Cade

 

One day at the garage and I knew Harlan regretted it, even though she wouldn’t admit it. It was too much too fast. She insisted she was feeling fine, but she was apparently in pain and completely exhausted. The night before I had to leave for the race, it all came to a head. Harlan sat on the bed, exhausted and in pain.

“I just want to go to the race this weekend. I can’t sit still anymore,” she complained. I understood why this usually active person had cabin fever, but going out wasn’t good for her. And that’s why I called in reinforcements.

I was saved from having to deny her request by the doorbell. Dillon ran to the door shouting, “Who is it? Who is it?” His excited voice echoed through the house and I found myself wondering how I could go back to living apart from them when this was all over.

The door slid open to my mother’s smiling face as she entered the house. Her blue eyes, just like mine, shined with delight when she looked down at the little boy. My mother was a rather small woman with big blonde hair and a bigger personality. She was followed into the house by my father, his quiet, calm demeanor took in his surroundings.

Dillon ran over to me, reaching his arms up for me to lift him into my embrace. “Cade, who are they?” he asked, curiously.

I noticed my mother’s eyes mist over watching me with the little boy in my arms. Yep, Mom. Best get used to it. This is my family, they aren’t goin’ anywhere.

“That’s my mom and dad,” I explained.

Dillon considered me for a moment. His whisky colored eyes looked at them and me, seeming to try to figure things out. He placed his chubby, little hands on my cheeks.

Dillon turned his eyes to my mother, removing his fingers from my face. He tilted his head. “Are you my grandma?”

My mother’s eyes opened wide, and tears instantly welled up at the corners. She didn’t say a word, and neither did I. Sometimes these questions were completely out of my comfort zone.

Just as I was ready to speak, Harlan came into the room wearing her leggings and a tee shirt. She looked completely comfortable and better than she had just days ago. She smiled shyly at my mother and father.

He turned to his mother, the question in his eyes. “She’s Cade’s momma,” Dillon explained. “Is she my grandma?”

Harlan’s eyes were wide with apology, but didn’t answer. So, to understand what Dillon was thinking I asked him a question. “Why do you think she’s your grandma?”

“Because you’re my daddy,” Dillon explained like I had just asked the stupidest question ever.

“Yes,” my mother said instantly. “I’d love to be your grandma.”

She approached me and kissed the little boy on the cheek. “And this grandma even came with a present for you. Would you like to see?”

Dillon instantly reached for my mother. She gathered him in her arms and a look of peace settled over her beautiful features. She took him over to where my father set their suitcase and the two of them sat on the floor together as she opened it and found what she had packed for him.

The moment I told her about Harlan and Dillon, she was excited to meet them and even more excited about the prospect of being a grandma. She’d asked a million questions about what Dillon liked and what his favorite toys were.

My dad, Harlan, and I watched them for another moment before my dad stepped forward and introduced himself. He stuck his hand out to the beautiful woman standing next to me. “Hi Harlan, I’m Cade’s dad, Fred. That crazy woman over there is Dottie.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Harlan said, returning his handshake.

Once my mother found the toy she brought for Dillon, he ran over to his mother and showed her the new car. “Look, momma. It’s another race car like my other ones. I’m going to put it in my new bedroom.”

Harlan started to say something, but my mother stopped her with a hug. “Harlan, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you.”

Harlan wrapped her arms around my mother, awkwardly, but she relaxed into the hug. She hadn’t been hugged by a mother figure in so long, I was sure she was transported back to memories of her mother, for just a moment.

“I’ve heard a lot about you also,” Harlan said through a sniffle. She composed herself. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m sorry I look like this though, Cade didn’t tell me you were coming.”

I grinned, sheepishly. “Well, you can’t go to the race with me and I didn’t want you to be alone here with Dillon for the next four days, so I called my mom.”

Harlan’s eyes widened, a cross between being horrified and angry. I suddenly worried that this was a big mistake.

My mother drew her attention. She always had a way of calming people and situations. She took Harlan’s hand. “He’s just a big softie,” she said, patting me on the chest. “I’ve been dyin’ to come meet y’all. I almost hopped right in the car and showed up in your hospital room right after the accident, but Fred thought that might not be the best place to meet. So, when Cade said y’all were here at his place, I decided it was high time I meet the woman who stole my boy’s heart.” She glanced from Harlan to me and nodded. “I must say, I do approve.”

She turned back to Harlan and gave her a warm, motherly smile. “I do hope you don’t mind us comin’ and spendin’ the weekend with y’all.”

Harlan instantly relaxed. “No, I’m pleased.”

The two women turned and walked toward the kitchen at the back of the house, talking about everything Harlan had done to the house since she wasn’t able to go anywhere, while my mother told her about me living with lawn furniture when I first moved in. I laughed to myself.

“I’ve gotta tell ya, son. I approve too. That little lady is pretty special, ain’t she?” my dad asked.

“She sure is,” I said, my grin spread. “Come on, I’ll show you which room I set up for you.” We walked up the steps, and for the first time in my life I felt like I had everything I could possibly ever want. A beautiful woman, a great kid, and a home that had welcomed my family.

My father gazed into the room Dillon was staying in now. “The famous tent. You and your brother loved havin’ the tents over your beds when y’all were kids. How’s Dillon like it?”

“He loves it. Hasn’t complained about sleepin’ in there at all. He also loved when we camped out. It was cool gettin’ to watch him experience and explore somethin’ new.”

“Fatherhood looks good on ya, boy.” He smacked me on the back and continued to follow me down the hall. The wonderful thing about having an old farm house was having so many rooms. There were four bedrooms, along with a huge living room, a den, a dining room, and a large kitchen. There was always room for lots of people.

“I’m not his father, unfortunately.”

“Dillon will know who loves him and who doesn’t. He already knows. You may not be his blood, but you know as well as I that blood doesn’t always mean family.” He paused, sat on the foot of the bed, and observed me for a moment. “Maybe you should do somethin’ about makin’ these two your family permanently. You can play house all you want, but at the end of the day, all three of you need somethin’ solid and pure.”

My dad didn’t hold any punches. He always said exactly what he thought, and he was always right. It took a long time for me to realize and admit that he was always right.

“Actually, I’ve been thinkin’ the same thing.”

***

“What would you say if I told you I didn’t want you to go back,” I said one evening as we sat outside on the wraparound porch, relaxing and watching the stars flicker.

My nerves were on edge. Since getting cleared by her doctors, four weeks after the accident, she changed a little. She made comments to Dillon about going home soon. She appeared unfocused, like she had a lot on her mind. The whole situation made me nervous.

“I can’t just take over your house, Cade,” she insisted. “It’s bad enough that I’ve already completely rearranged your home and life as much as I have.”

“I love that you rearranged my life,” I said. “And the house feels more like home that ever before.” My tone was matter of fact, she needed to know that I was serious about this. I leaned toward her and held her gaze with mine. “Harlan, I love comin’ home to you and Dillon. I love makin’ dinner together, puttin’ Dil to bed together, sittin’ together and just plain relaxin’. I would love it if y’all would be a permanent fixture here with me. Move in here, with me.”

She was quiet for a long time. Her eyes darted around the porch and into the darkness, but she never glanced my way. She was probably going to shoot me down, I could see it in her posture. I wished I could read her mind.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Cade. I’ve loved being here, but I think this is too confusing for Dillon. He calls your mom and dad his grandparents. He says you are his daddy. What’s he going to think if we move in here?”

“He’s gonna think we’re a family,” I told her. “He’s gonna think that he has a mommy and a daddy who live together and love each other. He’s gonna think that, because that’s what we are, a family.”

Eyes wide and glossy, her lips turned up slightly, but her eyes still held worry. I’d been thinking about how to make life with Harlan and Dillon more permanent and I kept going back to one thing. Surprisingly, it didn’t make me nervous or anxious, it only brought me a sense of peace. This was what I wanted.

Harlan shook her head and looked at me, her eyes conflicted. I couldn’t let her turn me down, not until I showed her that I was in this for life. She and Dillon were everything to me, and I hoped this would show her just how serious I was about them.

“Marry me, Harlan,” I said, pulling the ring out of my pocket and handing it to her.

“Cade, when?” she asked, staring down at the small box in her hand. She gently opened it and gasped. Her whisky eyes widened and when they found mine, they sparkled.

The ring was a simple, antique, one carat diamond solitaire on a white gold band. The ring had been my grandmother’s and my mother had been keeping it for either Jake or me. Jake decided to get something different for Mia, so when my mother asked if I wanted it, I was thrilled. It wasn’t flashy or overstated, it had a classic beauty, just like Harlan. She was a quiet beauty with elegance and sophistication. You couldn’t help but look at her when she walked into a room, whether in a pair of jeans, a fire suit, or a beautiful dress.

She sat silently and stared down at the ring.

“Harlan, you and Dillon make this house feel like a home, our home. I liked you the moment we met. I started to fall in love with you during our first plane ride. You’re the first person I want to see when I wake up and the last person I want to see before I go to sleep. You and Dillon are my world, you’re everything to me.” I took her hand and knelt in front of her. I gazed deep into her tear-filled eyes and whispered, “Marry me.”