That Day, Karen Deen [early readers .txt] 📗

I know what you mean. I haven’t ever been able to get rid of him either. One day someone might finally take him off our hands. Fingers crossed we find that crazy lady soon.”

Getting closer to our house, I see Dad standing on the sand watching me.

Once we finally learned to breathe again, up in the mountains with Ghost and his family, Asha and I decided that my house was where we wanted to call home. But we then made plans to buy the house where she lived from the WITSEC agency, which I’m in the middle of renovating. Finally, I got Asha on the tools like she promised when we first met. I think she even surprised herself how quickly she learned and was helping out both me and Ricky on the building site. With both Asha and me working on this house together, it will be our special place. A house for Asha’s parents to visit and stay as long as they like, a safe haven for others who cross our paths as we continue through life, and on some days, a place Asha just likes to sit and write. It holds a special meaning for both of us, and we just couldn’t let it go.

On the odd occasion, we stay the night up there, remembering that first night and making new memories.

We might want to let go of a lot of things we both experienced over the past years, but there are so many good memories that are too important to let go.

“Morning, son, looks good out there today.” Dad’s deep voice echoes through the morning stillness.

“Good for the soul, that’s for sure. Everyone already here?” I ask as I slap him on the shoulder, and he falls in step beside me heading back home.

“The usual crew: us, Rhett, Diana, Jodie, and of course my other son, Seth.” To which we both burst out laughing. As much as we love to pick on Seth, I love him like a brother, and he is part of my family.

“Well, I hope he has at least started cooking breakfast if he’s going to keep turning up for the free food.” As we look at each other, deep throaty laughs come out from both of us. I know there’s no chance, but it was worth the joke.

Walking a few more steps, Dad stops, putting his hand on my shoulder to stop me walking too.

“Just checking in, Kurt, how are you doing now?” The love in his eyes always tugs at my heart. My dad was always larger than life as I grew up, the tough man I looked up to and longed to be like. But the older I get, the more I understand how soft he really is on the inside.

He knows how much I struggled when we first came back, learning to give Asha space and trying to accept she wasn’t in danger anymore so I could back off a bit. It was harder than I expected. There were a few arguments between us, and in the end, I knew it was time to go back to see a therapist, which helped Asha realize it was what she needed too. Working through our own traumas both alone and together has made us even closer than we thought possible. It was the best decision we ever made.

Unloading the things that were buried deep down, gave us more space for both of us to live freer and love harder.

“Yeah, I’m good, Dad, like really good. Life can’t get any better than this.”

He looks at me with his burning gaze that I’m sure sees right into my head. It must be a parent skill you get after your kids are born, because Mom has it too. Then he is happy with my answer, giving a nod, and we walk the last short strip of sand to the grass behind the house.

“And how’s our girl doing?” It was one thing I learned very quickly once we got home. Asha was no longer my girl. She’d found a place in so many hearts that I had to learn to share her.

“She’s amazing and makes me happier than I ever knew possible. Just look at her, you can see the happiness radiating off her from here.”

Our eyes meet as she looks up from her seat at the table on the porch.

I don’t know how I got so lucky as to find her, but I thank the universe every single day when I wake up to her beside me.

Standing my board up against the side of the house and stripping down the top half of my wetsuit so it’s hanging on my hips, I take the stairs two at a time to get to her quicker.

“How are my girls this morning?” Leaning down, I kiss her and then kiss her bulging stomach.

“This big girl would be much better if the little girl I’m growing inside me would choose to dance during the daytime and not at two am, trying to learn tap dancing on my stomach lining.”

Smiling, I crouch down next to her chair, placing my hand on her pregnant belly. “Little Jenna, this is your daddy speaking. I need you to be nice to Mommy and let her get her sleep now before you arrive to meet us. Don’t tell her, but she gets a little grumpy when she’s tired, so can you help me out here?”

Like she quite often does, Jenna gives a kick where my hand sits, and both Asha and I just smile. There is no denying this little girl is going to be a Daddy’s girl, even though we haven’t met her yet.

When we came home from Ghost’s place after everything that happened, Asha and I talked at length about what name she wanted to keep for herself. Finally, one night late in bed, she decided that Asha was who she was but asked if we were ever blessed with a little girl that we name her Jenna, so her name