Page 84 of Embers in Our Souls
Noah stays quiet, listening intently to the story.
She continues, “And Mommy’s heart felt really happy when she saw Hunter that day.”
“That’s what I said!” Noah interjects.
I look up at her, confused, yet I smile. “You did?” I ask him.
“Mmhmm.” He nods. “I told her you make her smile.”
“Yes, yes,” she carries on, and I make a mental note to go back to that later. “And because Mommy feels so happy around Hunter, we have decided to see each other more.”
“I like being around your mom,” I say.
Noah looks at me, inspecting me and his brown eyes narrow a bit, then bounce to his mom, then back to me.
Finally, he speaks, “Okay, so can we watch the movie?”
Indy looks at me, confusion marring her features. “Noah, sweetie, do you have any questions for us?”
“No.” He pets Darth, completely unfazed.
“You understand that Hunter might hold Mommy’s hand or hug me?” she says.
“Yes.” He doesn’t look up and continues to pet his cat’s head.
Her mouth hangs open, as if she’s shocked at his casual nature for this entire interaction.
I shrug and move my hand through my hair, winking at her.
“Can we start the movie, Hunter? Is that okay, Mom?” Noah asks, looking up at her, shocking her to move slightly away from my hand.
“Um, yeah,” she answers.
I laugh at how nervous she is and she side-eyes me, making me laugh a little harder. If looks could kill, I’d be out cold, but luckily that’s not the case right now.
The movie begins and Noah sidles right next to Indy, while Darth cuddles next to me. Once the food arrives, we pause and sit at the table together.
I talk about what I did with Darth, while they catch me up on their weekend with her parents. I give Noah some stories from the firehouse that are kid-appropriate, along with some stories about traveling after the Army.
Summer is soon approaching, and Noah has a few camps he’s signed up for that he’s excited to start. He tells me all about how much he’s loving playing tee-ball, and he wants me to come to his games. I’m well aware that coach of his is eyeing my wife, so I’ll definitely be making an appearance. Plus, I really want to see him playing something he seems to love so much.
Once dinner is done, Noah runs to sit on the couch while I start cleaning up the leftovers. I tell Indy to go sit down and relax, but she insists on helping me clean up.
We’re in the kitchen when I feel her wrap her hands around me from behind.
“Thank you for being so wonderful with him.” She rests her cheek on my back.
“Of course. He’s a good one. You’re doing a great job with him. I hope you know that,” I tell her.
“He’s so much like Bryce. It hurts sometimes.” I can hear the pain in her voice.
I turn around and let her rest her face on my chest. “Does he ask about his dad?”
She rests her chin on my sternum so she’s looking up at me. “Sometimes. It’s random how often he brings him up. It’s painful, yet reassuring, if that makes sense. I love talking about him, but it feels like I’m taking something away from Bryce each time a milestone happens.”
“I get that. He looks a lot like him,” I say.
“I know. And some of his mannerisms are the same. It’s weird. Noah was only eight months when Bryce passed, and yet he still acts like my brother. So strange how those things are passed on.” She’s looking at me but she’s so far away.
