Page 46 of Resolution
Declan tells her he slept well, and our casual conversation makes waiting for breakfast go by quickly. It isn’t long before Pops joins us, freshly showered and ready for the day. When he enters the room, he pats me on my shoulder.
“Here’s the man of the day.”
“Morning, Pops.”
“What time do we need to be out at the lodge?”
“The photographer wants us there at noon. Melanie claims everything’s under control and the only thing we have to do is show up.”
“So, what do you boys want to do to fill our morning?” Pops looks at his watch, then to Declan and me before adding, “It looks like we have at least three hours to kill.”
Knowing Pops, he has something planned. “What do you have in mind?”
“I want to take you somewhere. It’s a place my father took me. I took your brother before his wedding, and now I’m taking you.” He looks to Declan. “Of course, you’re coming along, too. Maybe you’ll get to go again someday.”
“You and your traditions,” Ma says knowingly.
I’d never heard of Pops going somewhere on his wedding day or him taking Zane. My interest is piqued, so I nod at Declan. “Are you up for it?”
He shrugs. “Sure. Why not?”
As we pull into the parking lot, I can’t help but shake my head. Pops sees my response, and a smile spreads across his face. He knows this place always has a special place in my heart.
“We’re going golfing?” Declan asks when he sees the sign.
“We sure are, kiddo. Wanna hit a few buckets of balls at the range before we get this guy married?” Pops gets out of his truck and we follow him inside.
Declan’s eyes light up with excitement. “I’ve never done it before, but it looks fun.”
“Well, let’s get going.” Pops places an arm around his shoulder and leads him into the building.
Once we’re set up, the three of us stand side by side and take turns swinging into the range. Declan’s never done this before, but after a few swings, you’d never know it. Talk about a natural athlete. I look over to Pops and he nods in agreement. Our time at the range is filled with laughter and casual conversation.
This calms my nerves by keeping me occupied. I’m not having cold feet or anything. I don’t have a single doubt about marrying Samantha. I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone, but I can’t wait to set my eyes on her and spend the rest of our lives together.
“Did Gramps really bring you here?” I finally ask, wondering what the connection to this place and getting married is.
“Yep.” Pops swings, and his ball goes sailing out over two hundred fifty yards.
“Any particular reason?”
“I think there might have been a few. First, I’d been up pacing at the crack of dawn and needed to pass the time or drive Ma crazy. The second was to give me some life lessons.” Pops shrugs.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Ever notice how you can’t hit the ball in the exact same place twice?” He points out toward the ball he just hit.
I’d never thought about this before. “I guess you’re right.”
“Even the best of them get close, but hardly ever in the same exact place.”
Where is he going with this?“Okay?” I prompt to help him get to the point.
Pops sighs after he takes another swing and looks me directly in the eye. “I guess I’m just trying to tell you that no matter how hard you try, no matter how prepared you are, life is sometimes going to give you a curve ball, and you just have to make do with what you’ve got. You need to focus on how to go from where you are, not where you think you should’ve been.”
I think about Samantha, her kids, and the twins coming. I couldn’t agree with Pops more. “You’re absolutely right. Sometimes the best things in life come out of unexpected circumstances.”
“Of course I am.” Pops snickers. “There’s also another reason to come out here…”
