Since Hyde said he would eat anything, I decided on something simple and filling and would leave leftovers for him and Campbell. I could throw together a decent lasagna and a big salad with some garlic bread in the time I had left before he got home. While I was cruising up and down the aisles, I found myself grabbing basic staples for both the fridge and his pantry because his mom said he had nothing at home to eat. It was instinctual, and I didn’t realize exactly what I was doing until I went to pay and suddenly had to hand over more than I spent on myself when I stocked my own cupboards for a month. I grumbled under my breath about blowing my budget, because while I made enough to support myself and keep a roof over my head, I definitely wasn’t rolling in expendable income. Hell, I didn’t even have a retirement fund.
When I got to the house, my aunt was already gone, and Sayer helped carry everything inside and put it away. She seemed to approve of my splurge, and even mentioned that I’d grabbed several of Hyde’s favorite snacks from childhood. I must’ve done it subconsciously because I didn’t even know I remembered something so seemingly insignificant. I guess more about him stuck with me over the years than I originally thought. It was kind of like him keeping my phone number throughout the years.
I said hi to Hollyn. She looked pretty happy, and I loved that her little face broke into something pretty close to a smile when she saw me. It might’ve been gas or a sound she heard that made her happy, but I wanted to believe she liked me and was happy to see me. I stroked her soft tuft of hair and cooed back at her.
“I heard you didn’t feel well, pretty girl. That’s no good.”
She waved her miniature fists in the air as Sayer warned, “Be careful. If she gets a hold of those curls, you might end up losing a few of them.”
“She looks like she’s doing better.”
Hollyn was strapped into some sort of contraption that looked like it moved back and forth and had dangly toys attached to it. The baby giggled as her grandmother came into view. Sayer clapped her hands together and raised her voice, so she sounded like a cartoon.
“She is. Shaw gave her a clean bill of health. We just have to be extra careful with her since she had such a rough start in life. Kind of like your dad. Isn’t that right, precious?” I choked back a laugh and moved to the kitchen to start dinner.
Never in a million years did I expect to see the prim and proper lawyer using baby talk. I guess being a grandparent changed all the rules. I was going to leave her to play with the baby while I started dinner, but she switched back to her real voice, and her next words stopped me in my tracks.
“I don’t care what Zeb says or how anyone feels about you and Hyde reconnecting, Remy. That boy never lets anyone in. He tried to handle everything on his own, and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s done that since he was a child. He thought he could hide how sad he was about his mom, how difficult it was for him to adjust to having his dad in his life all of a sudden, but I saw right through him. You are the only one he let in. You are the only one he showed his real feelings to. He’s honest with you. He’s real with you, and I’m a selfish enough mother to hope that once he figures out how to be with you, it will help let him open up to the rest of us who have always loved him. As long as you know he wants you here, that’s good enough for me, and eventually, it will be good enough for his father.”
The way she spoke was so precise and certain, it was hard not to believe her, so I simply nodded and went about filling the house with delicious smells. Sayer left when Hyde was pulling his truck into the driveway. She gave me a little squeeze on her way out the door, and I nearly fell over from shock. I hugged her back, careful not to wrinkle her clothes or get anything from my hands on her. I was unprepared for the sudden shift in our relationship.
There was no possible way Hyde could miss my car when he parked in front of the garage, so there was no surprise at seeing me when he walked in the door. He did seem taken aback by the fact I was cooking, and that the house smelled so good, but mostly he just looked tired and only had eyes for Hollyn. I thought he was going to cry when he made his way to where she was gleefully rocking in her high-tech chair.
The baby let out an exuberant sound of glee when she caught sight of her father, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe when the tall, handsome man fell to his knees in front of her. It was hands down one of the most moving interactions I’d ever been fortunate enough to witness.
I sniffed slightly and turned back to what I was doing in the kitchen, giving them a moment to reunite.
If anyone asked what version of Hyde was my favorite, I might’ve said it was the naked, ripped, sexy version of him that fucked me senseless the other night. But that was a lie.
The truth was, this was my favorite version of Hyde. There was nothing better than seeing him be an emotional and vulnerable father. He was so good with Hollyn. She was a lucky little girl to have him. I hoped she appreciated the way he fought for her, the same way his parents fought for him. The Fullers were a family that didn’t give up. I loved that about them. It was something they had in common with the Archers.
“I missed you today.”
Hyde’s deep, gruff voice hit my ears and made me smile.
“She missed you, too, I’m sure.”
I yelped in surprise when I suddenly had strong arms wrapped around my waist and warm lips pressed against the back of my neck.
“No. I missed you today, Remy. I’m glad you’re here.”
I wasn’t expecting him to pull himself away from the baby so fast or to sound so exposed and raw when he spoke to me. Apparently, his daughter wasn’t the only one whom he was willing to be vulnerable in front of.
I patted the spot where his hands were crossed over my stomach and whispered, “I’m happy I’m here, too, Hyde.”
It had taken a long time, and the road was often dark and treacherous, but I found my way home…
And so had the prodigal son.
Hyde
WALKING IN MY front door and finding Remy in the kitchen and my daughter looking so much better was enough to make me want to collapse with gratitude. Today wasn’t easy. Leaving Hollyn with my mom and Shaw all day knowing she wasn’t feeling well, trying to adjust to my first job as a civilian, and struggling with exactly how different my life was now was a lot. The Army Corps of Engineers was predominantly staffed by current and former members of the military, so the structure and vibe weren’t entirely different than when I worked for them while enlisted. But my boss wore a suit now and not a uniform, and everyone was less concerned about hierarchy and rank. But it was still a massive change to switch from soldier to civilian, on top of learning the ropes of a new job. Fortunately, it seemed like all that mattered to my supervisors was knowledge and capability. I had plenty of both.
Colorado specifically had a lot of infrastructure that needed constant repair, evaluation, and upgrades because of both the weather conditions and the terrain. I was used to building roads in the middle of nowhere that were primarily for military use, even if we claimed they were to advance the way of life for others. So, I was actually pretty excited to work on projects that would help my state and fellow Coloradans.
I couldn’t help but fall to my knees in front of Hollyn when she baby-grinned at me. It was as if everything that kept me going through the day had suddenly been sucked out of me. I checked her over, looking at nearly every part of her to ensure she was okay. A small, irrational part of my brain was demanding that I note anything that might’ve changed while I was gone all day. I knew she was going to grow and develop, and that there was a good chance I might miss some of her milestones while I was away, and the thought made my heart hurt. She no longer felt warm, and she appeared to be feeling much better. I kissed her forehead and let her play with my fingers, fighting back tears the entire time. My chest felt tight, and my hands were slightly shaky as I tried to pull myself together enough to tell Remy I was glad she was here. I passed my mom on the way inside, so I knew she and Remy must’ve spent some time together before I got home. I was curious about their interaction, but honestly, I was so overwhelmed by how it felt to come home not just to my daughter, but also the girl who fundamentally helped me figure out who I wanted to be.