Chapter 37
Jaxon
Weneedtotalk.Those four words have replayed over and over in my mind since Kate sent them this morning. I had been in a meeting with Finn and asked him where she was headed, and all he said was she was delivering a painting. I have a few days to figure out what I’m going to say to her. I’m not sure what her reaction is going to be. If she kicks me to the curb, I need to have a plan to not let her and fight for her. And if she welcomes me back with open arms—well, I don’t really expect that to happen because she’s not that simple of a girl.
“Daddy, is Miss Kate going to leave us like Mommy did?” Andy’s question catches me off guard as I tuck him into bed.
“Umm, no, buddy.” The unshed tears in his eyes nearly split my heart in two.
“Well then, why haven’t we seen her? Does she not like us anymore?”
I sigh heavily. Fuck! This is another reason I was hesitant to get involved.It’s not just me that feels her absence but Andy, too. Kate has been a sort of mother figure to him—the only one he’s ever known.
“Things are a little complicated right now.” I try to figure out the best way to explain this to a child. “Daddy said some things that made her mad.”
“You should tell her you’re sorry. When Emme was mad at me because I took her favorite truck, I said sorry, and we went back to playing. Now we’re best friends again.” If only it were that easy. Actually, it is that easy—had I not fucked up in the first place, then all this wouldn’t have happened. Where’s Doc Brown with a time machine when I need him?
“Uncle Finn said girls are simple. Say sorry and tell them they’re pretty.”
I let out a loud laugh. Thank Finn for your words of wisdom, spoken through the eyes of a four-year-old. “Thanks for the sage advice. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh, and tell her you love her.” He pauses. “Do you love her?”
“Is it okay with you if I do?”
He nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, because I love her, too.”
I wrap my arms around Andy. “We’ll see her soon, okay?”
Andy smiles. “Great. I need to give her the thank-you card Grammy helped me make today. Maybe she can help you make a card that says I’m sorry.”
“A thank-you card?”
“For my present.” I’m surprised there wasn’t a “duh’ said at the end because his tone tells me I should know what present he’s referring to.
I furrow my brows. “What present?”
“My book. When I got back from ice cream with Pop, Grammy said she had a present for me from Miss Kate. That she had dropped it off while I was gone.”
“Can I see it?” A million questions race through my mind.
Andy throws off the covers and jumps out of bed.
“Be careful,” I warn. He’s been managing his cast much better than I had. He’s only knocked me in the head three times since getting it on. Not even the cast is getting him to slow down, though.
“It’s the coolest,” Andy says as he rushes back from his bookshelf with a spiral book in hand. He crawls back up under the covers and hands it to me. “Grammy read it all afternoon, but you can read it again. It’s my favorite.”
I wonder if she had bought this with the plan of reading it to him at bedtime. The image of them curled up reading on the couch comes to the forefront of my mind.
“Look, Daddy, that’s me.” I read the title, Andy the Little Dinosaur,before he flips the pages.
“Oh, his name is Andy. That’s pretty neat.”
“No, it’s me. As a dinosaur. Grammy said that Miss Kate made it.” His eyes sparkle with excitement.
She made it? I take the book out of his hands and flip it back to the cover and see the name at the bottom. My heart seems to freeze for a split second as I read, “Written and illustrated by Kate Lawson.”
“Daddy, read it to me,” he begs.
“All right, all right.” I open the first page and laugh when the picture is of a little red dinosaur standing by a tree, peeing. I’m not sure Andy gets the reference, but I do.
“Look, she drew the dinosaur. She was teaching me how to draw. And he went on a walk in the park, down the slide, and even has a tire swing.” We turn the pages, each one with a hand-drawn picture of a small red dinosaur doing different activities that we all did.
I cover my mouth with my palm, trying to fight back the emotion. The hard work that she put into this. The love she clearly has for my son right here, staring in front of me.
“Daddy, why are you crying? The story has a happy ending.” I flip to the last page to find Andy the dinosaur hugging his mommy and daddy dinosaur.
“I see that. This book is wonderful.” I wipe under my eyes, not realizing I had even let the tears fall. “Can I see your thank-you card?”
“Yup, it’s right there.” He points to the folded-up piece of paper on his nightstand. I reach over and grab it.
“Grammy drew the letters, and I colored them.” Bold rainbow letters spell out Thank you on the front of the card. When I open it up, I love you is spelled in block letters. There are two stick figures holding hands.
An idea comes to mind, one that is going to sweep her off her damn feet right into my arms where she belongs. “Hey, buddy. This card is great. I think she’s going to love it. How would you like to help me win Miss Kate’s heart back?”
“Yes.” He throws his hands up, nearly missing my cheek with his hand.
“Awesome. You get some sleep, and I think Daddy might call Uncle Finn and stay home from work. We have our work cut out for us. Sounds good?”
Andy lies back and closes his eyes. “Good night, Daddy.”
“Hey, don’t I get a kiss good night?” I mock offense.
“Oopsie.” He pops up and kisses me with a loud smack. “Now, go to bed, too, Daddy. Tomorrow, we have to go get our girl.”
I laugh at his excitement, but when he lies back down and closes his eyes, I’m pretty sure he’s asleep before I even walk out of the room.
I’ve got my work cut out for me.
I need to make a list of items to get in the morning, but first things first. Before I head back downstairs, I pull my phone from my back pocket. I scroll through my contacts, and my thumb hovers over Kate’s name, dying to press it, but I keep scrolling and press Send.
“Hello,” the female voice answers.
“Hey, it’s Jaxon. I need your help with something.” I have to hope that this will work.