Page 124 of Truck Hard

This is everything I never dared to dream I could have again.

And I’m never letting it go.

For the first time in years, I’m not just surviving.

I’m living.

I’m loving.

I’m healing.

And it feels like flying.

Chapter 27

Together, We Rise

Liam

“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” Grams scolds as she drops a plate of sandwiches in front of me. Her stern accent hits harder when she’s annoyed. “The man of the house who’s never home anymore.”

I can’t help but smile at her dramatics. She’s standing there with her hands on her hips, all five-foot-three of her radiating indignation, but I catch the twinkle in her eyes that betrays her amusement. Her silver hair is spiked in its usual style, making her look like the coolest grandma ever—which she absolutely is.

“Come on, Grams. I was home for dinner just last week.” I protest, though guilt does twinge in my chest. She’s right. I haven’t been around as much lately, spending most of my time at Hannah’s helping with repairs or just being with her and Cam.

“Justlast week,” she says, sliding into the chair across from me. “You live here boy and I never see you anymore.” She picks up her own sandwich, eyeing me over it. “Not that I blame you. Hannah is a good woman. But would it kill you to bring them here more often?”

I take a bite of my sandwich to buy time, savoring the familiar taste of her homemade bread. No matter how old I get, nothing quite compares to Grams’s cooking.

“You’re right.” I finally admit. “I should bring them around more.”

Her expression softens. “I miss having a child in this house. All my boys are grown now.” She waves her hand at the kitchen around us, the heart of the home where she raised seven rowdy boys mostly on her own after Mom died. “This place needs the sound of young feet again. And Hannah—” She pauses, choosing her words carefully. “That girl has always belonged here. Even before, when you were teenagers. She was family then, and she’s family now.”

Warmth blooms in my chest at her words. Grams has always had a way of cutting straight to the heart of things. “I’ll talk to her about doing more family dinners here.” I promise. “Maybe we can make it a regular thing a couple nights a week?”

“Good.” She nods decisively. “And tell her I want to teach her how to make proper German potato salad. That store-bought stuff she brought last time?” She shudders dramatically. “An abomination.”

I laugh, remembering Hannah’s mortified expression when Grams had first tasted the potato salad she’d contributed to our last family dinner. “I’ll pass along the message.”

The screen door slams, announcing Mac’s arrival before he appears in the doorway, a handful of mail in his grip. His dark hair is windswept, and there’s a smudge of grease on his cheek, evidence he’s been working on his race car again.

“Mail call.” He announces, tossing the stack onto the table in front of me. “You might want to check out that top one, bro.”

Something in his tone makes me look closer at the envelope he’s indicating. My heart skips when I see the county courthouse return address. With slightly trembling fingers, I tear it open, pulling out the official-looking document inside.

The world seems to stop as I read the words. It’s the court order approving Cam’s name change, along with a copy ofhis updated birth certificate. There it is in black and white—Cameron James Mutter. Father—Liam Alexander Mutter.

“Liam?” Grams’s voice seems to come from very far away. “What is it?”

I have to blink several times before I can focus on her concerned face. “It’s… it’s Cam’s new birth certificate.” I manage, my voice rough with emotion. “The court approved his name change. He’s officially a Mutter now.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus!” Grams is out of her chair in an instant, coming around to wrap her arms around my shoulders. I lean into her embrace, not ashamed of the tears that spring to my eyes. Her small hand strokes my hair like she used to do when I was little. “Of course he is officially a Mutter. He has always been a Mutter in his heart? Now the paper just matches what we already knew.”

She’s right, of course. Cam has been my son since the moment I first saw him, even before I knew for certain he was mine. But seeing it there in official black and white, knowing that no one can ever take this away from us… It fills something in my soul I didn’t even realize was empty.

Mac claps me on the shoulder. “Congratulations, big brother. Though I gotta say, poor kid being stuck with our last name.” His teasing grin takes any sting out of the words. “At least he’s got Hannah’s looks to make up for it.”

“Watch it, young man.” Grams scolds, but she’s smiling too. “The Mutter name is a proud one.”

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