Page 97 of Storm

“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry we didn’t come to visit earlier. It’s been quite an adjustment.”

“Completely understandable. Having babies is tough work.” He smiles and holds his hand out so we can head inside. As soon as we make it to the living room, my mother is already hovering over Miriam’s shoulder as she unclips Gabriel from his car seat, her hands clenched to her chest while she does her best not to snatch him away.

Miriam holds him to her shoulder and adjusts his clothing. “Amelia and Harold, this is Gabriel.” She turns her body so they can see his face and my mother bursts into tears.

“Oh, Gabriel! He’s perfect, just like an angel.” She looks at Miriam with watery eyes. “May I hold him? Only if you’re comfortable, though. It’s been a while, but I would love it so much.”

Miriam and I both laugh as she nods her head. “Of course!”

“Harold! I need my reading chair cleaned off!” My mother shouts, then hurries to her seat and perches on the very edge with her arms out.

My father rolls his eyes, but he’s indulgent in her excitement. “Yes, dear.”

As soon as Gabriel is placed in her arms, she folds in on herself and hugs him close. “Oh, what a sweet, sweet boy. Just absolutely perfect! Richard, I know I wasn’t supposed to discuss the paternity, but I swear, this perfect angel is the spitting image of you!”

I glance at Miriam and find her eyeing me sweetly. She nods her head in my mother’s direction, silently giving me permission. My father catches the exchange, raising his brow, then a slow smile builds across his face.

Clearing my throat, I tell her, “I think it’s safe to assume that he is biologically mine, but that won’t change the dynamic we’ve established at home. I hope you can respect that.”

“Of course. I’m not out of touch with the new ways people do things nowadays. Oh, I love him so much,” she breathes out. Mymother then proceeds to ignore all of us as we sit and my father gets to know Miriam for the first time.

As time passes, Gabriel begins to fuss, and my mother brings him to Miriam. “I think our boy is getting hungry.” She flicks a look at my father, then asks, “Are you strictly breast feeding, or does he take the bottle?”

Before we can answer, the doorbell rings and my father jerks his head to leave the sitting area. “That’ll be the rest of them. I invited them to come for dinner.”

Confused, I stand and follow him out of the room as Miriam tells my mother that he hasn’t taken to a bottle very well, so I shut the door to give them privacy while she feeds Gabriel.

“Who’d you invite?”

“Kevin, Ezra, and Tatum, of course. I can’t say I fully understand, but I think it’s time we’re all introduced since we’re grandparents now. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asks just as he swings the door open.

Tatum is leaning against the door jamb and winks at me as soon as he sees me. “Surprise, Dick!”

Surprisingly, my dad barks out a laugh. “Come on in. The women are taking care of baby things, so let’s grab a drink to celebrate.”

Ezra is already slinking down the hallway to find Miriam, but Kevin calls out to him. “Leave them be for a minute.”

He sulks, but rejoins the group as we head into my father’s study. Handing out glasses, he pours, then clears his throat. “So, I may have wanted a few minutes of your time alone, but I felt it important to have a frank discussion with all of you.”

I don’t like his tone, and I’m worried he’s more disapproving than he let on. “Father, I?—”

He cuts me off. “Trust me, please?”

Nodding, I glance at Kevin who seems just as clueless.

“I’m aware of the unique dynamic you’ve all found yourselves in, and as I told my son, while I don’t fully understand, it doesn’t mean I’m against it. You’re all adults and may choose to live life the way you see fit. That being said…” He trails off and picks up five folders, handing out one to each of us. Then, holding up the last one, he says, “This is for Miss Delgado.”

“What is this?” Tatum asks, peeking inside, then his mouth falls open. “What the hell is this?”

My father looks hard at all of us. “This is a plan to combine assets and create security for that little boy out there. It’s similar to a marriage arrangement on the legal side of things, but it protects all of you in the event of something life altering occurring. It’s the power of attorneys, both medical and financial, as well as life insurance policies which would work similar to a trust fund for Gabriel once he hits eighteen.”

Pointing at one of the pages Ezra is reading, he adds, “There are breakdowns as he grows older, and any other additions that may be added to the family as well. Obviously, this is all up to you, but I felt it was necessary for you all to have security and rights moving forward.”

I look up at my father, completely stunned. He and I had talked briefly about me doing something like this, but it was nowhere near as involved as what he’s put together. “Father.” Paging through the stack of papers, I notice some of them are the same I had taken to Miriam’s father the day I confronted him. But now, it’s so much more.

I don’t know what to say and neither does anyone else. Finally, Kevin shuts the folder and stands up. “Thank you, Mr. Leigh. Obviously, we’ll have to go over everything with Miriam and adjust anything that doesn’t quite fit for us, but this is incredibly thoughtful.”

Harold Leigh shrugs as if he didn’t just accept my entire family with one not so simple, but meaningful action. “This is myfamily. It’s what I know how to do.” He tosses back his drink and sets it down. “Now, before your mother gets too carried away, I would like to steal an opportunity to hold the boy before we eat dinner.”

---