Page 83 of Ho Ho Oh No

“Jokes aside, everyone is doing fine.” He claps once, then rattles through a quick update like we’re in a sit rep. “Sammy gave birth to a healthy girl and boy. She’s doing great. Sawyer’s on cloud nine.Maddie’s flooding the entire maternity ward with happy tears. And you’ll be able to meet the babies soon.”

After soaking up some comfort in my embrace, Lettie storms over to her father with fire in each stomp. “I swear you could make a preacher cuss by pulling a stunt like that.” She wags her finger at him. “I wish I was an octopus so I could smack you eight times at once.” As soon as she gets close enough, she flings her arms around his shoulders for a giant hug.

My little firecracker.

I trail a few steps behind, then catch up and put my palm on the small of her back.

Big Al winks at me over her shoulder.“Get in here, T.”

Grabbing my hand, he yanks me into the hug without giving me the chance to object. Lettie shuffles to the side, making roomfor me. The three of us cling tight to each other, swaying from side to side and soaking up the joy of the moment.

As well as the relief because my fucking heart is still rioting in my chest.

Lettie’s the first to break the hug. “When can we see them, gramps?”

Wait. Gramps?

The single word sends my mind reeling. I blink several times and find myself glancing around the room to see if anyone else heard it or is reacting like me.

Stunning me further, he doesn’t bat an eye at the nickname. “I’ll go check. Be right back.”

Once he’s out of earshot, I ask her, “Why did you call him that?”

“You mean why did I call him gramps?”

I nod. “Were you teasing him?”

Thoughts skate through my mind at a frenzied pace, making it hard for me to unscramble why the nickname is causing this much discordance.

I’d expected for Lettie and me to treat Big Al as grandpa, given she’s his blood daughter and I’m... whatever I am to him. But the way everyone’s acting tonight, Big Al included, has me scratching my head.

My eyes scan the faces of my Redleg peers. Sure, most of us have strong feelings for him and view him in a fatherly light. But isthat enough?

Not sure why I’m so compelled to unwrap this, but semantics bother the shit out of me sometimes. Apparently, this is one of those times.

Lettie shifts her weight from one foot to the other, bringing herself directly in front of me. “Well, Iwasmessing about the octopus arms but not by calling him gramps.” She lifts oneshoulder for a half-shrug. “He might not be blood-related to Sammy and Sawyer, but?—”

“He isn’t married to Sammy’s mother either.”

Although I won’t bring it up now, I’m unsure of the status of Big Al’s relationship with Maddie. There’s been a shift recently. Tension so thick even I can see it. I’ve chalked it up to stress about Lenkov, but her not matching his costume tonight was unexpected. Everyone thought she’d be Mrs. Claus instead of... whoever she was dressed as.

“Marriage or not. Blood or not. It doesn’t matter,” Lettie answers with conviction in her enchanting voice. “That man gives everything for his Redleg family, treating all of you like his children. The way a father would. A damn good one. So when one of his kids has a baby, that makes him a grandpa in my book.”

As her words sink in, I catch sight of Big Alstilltrying to leave the waiting room. He’s stuck near the door to the maternity ward, where my peers pelt him with congratulatory hugs. One after another. There’s a damn line.

Like he’s the real grandfather.

Huh. I suppose Lettie’s right.

Everyone else sees him that way too. Regardless of the black-and-white semantics that I tend to get hung up on, he’s a grandpa now. Not only for the baby my sugar bear carries, but for any others who may be born in the future. Hell, even for Val, in a weird way, should the time come.

My mind rolls back over some of the things Big Al and I have discussed since Lettie was dropped on him.

When he was a young man, he always assumed he’d settle down and raise a family. Time ticked on, and it became less of a priority. Loneliness crept in at some point because he thought he’d missed his chance. Although he never let on, he has many regrets for not having a family.

As I scan the room and all the happy faces—his family— I’m smacked with the knowledge that Big Al didn’t miss his chance.

Not even close.

---