Chapter Twenty-Six
Colton
“You really don’t have to take me to your house. You can just drop me off at a hotel,” I tell Hank as we drive along the busy streets of Seattle. This isn’t the way I wanted my first trip to Seattle to be. I was supposed to come here with my wife and daughter to start the next chapter of our lives. Today, I find myself alone with a wife who could barely look at me. My mother warned me that this could happen. I should have eased Lucy into me being back, but I was too selfish in wanting to see her and Bailey now. Seeing the pain in Lucy’s eyes nearly broke me.
“The last thing you need right now is to be alone. We have a guest room you are more than welcome to crash in. Besides, I already told Nora you are coming, and I’m sure she has a feast waiting for us.”
“Who is Nora?” I ask.
“She is my wife.”
I have to keep my mouth from dropping into my lap from shock. When Lucy first introduced me to her cousin Hank, the only thing that was important to him was drugs and sleeping with any willing pussy. The road he was heading down…I would have thought he would have overdosed by now. Lucy always had faith that he could change. She would say it only takes one person believing in you to make you believe in yourself. He looks sober and happy. He’s not the same man I met all those years ago. This Nora must be a miracle worker.
“You’re married. Wow, I have missed a lot,” I say dumbfounded.
“A lot has changed since the last time we saw each other. About seven years ago, my daughter Colby was born. She was the product of a one-night stand. Her mother didn’t want her, so she left her at the hospital, telling them she was my responsibility. I was ready to give her up for adoption, because I was in no shape to raise a kid. But when the nurse put her in my arms, I was done for. There was no way I was going to give her up. I got clean and got my shit together. Four years ago, I hired Nora to be Colby’s nanny, but we ended up falling in love, and now she is Colby’s mother.” His face lights up talking about his wife and his daughter.
“That is amazing Hank. I know Lucy always saw this life for you. I’m glad to see it came true.” Lucy was right, people can change.
“She helped me a lot when Colby was a baby. Lucy has a big heart, and I know she will come around.”
“I guess we will see.” In some way I was delusional in hoping that Lucy would just welcome me home with open arms. It was foolish and stupid of me to just expect life to start where it left off ten years ago. I made things worse by just showing up on her doorstep.
We pull up outside Hank’s house. The small bungalow is not what I expected someone from money to choose to live in. Lucy once told me that Hank’s mother was the heiress to a timber fortune. Maybe getting his life together also meant getting away from that life style. I follow Hank up the walkway. Inside we are greeted with the scent of fresh baked cookies. The house itself is warm and cozy. The walls are lined with family photos and children’s artwork. In the living room, there are toys scattered on the floor, cartoons playing on the television, and a fire burning in the fireplace. Reminds me of the house Lucy and I lived in on base.
“Nora, we’re here,” Hank calls out. Out of the kitchen walks a tall brunette with soft brown eyes and a welcoming smile with a child on her hip. This must be Nora. Her face beams when she sees Hank. I remember when Lucy’s face would light up like that for me. Hank gives her a kiss hello then turns back to me. “Colton, this is my wife, Nora, and our daughter Fiona. Nora, this is the famous Colton.”
Nora hands Fiona over to Hank then walks over to me and envelops me in a big hug. “You looked like you could use a hug,” she says, hugging me a little tighter. It might not be the exact hug I wanted, but I’ll take it. She pulls away, keeping her hands on my shoulders. “I’ve never hugged a dead man before. It was warmer than I thought.” She giggles. Her joke makes me laugh for the first time since I woke up. Even Hank chuckles and shakes his head at that one.
“Colton, would you like some coffee?” Hank offers.
“I just made a fresh pot. Please come in.” Nora steps to the side and leads us into the kitchen. “I apologize for the mess, but with two kids and one on the way, the toys tend to stack up.” Nora pulls out a chair for me at the kitchen table.
“No, you sit. The expectant mom gets the first seat.” Nora takes a seat, and I take the chair across from her.
“I take it by the look on your face your reunion with Lucy didn’t go well.”
“It didn’t go as I had expected it to.” A heavy sigh escapes from my chest.
“Lucy was pretty shaken up by the time I got there.” Hank sets a cup of coffee in front of me, and joins us at the table, putting Fiona in his lap.
“I wouldn’t expect it to be easy for anyone to find out their significant other has been alive this whole time, and they have been mourning the wrong person. I’m sure it’s even harder to be the person who wakes up to find out life kept on going and everyone thinks you are dead. I can’t imagine what you have been going through.”
“In the span of a few days my whole world has been completely turned upside down. I not only lost my life before the bombing, but I lost everything I had after. I feel incredibly lost.” I’ve been trying to hold myself together all morning, but everything is hitting me like a freight train, and I break down in the middle of Hank and Nora’s kitchen.
I bury my face in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably. A gentle hand slides along my shoulders and Nora kneels next to me. “I know everything seems lost right now, but I know with a little time, Lucy will come around and you two will figure this all out. You’ll get to see your daughter, who is pretty incredible, by the way. Sometimes we all have to go through the darkness to get to the light. It’s going to be tough, but I know, without a doubt, that everything is going to work out.” Nora’s caring words ease the panic ripping through me.
I look over at Hank. “I can see why you married her.”
Hank smiles proudly. “She is pretty incredible.” He gives Nora a wink. “Lucy will come around, and until then, you are welcome to stay here for as long as it takes,” he offers.
“Thank you, but I couldn’t put you out like that.”
“Sorry, but you are staying. You need to be around people right now. I would feel better if you were here with us. I have a good listening ear, and the girls are masters at making people smile. It’s way better than being in a lonely hotel room.” Nora is sweet and a little stubborn.
“There is no changing her mind, so you might as well stay here, otherwise she will pack us up and have us in the adjoining room at your hotel.” I can tell Hank isn’t kidding.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Okay, I will stay. Thank you.” Nora is right, I need to be around caring people. One thing I learned after I came home was that being alone only made the demons come creeping out. Things aren’t as bad as they were before, but I don’t want to take the chance of sinking back into that darkness again.
“Great, I will go set up the guest room.” Nora gives me a quick hug then makes her way out of the kitchen.
Little Fiona appears where Nora was just standing. She looks up at me with big blue eyes and an ear to ear grin on her face. “Hug, kiss,” she babbles, lifting her arms for me to pick her up. I lift her up and set her on my lap, she leans in and kisses my cheek. “Better?” she asks with hopeful eyes.
“Much better, thank you Fiona.”