Page 75 of Five Alarm Love
For a second, he got a glimpse of the difficulties she had faced over the years.The problems that her son and daughter-in-law—Tuli’s father and mother—also had.
“It must have been hard watching that happen.First my mom and then my dad.Watching addiction and anger consume them.”
“Harder when I had to step in and become a parent.It was a blessing in disguise for me.I wouldn’t have traded the years raising you for all the gold in those mountains.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand.“That’s sweet,nok’eedonh.”
“It was necessary.Who else would raise a restless Arctic fox like you?”She grinned and took a bite of salad.
“I could have been adopted out.”
“Well, that wasn’t going to happen as long as I drew breath.You are my blood.Anyway, youweretechnically adopted.By me.”
“What a bargain that was!”Tuli pointed at the bounty of good food on the table.
“Yes.It was a bargain.”She rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him until he squirmed.“My point being, life didn’t go the way I had envisioned it.It was still a good life.A valuable life.One with meaning.One full of love… and a kid who got into lots of trouble.”
“Do you mean my father or me?”
“Both!”
Tuli laughed, his shoulders relaxing.“You had lots of practice.Lucky for you.”
“Anyone can have that kind of luck.I just did what was right for the people I loved.”
A sour twist in his gut preceded distant memories of yelling and pain.“Doing the right thing was hard for a rageaholic like my dad.I don’t want to be like that.”Was it too late?
“That’s him.That’s not you, Tuli.”
“Isn’t it?”
“You’re not like him.You never were.”
He rubbed his cheek.“Some days it doesn’t feel like that.”
“So, you didn’t really run into a fire extinguisher?”
“Technically, I did.”Hunter extinguished fires, ergo, that was who Tuli’s face had run into.He snorted at the joke.
“I was married to your grandfather.I know how love is.I understand having hot emotions.I know how love can make you do silly things.”
“This is not about love.”
“Oh?”
Something shifted and settled into place deep inside of him.No.He was defending his friend and protecting his own reputation.“Doesn’t matter.I have a black eye now instead of a date to the wedding.”
She got up and rustled around in the kitchen, coming back with frozen venison wrapped in cheesecloth, and handed it to him.“Was it worth it?”
He pressed the coolness to his bruised face.“Very satisfying.”
“Things that matter in life are worth taking a risk.Things that matter are worth breaking from tradition and forging a different course.”
“Is that Athabascan wisdom you’re handing down to me?”
“If you want it to be.”She patted the back of his hand.“But no, this is simply the lesson I’ve learned along the changing path of my own life.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
