RYAN
Ihad to pull up GPS, on my phone, to find Pop and Gina’s place. They were gone when we first got to town and they picked up Henley yesterday afternoon, so this is my first time going to their house. The GPS brought me to a well landscaped farmhouse just outside of town. With a large wraparound porch and a little red barn out back, it’s a nice place.
As I pull further down the long drive and into the driveway, I see a table of people out on the side of the porch.
Pop stands up from one of the chairs, and Gina follows him down the front steps, as I shut off the truck. Getting out I hear Henley call out to me.
“Hi Daddy.”
“Hey Baby Girl,” I smile up at her.
Pop grabs me for a handshake and a hug.
“It’s good to have you here, son.”
“Glad to be here, Pop.”
He squeezes me tighter and thumps my back.
“Don’t hog him, John.” Gina steps up, as Pop lets me go and pulls me down for a tight hug of her own.
“Congratulations,” I tell her before kissing her cheek. “You’ve got a great place.”
She beams up at me, “Thank you so much.”
Pop wraps his arm around her and the three of us walk up the steps and onto the porch.
“Grammie!” a tiny little voice shouts.
She turns around scooping up a little boy with dirty blonde hair.
“Ryan, this is Tucker, my grandson. Tuck this is Ryan.”
I recognize the little guy instantly, and my heart beats a little faster. Dirty blonde hair and face that matches his moms. There’s no way I can be this lucky.
“Hey, little man,” I lift my hand for a high five.
He smiles, showing me a mouthful of tiny white teeth, and slaps my hand. “Hi.”
Looking over Gina’s shoulder, I see the face I’ve fantasized about all week. The spunky little dancer with a riot of corkscrew curls. Without the large sunglasses resting on her nose, I can see the color of her eyes, such a vivid green they light up her face.
“You must be Liv.”
“I am,” she smiles, dimple shining. “And you’re Ryan,” she shakes her head almost imperceptibly.
Gina looks back and forth between us. “Have you two already met?”
“You could say that,” I start.
“I snorted at him at the grocery store,” Olivia blurts, making me chuckle.
She’s funny as she tells them the story. Singing Disney tunes in the store’s parking lot, getting caught by a stranger and comically reenacting the surprised snort that came out of her mouth. She keeps it light and funny, leaving out the chemistry between us.
It doesn’t escape my notice that she avoids my gaze. I get a swift glance here and there, but she’s quick to avoid eye contact.
Henley knows exactly which day Liv is referring to and looks over at Pop, “That was the day I broke the glass.”
Gina nods, having already heard about what happened, and Henley tells Liv the story.
“I couldn’t get a hold of my mom on FaceTime, so I decided to unpack some more boxes. I tripped and dropped a whole box full of glasses in the living room. It shattered everywhere and cut the side of my foot. I had to call Daddy because I was bleeding all over the floor and couldn’t walk through the glass barefoot.” She scrunches her nose. “I had to stand there and wait until he could drive back from the store and carry me out of the glass.”
Watching Olivia’s face as Henley tells the story, I see her eyes widen in realization that ‘Baby Girl’ on the phone was my daughter. Her face is an open book.
Leaning back in the chair, I look over to the others, giving no hint of what I just watched play across her face. With my elbows resting on the arms of the chair, I lift a hand to rub down my beard, hiding my knowing smile.
∞ ∞ ∞
Lunch was great.
Watching Liv laugh and joke with Pop really surprised me. There’s a deeper connection there than I thought. Gina looks between them as they banter, the happy glow on her face telling me she’s used to their back and forth.
He was never like this with Amy. They got along great, probably better than most in-laws, but it was nothing like watching him with Liv. He treats her like she’s his own daughter.
Finding out I’m her step-brother isn’t how I pictured our meeting, but it doesn’t change anything for me. After watching her with my family, I want her even more. I know things won’t be easy for us, especially now that I’ve seen how Pop is with her. But, I don’t care. I want her in my arms and in my bed.