Page 72 of Home Safe

The smile on Jason’s face is well worth the effort and chaos, however. It’s been a roller coaster of a day—he was initially thrilled when he woke up to balloons and donuts, but his mood had dampened by the time we left for school. Cathy mailed Jason a birthday card, but there’s an inescapable reality that this is his first birthday away from his father. The first of all of them.

It’s a heavy reality for a child to not fully understand.

Thankfully, by the time the party rolled around, Jason was in high spirits. The thought of having a party and receiving presents from friends for the first time was enough of an enticement to bolster his mood. We’ll see how the night ends.

A few minutes after the guests have left, Jason is looking through his gifts again while I start cleaning up trash. A knock on the door surprises us both.

Jason rushes to the door, but I yell for him to wait for me. Looking through the door viewer, I recognize our guest and pull the door open.

“Surprise! Happy birthday, my guy!” Samantha yells, grinning widely.

“Sammi!” Jason screams, lunging at her.

“Careful, careful, you’re going to make me drop your present!” Samantha exclaims as she comes into the entryway.

Jason jumps up and down, nearly bouncing off the walls in a literal sense. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

“Of course, I’m here! I couldn’t miss your big day. Griffin wishes he could be here too,” Samantha says.

Jason’s countenance falls ever so slightly, but he perks back up. “It’s okay—he has to get in shape for the season,” he says seriously.

Samantha nods. “Yeah, it’s gonna take a lot of work to get that guy in shape for opening day,” she replies with equal seriousness before cracking a smile. Jason giggles.

“Can I open my present?” he asks.

“Yes! But let’s go to the living room, and I’m supposed to video call Griffin so he can watch you open it too,” Samantha says. Jason’s eyes light up, as I’m sure mine do as well. Samantha pauses to hug me as Jason bounds over to the living room. “You holding up okay?” she whispers.

“Surviving,” I reply honestly. “I thought you were supposed to be in Arizona for some meetings?”

“Griffin canceled my trip so I could be here tonight,” Samantha says quietly. “It was the closest he could get to being here himself.”

Tears spring to my eyes, and Samantha squeezes my arm. “Just give me a second,” I say, fanning air into my eyes. Samantha makes her way over to Jason while I compose myself. By the time I join them, she’s propped her phone up on the coffee table, ready to call Griffin. I nod when she makes eye contact with me, so she hits dial.

Griffin answers almost immediately, as though he’s been sitting around waiting for this call.Probably because he has. He’s trying to make the best of this.The thought brings a small smile to my face.

“Happy birthday, Fireball!” Griffin says, his grinning face filling the screen.Good gracious, he’s so handsome even through a video.

Jason’s enthusiastic response brings an even bigger smile to my face. “Can I open my present now?” he practically yells.

“You’d better open it! I’m dying to see what you think,” Griffin responds.

Samantha jumps in. “I’m just the bearer of the gift—Griffin was the one who picked it out and told me where to go get it.”

Jason lifts the wrapped box and says, “Oof, it’s heavy!” He sets it back down on the table and rips the wrapping paper off. Samantha helps him undo the small pieces of tape holding the lid of the box together, and Jason gasps when he opens it.

“The pictureHarry Potterbooks! Look, Mom!” Jason exclaims, pivoting to show me the book in his hands.

He called me “Mom.”

I barely control myself to avoid bawling. Samantha must read in my reaction that this is the first time because an emotional smile springs to her face.

“That’s amazing, Jason!” I manage to say, voice thick. I sit down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. I can’t help but squeeze him in a little hug after that moment.

Now that I’m sitting next to Jason, Griffin can see me in the screen also. His eyes flit to mine, full of tenderness. He clears his throat and says, “It’s only the first two books for now, but when you’re a little bit older we can get the next books.”

For the second time in the past minute, I’m choked up and barely holding it together. Not only because of the thoughtfulness of this gift, but also because Griffin used the future tense. He really is committed to making this work. Committed to us.

Jason talks nonstop, filling Griffin in first on his birthday party, then on the whole day, and then on the entire past week. As he chatters, I thumb through the pages of the first illustrated book, marveling at the intricate details.

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