CHAPTER 34
MELANIE
It had been a week since my captor had been caught and the cabin was alive with life. The kids were free from their sickness, Evan was making regular deliveries into town, and the routine we had fallen into was blissful. I ran around the house with Liam as Hadley crawled after us, giggling and trying to catch. They brought more joy into my life than words could express, and I was truly and completely happy. We were going to my dad’s for lunch that afternoon and I couldn’t wait. I wanted him and Evan to finally meet, and I wanted my dad to see the kids. He’d always been so good with children and I knew Liam and Hadley would charm him just as they’d charmed me.
After breakfast was over, I took the kids into the bathroom to get them cleaned up and dressed as Evan finished up some work in his shed. Even that had lost some of its terror for me.
I had gone out one day earlier in the week to see what he was working on, and I’d been pleasantly surprised at what I saw. The shed was large and bright, with lights shining in all four corners. There was wood and the tools that Evan used, and the snowmobile was off to one side. It was the complete opposite of the nightmare that I’d been held in and I found myself able to get comfortable enough to stay and watch Evan work for a bit while the kids were sleeping.
I learned that I loved watching Evan work. His strong hands, and broad back bunched with muscles as he maneuvered the wood and created beautiful pieces. I found his artistic side to be incredibly sexy and had been excited to show him just how much it turned me on.
Once the kids were dressed and Evan came in from his shop, we loaded up in to his truck and drove the two short miles to my dad’s house. I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around him and introduce him to the man I loved.
Evan pulled the truck into the driveway and my father stepped out almost immediately. It was like he had been perched at the window, looking out at the road to see if I was coming.
“Mel!” my father called.
I ran to him and wrapped him up in a hug, thrilled by the ferocity with which he hugged me back. His strength was continuing to return and I noticed he’d even put a few healthy pounds back on.
“Dad, you look great!” I gushed.
“I feel pretty good too,” he said, patting me on the back.
Evan was rounding the truck with Hadley in his arms and he handed her to me before offering his hand to my father. I watched as the two most important men in my life shook hands in greeting and looked at one another with mutual admiration. It was more than I could ever have hoped for.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, sir,” Evan said.
“You as well, son. Please, call me Jacob,” my father said.
“Well, Jacob, you have an amazing daughter,” Even told him.
My father beamed and nodded his head. “Don’t I know it.”
I grinned like a fool as I stood between the two men and bounced Hadley on my hip.
“And who is this pretty little girl?” my father asked.
“This is Hadley. She is almost nine months old now,” I said.
“Oh, she’s precious. Could I hold her?” he asked.
Tears filled my eyes as I handed the baby over to my father. He cradled her against his chest and began to coo at her in the same voice he used on me when I was little. Hadley stared up at him for a moment before reaching up and grabbing onto his nose and letting loose a giggle.
My dad laughed, and my heart about burst out of my chest at the sight. Evan came back around, holding Liam’s hand. Liam looked up at my father holding Hadley.
“That’s Hawy, I’m Liam,” he said proudly.
“Well it’s very nice to meet you Liam. I’m Jacob,” my father said.
My father held Hadley with one arm as he reached out to shake Liam’s tiny hand with the other and we all walked into the house. Dad was bouncing Hadley in his arms and Liam barreled his way into the kitchen. He climbed up onto the kitchen table and reached for a banana, but I eyed him sternly.
“Liam. Have you asked anyone?”
His eyes darted around the room before he slowly pulled his hand back.
“You have to ask first before you take,” I said.
“Mew, can I have nana?” he asked.
“Dad, is it okay for him to have one of those bananas?” I asked.
“He’s a growing boy! He can have two bananas if he wants,” my father said.
“Two?” Liam asked, his eyes growing wide.
“One at a time,” I said, giggling.
We all sat down at the kitchen table while my father made up some snacks. There was no high chair for Hadley, but my dad was completely content with sitting her in his lap. He was asking Evan all sorts of questions. Everything from ‘what do you do?’ to ‘what happened to the kid’s mother’?
I watched him draw in a deep breath before I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm.
“They’re not my kids biologically. I’m their uncle.”
“Oh?” my father asked.
“They’re my brother’s kids. He and his wife died in an accident a few months ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” my father said. “It takes a good man to take in two children that aren’t his.”
“I love them. They’re my life. I wouldn’t have wanted them to go anywhere else,” Evan said.
I smiled over at Evan and saw my father’s eyes take on a shine.
“Son, you are every bit the man my daughter told me you are. I see the way she smiles at you. She hasn’t smiled like that in years. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for her, and for me. Knowing she is stronger and happy has been the best medicine for this old heart. Better than all those damn pills I have to take.”
“But you’re going to keep taking them, right?” I asked him sternly.
My father chuckled and shook his head. “Always the mother hen, this one. Yes, sweetheart, I will continue to take the pills. I have a lot to look forward to and I plan on being around for a long time.”
“Mr. Peterson, I have something I need to tell you,” Evan said.
“What is it?” my father asked.
“I’m in love with your daughter.”
My father fixed his eyes on Evan as mine filled with tears.
“She blew into my life on a snowstorm and fell into a comfortable rhythm with my family. She’s brought a light and a joy into my home that I didn’t think I deserved. The kids adore her and I’m head over heels for her. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out. And I can promise you, she will always be protected with me. She will always be looked after and taken care of as long as I’m in the picture. So, with your permission, I’d like to offer her a home with me.”
My eyes were watering with every single word that poured from his lips.
“You want her to live permanently with you?” my father said.
“She fits our family perfectly. She loves the kids, I know she loves me. She has a home with us, whether she chooses to stay or not. With your permission, I’d like to make it a proper home.”
The smile that crossed my father’s face was deep and full of admiration.
“Do you love him?” my father asked, turning his attention to me.
“I do,” I said, nodding. “I love him very much.”
“Then there’s only one thing I ask of you,” my father said, turning back to Evan.
“Anything you need,” Evan said.
“If there’s anything you need, especially with these two kids, you call me. Especially if you need a babysitter. I’d love to have little ones around me again. They bring so much life into a home.”
My father held out his hand for Evan to shake and I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
“You have my word,” Evan said.
The two of them shook hands and I sat back into the chair with relief. Smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces as Liam wiggled down from the chair. Hadley was blowing spit bubbles in Dad’s face and Liam was tumbling around on the furniture.
We wrangled Liam back to the table and we all sat for lunch. We stayed for a couple hours and I beamed when Hadley fell asleep on my father’s chest. The look on his face was priceless. It had been a while since he had been this happy too.
Thinking to how I would feel if anything happened to Hadley or Liam was like a punch in the gut, and they weren’t even my flesh and blood. My dad had been through hell, and I was happy that I was able to bring some light into his life again as well.
All thanks to the wonderful man sitting next to me.
We stayed for another hour until Hadley woke up and packed the kids up to head home. Home. What a feeling. I told my dad I’d be back the next day to pick up some of my things and he asked me to bring some toys over for the kids that he could keep at his house. I happily agreed and kissed him goodbye.
“What?” Evan asked. “What’s that little grin for?”
“I’m just—happy,” I said. “For the first time in four years, I feel truly happy and content with where my life is.”
“That’s a good thing to feel,” he said.
“I never would’ve thought that getting stranded in a blizzard would’ve changed my life like this,” I said.
“You saying you’d get stranded all over again?” he asked.
I looked over at Evan and studied him closely. The beard that covered his strong jaw, and the way his eyes twinkled. His broad shoulders and his strong chest. His bulky arms and his hand that wrapped quickly around mine.
My heart thundered with love for him.
“In a heartbeat,” I said.
He brought my hand to his lips to kiss, lingering just a little longer than usual. Goosebumps trickled down my arm as I sighed and leaned back into the seat. Our fingers laced together as we both relaxed for the ride home, and I smiled as I threw my gaze back out the window.
Home, with Evan and the kids.
Home, with the man that I loved.
Home, with the family I thought I’d never have.