Page 115 of Before You Can Blink
Trudging down the stairs behind my wife, I moved around her to plug in the tree. The twinkling lights cast a soft glow throughout the room. For a split second, Reagan was transfixed by the sight, but then she must’ve remembered the perceived injustice of being kept apart from her favorite person because the headache-inducing high-pitched screams were back in full force.
I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “I’m gonna make us some coffee, seeing as I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep tonight.”
“You’re probably right about that.” Daisy sighed, giving me a weary smile as she wrangled our upset granddaughter.
Not for the first time, I cursed the single-cup contraption my wife insisted was better than a standard coffee machine featuring a multi-serving pot. While it might be nice for those who preferred fancy flavors, it tooktoo damn long when you needed a damn gallon of the stuff. And tonight, I wasn’t sure even that would be enough.
I was halfway to falling asleep standing when there was a knock at the back door.
Instantly, I went on high alert. If someone came knocking at this time of night, that meant something was wrong.
Bracing for the worst, I flung the door open, only to find a haggard-looking Mac on the other side. Hair sticking up in every direction, the kid looked like he’d gotten even less sleep than us, which made sense with Aspen’s induction the night before.
With bloodshot eyes, he shook his head. “I couldn’t do it.”
That’s when Reagan decided to let out the loudest “DADA!” of them all, and my son-in-law pushed past me, rushing toward his baby girl.
“Daddy’s here!”
Damn he moved fast for being dead on his feet.
Shutting out the chill, I followed—at a much slower pace—to where I knew Daisy and Reagan were.
By the time I got there, Reagan was already in her father’s arms, and though her cries had softened to whimpers, tears leaked from Mac’s eyes. He held her to his chest, whispering, “I’m so sorry. I’m never leaving you again.”
If he wasn’t careful, the man might create a monster, but that was a problem for another day.
For now, I was content to stand back and watch the heartwarming display of love between a father and his daughter.
I was beyond lucky to witness Mac and Tripp’s transformations from husbands to fathers. Some might say I was biased, but I happened to think they were some of the best at both roles.
It brought me peace to know that when my time on this earth was through, my family would be left in very capable hands.
April
“Ray, honey, come see what I built!”
Mac, like the big kid he was, had parked his ass in the center of the sandbox we’d just filled for the little ones, and was playing right alongside them.
With clunky, exaggerated footsteps, Reagan moved closer to her father’s creation before screaming, “Rawr!” and stomping all over it.
Jaw dropping, Mac stared at the destruction in shock. “Reagan!
I clamped a hand over my mouth in a piss-poor attempt to hide my smile, but Cash’s resulting giggles were too contagious, and soon all of us burst out laughing.
That reaction only served to spur Reagan on. Next, she clomped over to the castle Tripp had helped Cash build and demolished it as well.
Everyone went silent in anticipation of the ensuing outrage from the younger toddler, but instead, he shrieked in delight, clapping his pudgy hands and asking for more.
A hand landed on my forearm, and I turned to find a pregnant Penny by my side—their second baby was due this summer. “Aside from the amount of sand that’s bound to clog up our plumbing when we hose them down at the end of the day, this might be the best idea you’ve ever had, Jett. They love it.”
Warmth filled my chest. My family was happy and whole; there wasn’t anything more I wanted out of this life.
I smiled down at my daughter-in-law. “Figured it might be a good place for them to burn off some energy when Daisy’s got ’em by herself. Maybe by next summer, they’ll be ready for a playset.”
“Yeah, they need their own swings because I’m not sharing mine!” Tripp called out, rising from his crouch beside the wooden box.
Penny cupped a hand beside her mouth, stage whispering, “He was never very good at sharing.”
