Page 106 of Nodus Tollens
“Dad.” Hayes kept one hand entwined with mine as he closed the distance between us and his father. The quiver in his voice broke me. I hated that this was their reality. Hayes’ reality.
Death.
My stomach cramped painfully at the thought, but his dad’s voice had cut in, breaking my racing mind entirely.
“Hayes.” He smiled sadly. “Son, it’s good to have you home.”
Knowing I couldn’t let Hayes not hug his father, I dropped his hand and watched as the two embraced in a hug. Tears burned my eyes as I watched the man I loved crumble. He held onto his dad tight as muffled words and cries filled the air around us.
“Shh…It’s okay, son. Relax.” He soothed while rubbing his palm up and down his back.
It wasn’t okay, though. Watching this… seeing this… nothing about this was okay. It was heartbreaking. So damn soul-crushing that the image of them hugging would forever be engraved in my head.
A few minutes passed as I let them have their moment. I didn’t mind standing behind them, waiting, because I knew one day Hayes wouldn’t have his father to hug anymore. The thought wreaked me. Not only because he was losing his father but he would also lose me.
Then, when they finally separated, Hayes reached out and pulled me into his side.
“Dad, I want you to meet someone really special to me.” With a kiss to my head, I leaned into his side and smiled at his comment.
“So, this is the girl you couldn’t stop talking about on the phone.” His dad grinned weakly as both Hayes and I chuckled.
“Yeah, she’s uh… pretty hard not to talk about.”
My face went red.
“I can see why.” His dad gave me a friendly smile. “It’s nice to meet you…”
“Wren. You can call me Wren.”
Nodding, his gaze bounced back and forth between us.
“Likewise. You can call me Greg.”
Not knowing what to say, I responded with a smile and a nod.
“You talk to Mal yet?” Hayes asked while Greg lowered himself back into his rocker. His face scrunched in pain, causing Hayes to reach for him and help.
“Yeah, he’s in the house bugging mom.”
“You going stay out here for a while?” Hayes made sure he was settled before dropping his hold on his arm and taking a step back.
“Yeah, I like being out in the fresh air. Your ma says it’s good for me.”
A light smile graced his tired face.
“Alright, well, I’m going to show Wren around the house. If you need anything, just holler.” He gave his dad a pat on the shoulder while Greg nodded.
“It was nice meeting you.” I gave him an awkward wave before sliding in next to Hayes, where I interlinked our fingers together.
“It was nice meeting you, too.”
Hayes then led me into the house. Instantly, my nose was assaulted with the decadent smells of sauteed mushrooms and freshly baked bread. I inhaled the mixture of scents, all while I took in the sights around me. Turquoise blue walls surrounded me, almost like a Caribbean Ocean had swallowed me whole, and I was now thrown into the middle of it. From the outside being all white with wood accents, I wouldn’t have expected the inside of the house to be so… colorful. But I should’ve known, with his mother’s bright and friendly personality, that the inside of her home would be just that. Then, my eyes were drawn to a collage of picture frames covering the wall beside me. I immediately sought out a young Hayes. With a curious smile spread across my face, I glanced over at Hayes, who was watching me closely.
“What?” He asked skeptically as I threw him a playful smirk. Dropping his palm, I went over to the wall of photos and began to search.
“I’m curious to see if you have any awkward, embarrassing photos of you when you were younger that your mom put up and refuses to take down.” I chuckled as my eyes scanned over the array of family memories and portraits that made my heart explode. In the center was a recent picture of Hayes in his hockey gear, smiling brightly at the camera while his parents stood beside him. His dad wore an appreciative grin, while Shelia looked like she was going to burst at the seams with the amount of adoration and happiness she was displaying in her smile. There was nothing unique about the photo. It wasn’t taken in a field of sunflowers, nor were they dressed in nice clothing. This was an unplanned, in-the-moment photo that showed more love than a professional photo would have. It was real life. A proud mother and father embracing their son. The purest kind of endearment.
Real.
