Chapter Seventeen
It was amazing to Dax—a man who had eschewed society and women and life in general for the last year or so—how quickly he and Kyra came together and fit into each other’s lives.
The few days following Jonathan’s birth were some of the best of his life. He could actually say that—they were the best of his life. He had a son. He had a girl. He had a coconut who made him smile every day, a feat he would have thought impossible just a few short weeks ago.
For the first time in months, Dax forgot his heart was broken.
Ashley was great about sending him pictures and texts about Jonathan. He hadn’t asked for that, and he truly appreciated it. He wanted to be there with his son in the worst way, and he went to visit as often as he could. But he had to finish the massive table he’d been working on for Wallace, and there was Otto to take care of. But when he wasn’t working on that table, he was staring at pictures of Jonathan or listening to the fanciful theories presented by Ruby Coconuts about squirrels or birds or dogs or whatever had caught her eye that day.
The little girl with the long, curly red hair had grown on him, that was for sure. Sort of like the old tree up on Juneberry Road that had grown around a fence post and practically swallowed the post in its trunk. He had to give the little twerp credit—she had come over the fence and wormed her way into his life when he wasn’t looking.
Most days, while Kyra waited tables and he worked on his furniture, Ruby got dirty. She and dirt were magnets. Maybe because her favorite sport was digging or planting sticks. Mr. McCauley came by a couple of times and took her on his landscaping rounds with him—maybe to keep her from digging up something important—but whatever the reason, Dax was grateful for the break. Even though he found Ruby easy to babysit, at the end of those days he watched her, he was tired. He didn’t know what it was—maybe having to be constantly alert or maybe the need to engage in constant conversation when he was so out of practice. He couldn’t imagine how tiring it would be to have to clothe her and bathe her and make sure she brushed her teeth or picked up her toys or read her books and talk more about Barbies at the end of a long day.
He had developed a healthy respect for the life of a single parent.
Neither he nor Ruby could wait for Kyra to come home each day, albeit for different reasons. Inevitably, Kyra would shake her head at the sight of both of them. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the two of you have been mud wrestling.” And then she’d take over, freeing Dax from the responsibility of Ruby.
That’s when the day really lit up. Dax loved being with Kyra; it was so easy between them. One night he made a picnic for Ruby and Kyra and took them down to the lakeshore. He and Kyra laughed about their most embarrassing high school moments while they ate turkey sandwiches, and Ruby threw rocks into the lake that Otto would swim out and try to catch.
The next night they drove to the fancy resort at the other end of Lake Haven. Because Dax made and delivered furniture to some of the houses on the high-dollar end of the lake, he knew the resort hosted free summer concerts. That night they threw out a blanket and the three of them sort of dog piled onto it and gazed at the stars while they listened to music.
Later, as Dax and Kyra lay tangled in her bed after making love, he asked if he could take Ruby to see Jonathan.
Kyra came up on an elbow, her hair spilling over him like water. “Really?”
“He’s home now,” Dax said. “I can’t wait to see him again.”
“I’m off work on Sunday,” she suggested. “Can you wait until then? You don’t want to take Ruby with you, Dax—you know how hyper she can get.”
“She gets hyped up like any kid.” He played with the ends of Kyra’s hair, brushing them across her nose. “I have a good working relationship with the coconut. We could run a business together. She knows when I say cut it out, I mean it.”
Kyra smiled. “Well, that’s impressive. You’ll have to teach me your trick,” she said, and leaned down to kiss him.
“She’d have fun,” Dax said. “And I could use the company.”
Kyra’s hand was sliding down his leg, distracting him. “As long as you understand what you’re in for.”
“I do.”
“That will give me a chance to study,” she said, contemplating. “I’m getting really close to being ready to take the exam.”
“That’s great,” he said and rolled on top of her. It amazed him that he could be hard again, but Kyra had that effect on him. His hand drifted down her side, to her thigh. “How sleepy are you?”
“On a scale of one to ten?”
He kissed the corner of her mouth.
“A two.”
“That’s my girl,” he muttered and realized, as he kissed her and his hands began to roam a body that was becoming so familiar to him, that he was very attached to the idea of having a girlfriend.
Yes, he damn sure was.
The next day he and Ruby set off on their adventure to see Jonathan. Ruby peppered him with questions on the forty-five-minute drive to Teaneck until they pulled into the drive of the old Cape Cod he and Ashley had bought a very long time ago.
He paused in the drive, peering out the windshield. Someone had painted the red brick green. He could only imagine who’d had that brilliant idea.
“All right, here we go,” he said. The words were barely out of his mouth before Ruby was out of the truck, hopscotching her way to the front door. Dax scrambled to get there before she did, grabbing up the gift he had for Jonathan.
The front door was open and the glass storm door was the only thing between them and his baby. Ruby pressed her face against the glass to see in. Dax rang the doorbell. A moment later he heard what he imagined was a thundering of thighs coming down the stairs.
“Don’t ring the doorbell!” Stephanie hissed as she came down. When she reached the door, she sighed. “Well, if it isn’t Shrek.”
Dax glared at her. “Did you gain a little pregnancy weight, too, Steph? You’re looking a little paunchy there.”
Stephanie looked as if she was going to say something but happened to see Ruby. “Who’s this?”
“I’m Ruby Kokinos,” Ruby said. “Not Coconuts. Kokinos.” Apparently she thought this was a mistake all adults made now.
“Hi, Ruby,” Stephanie said. She unlatched the door and opened it.
Ruby didn’t wait to be asked but scooted past Stephanie and into the house.
Stephanie watched Ruby with surprise as she walked over to the couch and plopped onto it. She shifted her gaze to Dax. “Dating a little young, aren’t you?”
“Shut up. She’s my neighbor’s kid. Where’s my baby?”
“Our baby is upstairs with Ashley,” Stephanie said. “But you both have to wash your hands first.” She pointed to the half bath in the hall.
“You don’t have to point. I know where it is,” Dax said. “Come on, Coconut. Hands.”
When he and Ruby had both cleaned their hands, they returned to the living area. All the furniture Dax had made was gone—probably sold dirt cheap on Craigslist—and in its place was some IKEA stuff that made him want to put his fist through the brick wall. He’d worked hard on this house. He couldn’t believe Ashley put up with this new design aesthetic.
“Come on, let’s get this over with,” Stephanie grumbled and led them up the narrow staircase to the second floor and the master bedroom.
Dax could hardly look at the bed, onto which Stephanie promptly put herself, stretching out as she smirked at him. Ashley was in the bedroom’s small sitting area. Dax had added shelves and a counter for diapers and baby things when he and Ashley had planned for this to be a nursery. They had both wanted the baby close.
Ashley was sitting in a rocking chair with Jonathan at her breast. She’d cut her hair short, like Stephanie’s, and Dax hated it. He thought of Kyra’s long black hair and her smiling eyes, and he recognized, looking at his ex-wife now, that he did not feel the twinge of regret for his old life that he usually felt around her.
“Who is this?” Ashley asked, smiling at Ruby.
“She’s my friend,” Dax said.
“My name is Ruby. I’m six,” she said.
“Wow, six, really?” Stephanie asked. “Do you and Dax go to the same school?”
Ruby laughed while Dax glared. “He’s too big to go to school. Can I look at your baby?”
“Give me just a minute,” Ashley said and took the baby from her breast. To Dax, she said, “What’s going on?”
“Ruby is my neighbor,” he said. “She’s keeping me company today.”
Ashley stood up. “Here he is,” she said and put the baby in Dax’s hands.
Dax felt a jolt of electricity go right through him. He felt it every time he held his son, like he was shaking. But he wasn’t shaking. He was just sizzling with pride and love and hope. His son was so small. So small. He had a curly patch of dark hair on his head, and he was holding a tight little fist by his face. Dax was mortified to get so misty-eyed as he gazed down at him.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Ashley asked.
Dax was incapable of speaking and only nodded. He dipped down onto one knee so that Ruby could see him.
Ruby leaned over the baby, studying him closely. “Can I touch it?” she asked.
“It’s a he,” Dax said. “His name is Jonathan. And yes, you can touch him very gently.”
She carefully laid her finger on the baby’s cheek, and the baby squirmed. “He’s supersoft.”
Dax smiled and stood up. “Stephanie, would you take Ruby downstairs?”
“To do what?” Stephanie asked, sounding annoyed.
“Steph, honey, will you?” Ashley asked sweetly. Dax’s stomach turned—that’s the way she used to speak to him.
“Fine,” Stephanie groused and got off the bed. “Come on, kid.”
Dax had the fleeting thought that next time he’d have Ruby make Stephanie some cookies. They would be perfect for her.
As they went out, he heard Ruby ask if they had a swing.
“Not yet,” Stephanie answered. “But we’re going to get one soon. I’ll show you where we will put it.”
Dax and Ashley were alone for the first time in months. He gazed at the woman he’d once loved. She didn’t look the same anymore. She looked like another woman entirely.
Ashley smiled at him. “I can’t believe it, we finally made a baby,” she said and stroked Jonathan’s crown. “You made a beautiful son, Dax.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. He didn’t think he had so much to do with it, but rather that God had smiled on him—Jonathan was the most perfect baby he’d ever seen. He stroked his little cheek, then gave him his pinkie to suck. “I want to be part of his life, Ashley,” he blurted.
“I know,” she said.
“No, I mean in a big way. Not just some part-time gig.”
“Really? That’s wonderful,” she said and put her hand on his arm. “I’m grateful for that. I want him to know his father. Will you stay at Lake Haven? Or will you come back to Teaneck?”
“I don’t know,” he said, looking at Jonathan’s cherubic little face. “I have to figure things out, but I’ll make it work somehow.”
“We’ll make it work,” she said.
“What about Numbnuts?” he asked, jerking his head in the direction of the bed.
“Dax,” she said disapprovingly. “Stephanie will be fine with it.”
Dax gave her a dubious look.
“Okay, she won’t be fine with it,” Ashley admitted sheepishly. “But she understands—she’ll make it work, too.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
Ashley smiled serenely. “Because she loves me and she loves Jonathan. She wants what is best for the both of us.”
Dax supposed that was at least one thing he had in common with Stephanie. But it was the only thing.
He and Ruby stayed another half hour. Stephanie walked them out when they left. She stood on the stoop, her hands shoved in her pockets. “So I guess you’ll be back,” she said.
“Yep.”
“I knew it,” she muttered. “Okay, well, I don’t want to hear a word about this house, Dax Bishop. I know you did everything, but I’ve got some skills, too.”
Dax laughed. “No, you don’t.”
“Doesn’t matter what you think. We bought you out.”
“I won’t say a word.” He extended his hand to her in a gesture that surprised even him.
Stephanie grabbed it in a strong grip and shook it. “You know, Dax, I wish that—”
“Don’t,” Dax said. He didn’t want to hear any platitudes from her, no can’t we all just get along bullshit. He would never get over the fact that his coworker had gone behind his back and pursued his wife.
“You don’t know what I was going to say,” she said.
“I don’t want to know. We’ve got a kid now, Stephanie. Let’s not speak about the past and move forward. Deal?”
Stephanie shrugged. “Deal.”
Kyra was up to her elbows in workbooks when Dax and Ruby arrived home. Dax was starving and offered to take them for burgers. They drove into East Beach, to his favorite burger joint. They sat outside on wooden picnic tables, and while Ruby rattled off every detail of their excursion—including how many red cars they saw—Dax imagined Jonathan at six years old, wiggling around in a seat, ketchup on his face, glowing with the excitement of an outing.
He didn’t know how he was going to be a dad in a crowded parental unit, but he knew, as he sat there watching Ruby, that he wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.
He and Kyra and the coconut spent that weekend together, swimming in the lake, giving Otto a much-needed bath, and best of all, lolling around in bed Sunday morning while Ruby slept.
On Monday Kyra took Ruby to see Dr. Green in Black Springs while Dax drove to Teaneck to see Jonathan. When they met up later, Kyra was all smiles. “Dr. Green says he’s ninety-five percent sure it’s the absence epilepsy and it’s no big deal. But we’re having some tests next week to confirm.”
Dax was relieved that Kyra seemed to have packed away the guilt she’d been carrying around. She was bubbly again, digging through her backpack as she talked about the trip and what she had to do this week.
She made dinner that night, “the first of many thank-yous,” she announced. She cooked fish and made potatoes au gratin and a salad. After dinner the evening was so pleasant that they took a walk. The four of them—Otto festively attired in a pink bow—stopped in to say hello to the McCauleys. At the Caldwells’, Kyra and Dax talked to the grown-ups while Ruby and the Caldwell kids chased butterflies.
They returned home, Dax and Kyra holding hands, talking about their week, watching Ruby run with Otto, her red hair flying behind her, her pink cowboy boots lighting up with every step she took.
Dax took Otto to Number Two and fed him while Kyra put Ruby to bed. When he strolled back across the lawn, he sat on the front porch steps to watch the moon rise above the lake while he waited for Kyra.
He felt remarkably content. Remarkably. He didn’t feel that strange restless feeling he’d had before meeting Kyra. He didn’t feel anything but happiness and peace. This was what he’d always wanted. He’d never expected to find it this way, but somehow he’d stumbled into this near-perfect little family unit. The thing that would make it perfect was adding Jonathan to it.
Dax was going to make it work. He’d never been more determined about something in his life.
He didn’t hear the screen door open, thanks to his expert skills at installing a pneumatic hinge, and jumped a little when Kyra put her hand on his shoulder. She leaned over his shoulder, nibbled his earlobe, and said, “Ruby is asleep.”
She slipped her hand into his, tugged him to his feet, and led him to her bedroom. She closed the door, then pushed him down onto his back on the bed.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Sssh,” she whispered. “Don’t wake the kid.”
Dax smiled and pillowed his head and watched with rapt attention as Kyra performed a striptease for him, even swinging her bra over her head. She wasn’t a great dancer by her own admission, but that was the sexiest, most arousing dance Dax had ever seen in his life. Hell, he couldn’t imagine what she might have done to make him want her more . . . not until she climbed on top of him and kissed him. He definitely wanted her even more.
“What a great day,” she sighed.
“Better than great,” he agreed. He could hardly fathom it, but somehow, Kyra had managed to chisel her way past the hard shell he’d erected and turn him to mush.
As Dax was losing himself in her again, sliding into her body and giving himself up entirely and letting himself go completely, he thought, This is it. This is the real deal.
Nothing could come between them. He was generally not a believer in relationships blooming so quickly, but honestly, as they moved together, each of them finding their release, their hands clasped, he couldn’t see a downside. Not one.