and both dab at our eyes. My heart aches for him. Jack clears his throat and reaches for my hand again. “Where do we go from here?” he asks.
“Well,” I say after taking a deep breath. “We can go to eat lunch and let Arla tell us what to do.”
Jack laughs. “I can already sense she’s going to be the death of me.”
“The perfect way to die if you ask me.”
He looks up and smiles. He pulls the box of photos onto his lap. “I’m going to look at each picture until I have them all memorized.”
I take the one in his hand and flip it over. “They’re date stamped, with a little note of what we were doing or what milestone it’s for.”
“Wow, it’ll be like I was there. What made you do this?”
“You,” I tell him. “I figured if I ever found you or we crossed paths again, you’d want to know your child has had the best life possible.”
He shed a tear and doesn’t bother to wipe it away. Jack continues to go through the photos and finds one of us. “Blast from the past.”
“I put that in there after Arla used it for a school project. I’m not sure why.”
Jack chuckles. “It’s so when I’m back on base and lonely, I can look at it and remember that summer. That one, unforgettable summer.”
Chapter Seven
Jack
Today has been a day of firsts. The most important being the meeting of my daughter. My daughter. The concept is so hard to grasp even though the evidence is right in front of me. Arla looks like me and even has a few of my mannerisms. Earlier, Arla laughed at something her mom did. Her laugh was infectious and brought a smile to my face. I wish I would’ve written down what exactly happened to make her laugh so I can remember it when I’m back in Italy or had my phone recording all day. I’m afraid I’m going to forget all of this.
Another first, I finally feel like I belong somewhere, almost as if I’m home on leave and my family is happy to have me here. There isn’t anything awkward about being here, I don’t feel uncomfortable, and when Arla has asked her mom to do something, Charlotte suggests she ask me, her dad. Her dad.
And then came bedtime. Arla asked me to read her favorite book to her. I jumped at the opportunity and sat near her head to read the words. She told me her mom has been reading this book for as long as she can remember, and though she’s nine, she doesn’t want her mom to stop. When we finished, I made a note of the title to have one sent to base. I want to read the story so Arla and I can talk about it when I’m back in Italy.
When I come out of Arla’s room, I walk into the living room. There’s a fire in the pellet stove, and it’s relatively quiet. I lean against the doorjamb and watch Charlotte, who is curled up on the couch with a blanket over her legs and a book on her lap.
“Hey, how’d it go?” she asks, closing the book and setting it on the table next to the sofa.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I can’t even explain it.”
“I know what you mean.”
I push off the doorjamb and walk toward Charlotte. She moves the blanket away from the cushion next to her, which makes me pause. Does she want me to sit there even though the seat at the end is available? Maybe she does. I know I do. I sit down with a happy sigh, one of contentment and elation.
“What a day,” I say.
“I’m glad you could shorten your sightseeing trip with Mitch to come here. It means a lot to Arla and to me as well.”
Glancing at her, I smile. “After what you said on the phone, a hurricane wouldn’t be able to keep me away. I’m just sorry I can’t stay longer.”
“We wish you could stay longer too.”
“We?” I question.
She nods and reaches for my hand. I give it to her willingly. “We. I feel like we have a lot of lost time to make up for. I know Arla wants you to stay. She has a list of things she wants to show you.”
“I want to stay,” I tell her. “I haven’t wanted something so desperately until now. In a matter of hours, you’ve given me the one thing I’ve never had—a family.”
Charlotte smiles. I know we haven’t seen each other in ten years, and I’m probably reading into things but damn it if I don’t want to kiss her. My luck, she has a boyfriend. But if she does, would she hold my hand?
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course,” she says.
“Some of them might be a bit personal.”
“I’m a big girl, Jack. I can take it.”
I chuckle and shake my head. Shy is never a word I would use with Charlotte. Inhaling deeply, I prepare for the questions lingering in my mind. “Okay, here goes nothing,” I say as I look at her again. “Has Arla ever referred to another guy as dad?”
Charlotte’s head shakes back and forth so fast her hair whips her in her face. “Absolutely not. From the day I found out I was pregnant, I knew you were her father. I said this when we were on the phone the other night, I tried to get a message to you, my attempts were futile. I asked my family to help, but . . .” Charlotte stops talking, making me wonder what her family thought.
“They weren’t happy?”
She shakes her head. “My parents weren’t thrilled. They talked about adoption, and at first, I went along with it because I was young. Then I saw Arla on the screen during my ultrasound and promised her I’d be the best mom possible.”
“You did all of this by yourself?”
“No, I had my grandma. She was very supportive. My cousin Frankie—do you remember her?”
“I do, and Ginger, right?”
“Yeah, Ginger Ward. I had a good team, and my parents worship Arla. She is the light of their lives, as with my grandparents. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“It can’t be easy dating.”
Charlotte laughs. I don’t know why, but it makes me smile. “If you want to know if I have a boyfriend, just ask. I’ll save you the time—I don’t. I haven’t dated since you left. It’s never felt right, and I’ve never wanted some random man coming around Arla. Too many horror stories, and she’s far too important for some guy.”
I’m thankful Charlotte can’t hear my heart beating because right now, it’s thumping loudly. I can’t tell if it’s because she hasn’t dated anyone since I left or if it’s because her love for our daughter outweighs her happiness.
Oh, who the hell am I kidding—my heart is going wild because I like her, and she’s single. I sort of expected her to be when Krew told me to call her, but I didn’t want to assume.
“If I had run into your brother, would he have told me to call you?”
“Yeah, anyone who knew you back then would’ve told you to call. You’re not a dirty little secret. You’re my daughter’s father. You’re family.”
“I’m family.” Those words bring a wave of tears forward. To some, it’s just a word and doesn’t mean anything. To me, it means I have a place to call home. It means people love me. I cover my f
ace with my hand to hide my reaction. Within seconds, warm arms wrap around me.
“It’s okay,” Charlotte whispers. “Everything will be okay.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re here. This will be your home. Arla isn’t going anywhere.”
I move my hand and tilt my head to look at Charlotte. “What about you?”
“I’m here, Jack.” Charlotte adjusts the way she’s sitting and faces me. She’s so beautiful. She always has been. Her dark blonde hair is in a low ponytail. Earlier, when we arrived, she had it down and curled. It took every part of me not to reach out and pull on one of the ringlets. It was something I had done in the past. Now, those curls are resting over the front of her shoulder, still tempting me.
“We haven’t seen each other in ten years,” I remind her. “We’ve changed. What if we’re different?”
Charlotte chuckles. “I should hope we’re different. We’ve grown up, we’ve changed. Life changes us. I’m a mom who runs a restaurant with a meddling family who has an opinion about everything. You’re protecting our country, making us safe, and now a dad. The dad part is a huge pill to swallow. I’m just letting you know that I’m here if you want. There’s a reason I told you to stay here.”
“What’s that?”
“Because selfishly, I wanted to spend time with you as well. I wanted to see if those feelings I remember from so many years ago are still there,” she says with a shrug.
“Are they?”
Charlotte nods, and this is my cue. I lean toward her and cup the back of her neck to bring her closer to me. “I had no idea how much I missed you until I saw the sign for Holyoak. Living here was the only time in my life I felt like I had friends or any semblance of a family, and now . . . I can’t put into words what all of this means to me, and it’s because of you. You kept our daughter when you could’ve given her up, and now you’ve given me the best gift I have ever received. I feel like I should give you a thank you card or something. I don’t even know.”
“I know what you can give me, Jack.”
“What’s that, Charlotte?”
“A kiss. If you don’t kiss me, I’m going to kiss you. I’ve thought about it since Krew texted that he saw you. I wondered for the rest of the day if you had a wife or a girlfriend and asked myself how I would react. The truth is, I’ve waited for you to come back. Deep down, I knew you’d return to Holyoak, and I’d be here, waiting. Right along with Arla.”
Her words are enough to spur me into action. I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers. They’re soft and familiar. Her mouth opens, welcoming me to deepen the affection I hope she feels coming from me. When we part, her forehead rests against mine.
“I’m so happy you’re back but hate that you’re leaving.”
I pull away and hold her gaze with mine. “I have a lot of decisions to make. My enlistment is up for renewal. There are options for me, and they all have pros and cons, but I promise you, any decision I make, we’ll make together because I’m not going anywhere, Charlotte.”
“Neither are we.”
I nod and fight back another wave of tears. “We can text and video chat every day, and I’ll call on the weekends. With Arla being in school, the time zone sort of messes up when she and I can talk, but it’ll work. There are times when I have trainings and such, but you’ll always know. And I’ll be back for Christmas. If you want me here.”
“Jack,” she says my name softly. “Stop asking if we want you. This is your home now, and if you need me to prove the point, I’ll put your name on the mailbox and give you a key.”
Charlotte makes me happy. I pull her back into my arms and kiss her again. “I think if you’re going to do that, you’ll have to give me some space in your closet.”
Her head falls back in a giggle. “Now you’re pushing it, but I think I can find some space.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
It may have taken my entire life, but I finally have a family. One that wants me, no matter what.
My Favorite Mistake by Lauren Runow
Chapter One
As I spin the bottom of my bottle around, my mind goes blank, and my sight stays glued to the reflection the glass is making on the table from the flickering candle next to me. It’s been quite the day, and seeing the design helps me remember the beauty I know our world still has.
I need to find any sign of goodness I can right now.
I know I should be at a church or doing a good deed, so I might find better Karma coming my way, but somehow, I ended up here, at a corner bar in the middle of San Francisco.
The pressure was becoming too much, and I had to get out of my house before I snapped. Or at least, more than I already had.
I drop my head to my chest, close my eyes, and take a deep inhale.
“Everything okay?” a man asks.
When I raise my head, there’s a handsome guy with the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. His hair is short, and his jaw is straight, but his expression is what makes me pause. Genuine concern laces every centimeter of his olive skin.
The kind of concern I wish I got from other people in my life.
When I don’t respond, he tilts his head, leaning down a little closer when he says, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t help but stop to make sure you were all right.”
I nod, trying to grin through the pain I’m feeling deep inside that I’ve had to hide for so long. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” I blow him off and go back to tilting my bottle.
He doesn’t buy my lies. “Want to talk?”
I glance around the mostly empty bar to see if he’s with someone else.
He points to the door that’s closing after someone apparently walked out. “My friends just left.” He holds up his hands in declaration. “I swear I’m not the type of guy who comes to bars alone, looking to pick up distraught girls.”
I chuckle under my breath. “So, you think I’m distraught?”
“Sorry, wrong word choice. Maybe not distraught. More like you might need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to talk to.”
“I thought guys didn’t like listening to other people’s problems?” I say with my eyes still glued on the table.
He leans down further to catch my sight. “Tonight might be the exception if you’re up for hanging out with a stranger.”
Everything about him is caring and sincere. The way his eyes soften as he waits for my response makes me want to talk to him, and surprisingly, I feel comfortable with him.
I point to the chair in front of me. “Sure. Why not? Have a seat.”
He does and holds out his hand to me. “I’m Travis.”
I shake it. “Michelle.”
“Well, Michelle, can I get you another beer?” He points to the empty bottle now sitting in front of me as I nervously run my hands down my pants. “Or do you want another shot?” He picks up the shot glass that I downed the second it was handed to me.
I purse my lips to the side, wondering which one I want more, and he laughs, picking up both.
“I’ll get one of each. What was in the shot?”
“Whiskey.”
“Nice.” He raises his eyebrows. “Any particular kind?”
“Nope. As long as it’s dark and it picks me up, it’s all the same to me.”
He points his finger at me acknowledging my request in a sounds good type of way and steps toward the bar. With no competition for the bartender’s attention, he returns quickly, setting both drinks in front of me.
I pick up the tiny glass, pausing when I see I’m doing the shot alone. “Nothing for you?”
“Nah.” He holds up his beer to cheers my shot glass. “I have an important day tomorrow. No hard stuff for me.”
“What’s so important?”
“Big test. I’m finishing my doctorate at USF.”
“Well, Mr. Fancy-Pants Doctor-to-Be, I’ll be here, drinking my whiskey alone then, if you don’t mind.” I tilt my hea
d back and down the amber liquid, which burns all the way through my body.
“No, please, by all means.” He pauses. “How was it?”
I chase it with a beer. “Horrible now, but it will be worth it here shortly.”
“So …” He waits to make sure it’s safe to ask and then goes for it. “What are we drinking to? A broken heart? A fight? A job? Family?”
“All of it. Every single one.” I take another drink.
“Well then, now, I understand why it’s a shot-and-beer kind of night. Want to talk about it?”
I shake my head while I inhale a breath. “Nah, I’d rather hear about you. Tell me, where are you from? Something tells me it’s not here.”
His grin proves I’m right. “And why would you say that?”
“Most guys would pass right by a girl who’s alone and having trouble.”
“Well, my mom raised me right, I guess.” His smile grows as he takes another drink.
“And where is said mom?”
“In a very small town up in Humboldt County. Population: nothing.”
My eyes widen. “And you came to USF for school?”
“Yeah, there’s not really a ton of med school options up in the middle of nowhere.”
“I’d love to live in a small town.” I sigh at the notion. I never thought I’d be living in the city, yet here I am, hating every minute.
He laughs out loud. “No, you wouldn’t. Everyone knows everyone, and don’t even think about trying to keep a secret.”
I grin at him, biting the inside of my lip as I try not to laugh.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing.” I pick up my bottle to take a drink, eyeing him over the rim.
“Don’t lie to me. What?”
I shrug. “It’s just funny. That’s all.”
“What is?”
“The fact that you said everyone knows your business. I think that trait rubbed off on you.”