Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Hannah was the first one there. She went to her knees beside him, bent over, started rubbing his back, and told him over and over how great he’d handled everything.
“Outside he just apologized for leaving all the decisions to Danique before I was born,” he told her. “What the hell was I supposed to say to that?”
“Probably what you did, I suspect, which was something like, clearly that wasn’t part of my journey, but thank you for saying that.”
He turned his head so he could see the side of her knee. “I kinda did say that, but without the journey part. I think I said God’s plan.”
“But you don’t believe in God.”
“I know.”
“You’re an atheist,” she reminded him.
“I know.”
“You go to church solely to make your father happy.”
“Again, I know.”
She chuckled. “It’s kinda funny that we both go for Dad because we love him so much.”
“This is true.”
I glanced at Sam, who only shook his head. “I blame you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Not a college education, science, or people becoming wiccans?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Is that fair?”
“I don’t care,” he assured me, crossing his arms.
“I’m certain that’s true,” I grumbled.
He yanked me off my feet and into his arms and hugged me so fiercely, he squeezed all the annoyance right out of me.
“I love you very much,” he confessed. “I would not have gotten through this evening without you, because I had the real urge at the beginning to toss that man right outta my house.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight.
“They’re very nice people,” I said to Kola as he sat up next to Hannah.
“Yeah.”
“Danique especially. It might be nice for you to talk to her mother, your grandmother, at least once.”
“Yeah, maybe. I’m not sure.”
“Whatever you decide is okay,” I assured him.
“It’s just weird, because you say grandmother and a very specific person pops into my head.”
“I should hope so,” Regina Kage said as she walked into the room from the kitchen, having scooped up Dobby, who had adored her from the start. “What’s going on? Tell me everything.”
She looked like she had just stepped off a movie set. The woman was always the epitome of flawless elegance, and standing there, holding our Chihuahua, just added to that feeling.
“What’re you doing here?” Kola asked, smiling up at her.
“Well, I was on my way home from bingo, and I had to drop everyone off because, as you know, I’m the only one who can drive at night anymore.”
Kola shook his head. “You shouldn’t be out at night alone.”
“I’m not alone, angel, I’m dropping people off,” she pointed out.
“Sorry, you’re right.”
“I’m always right,” she assured him. “But then I thought to call your sister to ask about Father’s Day, and she said you needed me and I should come over immediately.”
“That’s good, because I do need you,” Kola said, standing up and walking over to her. He was feeling a bit vulnerable at the moment, so after she put Dobby down, he hugged her tight.
“Oh, my darling, tell me from the beginning.”
So Kola sat with his grandmother and Sam and talked while I cleaned up with Hannah and Jake, Harper keeping us all regaled with a story about the TA in his logic class who had been sleeping with half the girls in class before the professor had him removed.
“I mean, how do you do that?” he asked.
“From a moral standpoint or a scheduling one?” Jake asked.
“Scheduling. It’s not a moral dilemma, none of them are married or, I assume, in committed relationships. But between classes and working—which I won’t be able to do starting next semester when I start on my master’s—and Wick, I have no time for anything else.”
“Well, Wick’s getting his MA already, so he won’t have time for you here pretty soon either. You’ll be fine.”
“That did not answer his question,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes, “and if the TA was only sleeping with all of them, no talking or bonding required, I can see it.”
“Oh can you?” Jake sounded affronted.
Hannah laughed at him, and when she tried to kiss him, he wasn’t having it.
She chased him around the table, into the living room and out the back door with Dobby in hot pursuit.
“It’s like an asylum over here,” Regina grumbled. “But you and Sam certainly raised good kids,” Regina called over to me, patting her son’s hand. “You’re both such wonderful fathers.”
From the most warm, acerbic, opinionated, loving, and, above all, judgmental woman I knew, I took that compliment to heart.
I watched Kola lean sideways and kiss Sam’s cheek before his father put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. It was the perfect end to the evening.
“Hey,” Sam said after a moment, looking at his phone and at the text that came through. “Why am I being told to bring pierogis from the place I like to Aaron and Duncan’s?” He looked up at me. “Why the hell are we going over there?”