My eyes find hers, which are misting with tears. Kendrix rips into the package, and the smile that lights up her face will remain with me until the day I take my last breath.
“Oh, it’s all mine? I have my own hammer? Cool.” She drops the bag and throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says, her little voice right next to my ear.
I try to fight it. But I can’t. I put my arms around her and hug her back. Emotion clogs my throat, and I blink rapidly, fighting back the tears. I don’t want her to think I’m sad, especially when I’m the complete opposite. I’m happy. So fucking happy to finally be holding her in my arms.
“Can we do it now?” she asks.
“Sweetie.” Delaney clears her throat. “Mr. Kent is working. I’m sure we can do it later.”
“Hi.” Ridge bends down and holds his hand out to her. “I’m Ridge.”
“Hi, Mr. Ridge.”
“You know, I think now is the perfect time for you and Mr. Kent to work on learning to hammer nails.”
“Really?” she asks excitedly. She jumps and claps her hands. Then turns to face Delaney. “Did you hear, Momma? We can do it now.” She whips back around, grabs the gift bag, and holds her hand out for me. “Ready, Mr. Kent?”
My daughter. “I’m ready.” I look up at Delaney and she nods. “Let’s go to the kitchen so you can sit at the table and be able to see what you’re doing.”
“But you hafta teach me,” she says, putting me in my place.
“I will. I promise.” In my head, I’m making her a million more promises. To always be there, to scare off her dates, to kiss her skinned knees, help with science fair projects, never miss a sporting event or any other major event in her life, and most of all, to never break her heart… just to name a few.
We make our way to the kitchen, and I open the package, setting it all out on the table. I take my time explaining the hammer and the safety of not smashing your fingers and being careful with the nails. Kendrix hangs on my every word. By the time we’re finished, she’s successfully built a small birdhouse.
“That was so much fun. I want to build more stuffs.”
I laugh. “We can do that. I’ll get some more. I think you’re ready for some of your own tools too.”
“Oh, I am,” she agrees, nodding.
“We’re wrapping up for the day,” Mark says, sticking his head in the kitchen door.
“All right.” I turn my attention back to my daughter. “I guess it’s time for me to go home for the day.”
“Aw, can you stay?”
Oh, baby girl. I wish I could. “Not today. But I’ll be here tomorrow. I actually have an appointment. My doctor is coming here to test my spit,” I say, wrinkling my nose.
“Ew, what’s wrong with your spit?” she asks with a look of disgust on her face.
“Nothing. Just testing it out. Hey, you want to do it with me?”
“I don’t know. What do I hafta do?”
“You know what a Q-tip is?”
She shakes her head. “When your momma cleans out your ears.”
“Oh, those tickle.” She laughs.
“Well, I have to open wide, and they swipe it across my cheek and that’s it.” I look up at Delaney and she nods. We didn’t discuss how we were going to go about telling Kendrix about the test. It just kind of came to me and I blurted it out. And I want her to know that she’s going to see me again tomorrow. And the next day and the next day. Every day for the rest of her life.
“Oh, do they do it back here?” She opens her mouth and points at her throat. “I don’t like that,” she tells me. “I was sick, and Momma had to hold my hand and the doctors choked me.”
“They had to swab your throat to test for strep throat. They were not choking you,” Delaney speaks up.
“I didn’t like it, Momma.”
“I know, sweetie, but it helped the doctors know how to treat you and make you feel all better.”
Just something else I missed out on. I soak up every tidbit of information I can like a sponge. “That’s it. Just the cheek.” I open my mouth and show her.
“Okay. I can do that. Are you scared, Mr. Kent?”
“No, sweet girl. I’m not scared.”
“Me either.” She sits up straighter, squaring her little shoulders.
“Hey, Kendrix.” I look up to see Ridge in the doorway. “Did you know that I have a son and a daughter close to your age?”
“You do?” Her little eyes grow wide.
“I do. In fact, they have lots of cousins too. How would you like to come over and play sometime?”
“Oh, Momma, can I? Please, can I?” She looks at Delaney and then turns back to Ridge. “Can I come today?”