Page 35 of Levi
“Come.”She grabs my hand and yanks me in.I glance a peek over my shoulder and see my security looking around for any threats.
Walking into the rustic décor of their home, I first notice the smell of wood and outdoor scent; I always do when I visit here.Nothing has changed much over the years except for updated photos on the walls.Security spreads out in the room, looking things over, when both of my grandparents walk into the open floor plan house and spy me in the living room.They both gasp, and so do I.
“Lev—Levi, what are you doing here?”Grandma asks, but doesn’t take a step to greet me.I don’t blame her because I’m planted right where I’m standing.
“Alice Renee, I told you not to contact him yet!”Grandpa scolds my mother.
“He has a right to know,” she remarks, defending herself.
No one has moved a muscle, including security.Time has stopped as I view the prettiest little girl I’ve ever seen in my grandmother’s arms.She’s holding two dolls in her hand while trying to give them her pacifier.The books I’ve been reading say that she should’ve already been teething by now, but some toddlers simply enjoy putting things in their mouth to comfort themselves.
The phone in my hand drops to the floor, taking her attention away from her toy and to the sound.She sees a group of us on this side of the room, and abandons her toys to the ground while grabbing ahold of Grandma and burrowing her face into her neck.A thought comes to me in my jumbled thoughts.
“She’s here,” I say in astonishment.“Is my Saylor here too?”I ask, looking around hoping she’ll come out from down the hall.
“She’s not here, son,” Grandpa says.He checks his watch, and I can tell he’s trying to figure out something.
I feel my shoulder jolt forward, and realize that Mom just pushed me towards my daughter.The one I’ve dreamed of almost every night since I received those newborn photos from Saylor.My feet sway over to them, as I sit down next to Grandma and my baby girl on the couch.She’s still being shy and not looking at any of us.I drop down to my knees in front of her, and lightly run my fingers over her head and down her back.She’s so small and delicate, like a little China doll.She is the perfect mixture of both Saylor and I.She finally turns, and it’s like I’m looking at myself in her eyes.Our matching blue eyes sparkle in hers, and I can’t help but smile so brightly and big at her.
“Halo, can you say hi?”Grandma pats her tiny back.
Halo.My baby is named Halo.
Recognition hits as that was what my Grandpa called Grandma.She hated when he called her his angel because she said she was anything but an angel.So, he started calling her Halo because when she was younger she had almost white hair when they met.I remember Saylor swooning when Grandpa explained his moniker for her.
Tears well up in my eyes as I think about my wife naming our daughter after someone on my side of the family.It’s also a reminder of how much I’ve screwed up all of this and all the time that has been wasted from the biggest regret I’ve ever made.Not wanting to focus on that dark path, I turn my mind off and give all my attention to my little love.
“Hello, Halo.I’m your daddy,” I finally find my voice and a small crack comes at the end.This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, to meet my little girl.
“She doesn’t take to strangers very well…” Grandma starts to say, but Halo surprises us all and reaches out for me.Like she’s been waiting for me too.
I pull her into my arms and try not to squeeze the ever-loving shit out of her.My face goes to the crook of her neck and I inhale, smelling her baby scent.I feel the moisture leave my eyes as I realize I’ve been through hell to get to this moment, but everything that has happened in the last two years has been worth it.She wiggles in my embrace and I know that it’s a sign to let her go.As much as I hate it, I ease up on her tiny body and set her down on the ground.Halo straightens, then turns to go to the corner of the room, where she has an entire section of toys for her to play with.I watch with fascination as she plays and busies herself.I never paid much attention to children before, but now I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from her and every little move she makes.
“Levi, why are you here now?”Grandma asks, breaking my tunnel vision.
“What do you mean?I’m here for my daughter and wife,” I say, sitting back on my heels.
Grandpa tenses next to Grandma.
“Why now and not when you first woke up from your coma?”he snaps back at me, and I take a seat opposite of them.“You never mentioned looking for them.”I realize now that I should’ve had my entire family in the loop as I tried tirelessly to locate Saylor and our baby.
The next twenty minutes I lay everything out for them.I tell them about someone trying to harm Saylor while she was pregnant, and how I orchestrated the entire restaurant debacle to buy us some more time.About the car bomb and how we think it was connected to the threats against Saylor.I tell them about Daniel giving Saylor divorce papers against my wishes, and all the events that happened after that.When I’m done, both are in tears but also very mad at me.I can’t blame them for it but I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping some of these things from them.There was no need to worry them when I had a massive team to solve this situation, but I can see now that this is just another mistake to chalk up with all the other ones.
“Damnit Levi!”Grandpa yells, and it makes us all jump.“Don’t you see what all those secrets have caused?If we had known… then Saylor would never have…” Grandpa looks over at Grandma, and a flash of regret passes through their eyes, making me wonder what their unspoken conversation is about.“This is going to be so devastating.”He scrubs his hands over his face, then through his salt-colored hair.
I’m about to ask what they are talking about when I feel a small amount of weight touch my knee.Looking down, my precious baby girl has a toy in her hand, showing it to me.
“Pay ball?”Halo asks in the softest gibberish I’ve ever heard.All conversation forgotten, I get on the floor beside her.
“Of course, baby doll.”
We roll the bouncy ball to each other and I do some silly moves that make her squeal in laughter.I catch Mitch recording the event, and will have to get him to share those with me.I’ve never been around children before, especially this young, but it feels…right—natural.
An alarm goes off on Grandpa’s phone and he quickly turns it off before standing.
“I’m sorry Levi but they’ll be here soon to pick Halo up.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on seeing Saylor until the morning but I guess we’ll see how she takes seeing me.”
