Page 127 of Can't Get Over You
His dad nodded. “Do with it what you want. It’s my way of letting you know you’ll always have a home here. I hope you’ll give me the chance to be the dad you should have had back then.”
His heart cracked, and sorrow bled from the fissures. “Dad?—”
“Open it.”
All these years, they’d both gotten it wrong. So much lost time. Tearing it open, he pulled out a legal document. “What is this?”
“Go on and read it.”
Jude scanned the legalese until a picture formed. “A deed? You’re giving me land?”
“Over the years, I’ve been buying up acreage around my property. With four boys, it just made sense.” He cleared his throat. “And I’m giving you some of it.”
“Fifty acres. You’re giving me fifty acres in Calamity Falls? Dad, I can’t accept this.”
“I want you here. I want you to raise Cody here.”
“I don’t know what to say. All this time, I thought I’d made life harder for you than it needed to be, and here you are, apologizing to me.”
“Let me ask you something. If you got a call from school, telling you Cody put a snake in someone’s mailbox, are you going to think he’s a piece of shit? Or are you going to try to figure out why he’s acting out and find ways to get him on the right track?”
A tide of relief crashed over him because he fully understood what his dad was saying. “I’ll always stand up for Cody, the way you did for me. Thanks, Dad.”
“I know Finlay’s got her dream house, but maybe this can be a weekend cabin or something. Maybe you can build her a studio to make her soap. Either way, might be good for Cody to grow up fishing and snowboarding and running wild in the woods with his dad and uncles.”
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do. Which makes no sense, considering I was planning to flip a bar in Florida and remain single and childless two weeks ago. And, Dad?”
His dad swallowed, still fighting emotion.
“Thank you. For accepting Cody and bringing Finlay into the family. All of it. It means a lot.”
The front door opened, and Ava walked in, arms loaded. Wyatt headed over to relieve her of a platter.
His dad watched her intently. “What’re you doin’ here?”
“Dad.” Wyatt’s tone held a warning.
“She knows I don’t mean it like that. She’s part of the family, but she said she’d be with her folks.”
“Holidays are hard when I don’t have my girls,” Ava said with a sad smile. “Makes me happy to be with my boys.”
Boone ambled over, Cody right behind him. “Well, we love you, and we’re glad you’re here.” He reached for the shopping bags. “Let me get those.”
His dad helped her out of her coat. “The girls having a good Christmas?”
“Seems like it.” She sighed. “I guess it just never gets easier. They won’t be home till after New Year’s.”
“Sucks.” He said it gruffly. “You staying for dinner?”
“I ate with my family, and I’m stuffed. But I have room for Finlay’s cake. She’s an amazing baker.”
“Let me get the Yorkshire pudding into the oven.” His dad started for the kitchen.
Jude checked his phone. “Well, hang on. We’re waiting for Finlay’s parents.”
“What time are they supposed to be here?” his dad asked.
“Her mom’s working, but she said she’d try to stop by. I told her dad what time we eat, so hopefully, he’ll be here.”
