Page 160 of The Apple Tree

“More like a cube, an ice cube.” I turned and took several steps toward my house before glancing over my shoulder. “I love you, lady in red.” I winked and continued to the porch just as Gabby and Sarah descended the stairs and Josh peeked through the partially ajar door.

“Ladies,” I gave them a smile and polite nod as I passed them. “Merry Christmas.”

Josh stepped back as I stomped my boots on the mat and stepped inside.

Behind me, I heard high-pitched squeals, and it made me smile.

“Merry Christmas,”my brother said after Josh answered the phone and talked his ear off for over ten minutes before handing it to me.

“Merry Christmas,” I replied.

“Merry Christmas,” my parents and Anne yelled in the background.

I sat in my recliner and chuckled.

“Are you packed?” he asked.

“Pretty much. We’ll finish up a few things tomorrow and pick Adam up from the airport. Then we’ll head out the following day.”

“Have you made amends with Peter?”

I scratched my chin. “Define amends.”

“Kyle, he’s my best friend. I can’t have my brother and my best friend at odds. It’s going to take him a while to feel friendly toward you again, and that’s understandable. But you need to extend a sincere apology.”

“For falling in love with his daughter or for taking her to Colorado with me? Maybe both?”

Silence filled the line between us.

“I love her, Fred. So does Josh. And her age isn’t enough of a reason not to be with her. So if I can push past all the crap I’ve been carrying around over Melinda abandoning us, then you and Peter and everyone else should be able to show a little support.”

“Kyle, she’s not just eighteen. She’s a recovering alcoholic. What are you going to do when she falls off the wagon and steals a few cans of beer from your fridge while she’s alone with Josh?”

“I’m not going to have beer in my fridge.”

He laughed. “So you’re done drinking?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

“What happens if she gets it someplace else?”

I sighed. “What happens if she gets desperate and drinks half a bottle of mouthwash or a whole bottle of vanilla extract? What happens if I fall out of another tree and break my back? What happens if Josh gets bit by a snake? We can what-if forever. And I won’t have the answers for everything. But it doesn’t mean I won’t figure it out. Iloveher. And I will do whatever it takes to give her the best chance at maintaining sobriety. Andifshe falls off the wagon, I will pick her up and be the first to get her the help she needs. As soon as we get to Colorado, I’ll find a place forher to attend meetings. We’ll go to church every Sunday. What more can I possibly say or do?”

“You can let her go.”

I shook my head. “No. I can’t. I tried that, and it didn’t work.”

“Have you talked to Peter?”

“Not recently.”

“Well, you need his permission before you run off with his daughter.”

I rubbed the tension from the back of my neck. “I will ask for hisblessing, but we’ll live without it if he doesn’t give it to us.”

“Kyle—”

“Fred, I’m not asking for a dowry. This isn’t an exchange of goods. Eve is an adult. And as sure as her father can refuse to give us his blessing, she can walk out that door without it and live her own life.”

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