Page 80 of For Love & Torture
Chapter 35
Grant
My hands shake as I hand the gate guard the release papers and he points me to the back of the complex. “I’ll radio that his ride is here. Just park along the curb, and he should be out shortly.”
“Thank you.” I hop back into the car and let the driver know where he needs to go.
Jake and Becca look nervous. Becca looks at me, and a seldom seen smile curves her lips. “You did it, big bro. I have to be honest—I didn’t see you going through with all this. You have proven me wrong.”
“Thanks for admitting that to me, Becca. I’m striving to make the future better for us all. I wanted to let all of you know I’ve got your college tuition paid in full if any or all of you want to go. I wasn’t there for you, but I am now. You need anything, you’ve got it.” Isabel takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. Looking at her sweet face, I know she’s the reason I’ve found myself again.
The driver stops, and we all look out the window. The gate starts to open, and a door to the building inside. The guard who has watched over my father steps out and waves. We all get out of the car and stand, waiting for our father.
The smile on the guard’s face makes my heart sing. He’s so happy this day has finally come for Dad. Dad comes out, wearing a white jump suit—I suppose he had nothing else to wear.
“I’ll get to shopping online for him right away,” Isabel whispers to me. “Should’ve thought about that. Must’ve slipped our minds. Not to worry though. He’ll have things before night falls. I’ll have them delivered to your place.”
“Our place,” I remind her as I give her hand a squeeze. “And thank you, baby.”
She smiles, and my heart melts a bit more.
Jenny is the first to step up and wrap her arms around our father. “Dad…” she has to gulp back a lump in her throat. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Tears run down his face as he says, “I’ve missed you too, Jenny.”
Jake and Becca join the hug and they all cry. I stand back and watch them all. Enjoying the thing I made happen.
“You did all of this, Grant Jamison,” Isabel whispers. “You better be feeling proud of yourself—you deserve to.”
“I do, baby. I do.” I wipe away a tear that’s escaped from my eye and clear my throat. “Your chariot awaits, Dad.”
Reluctantly, they all let each other go and file into the car. I reach out my hand and Dad takes it, then I pull him into a hug. “Thank you, son. I owe you my life.”
Fighting to get a rein on my emotions at least a little, I kid with him. “I think I owe you mine, Dad. Just returning the favor.” Letting him go, we both wipe our eyes, and I put my arm around Bell. “Dad, this is Isabel Sanchez. But tomorrow night she’ll become Isabel Jamison. We’re getting married.”
His smile is thin and his eyes twinkle. “Congratulations.” He takes Bell’s hand and delivers a kiss on top of it. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Isabel.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Jamison.” Isabel smiles back at him.
“Mr. Jamison?” Dad asks with a playful grin. “Who’s that? You call me Dad.”
My heart clenches, and I nearly lose it as he’s offered her more than I ever expected. And Isabel lets a few tears loose as she says, “Nothing would make me more proud than to call you Dad. Thank you.”
“Thank you, too. I know your relationship with my son has helped him become the man he is today.” Dad gives us a nod then climbs into the car.
Dad hit the nail on the head, and I let Isabel slide in before I slide in next to her. “Home please, Rick.”
It’s quiet, as no one’s quite sure what to say. Bell breaks the ice. “So, we’re calling-in tonight for dinner. What have you missed the most, Dad? We’ll get that.”
“Daphne’s meatloaf.” He looks at Jenny and narrows his eyes at her. “You think you remember how to make that, Jenny? You used to help your mother make that all the time.”
Jenny smiles. “I do, actually.” She looks at Bell. “When we get back, I can run to the store to get everything. We’ll make dinner tonight at your place.”
Bell is quick to help, as always. “Sounds great. Here, I have this app for the store near our place. You can type in what you need and they’ll deliver everything, so no one has to go off grocery shopping.” She looks around at everyone and adds, “You all type in anything you guys want. Order everything you want to make your stay a pleasant one.”
Dad leans his head back and sighs. “I don’t know how to work that gadget, but Jenny, order me some beer. It’s been so long since I had a nice cold beer.”
“Beer it is, Dad. I bet you missed Mom’s brownies—I have that recipe too.” Jenny starts tapping away with her orders.
“Wait,” Dad says then looks a bit sheepish. “I hated her brownies. But I ate them because she made them for me especially. I loved her apple pie though. Do you know how to make that?”
“I do,” Jenny says then laughs. “I bet I know why you hated them, Dad. It’s probably the same reason we all did. It was her special ingredient, wasn’t it?”
Dad laughs, and I love the sound of it. I find a happy expression on everyone’s face as he laughs loudly. “Well, who the hell puts chopped up jalapeno peppers in something like that? She thought just because I was from Texas that I liked jalapenos in everything.”
We all laugh, and I can feel that old familiar feeling flowing through us all again. We’re going to be just fine in no time at all. I can see that now.
