Page 156 of The Widower
“Do I really have to do this?”
Silence filled the room—and that was answer enough.
I loved Isabelle. I’d come to realize it in a way I never expected. Every one of her gestures showed me she was one of the few people who had truly cared about me, and now I finally understood her worth. The way we grew closer proved something else too—that I had never really loved anyone before.
I loved my kids with everything I had, but now I could see that Jeniffer had been nothing more than a fleeting passion. Isabelle, though… she was the woman I was meant to be with. And I was going to prove that I could be the man who would take care of her for the rest of her life.
“So, does that mean I’m gonna have a dad now?” Hanna’s little eyes sparkled with hope.
I crouched down again, bringing myself to her height. She looked so happy hearing the news that it made my chest tighten.
“Hanna, I love your mom—and I love you too. You’re still too young to understand everything, but ever since you startedtalking to me, I’ve become a better person. You and your mom helped me see a part of myself I didn’t even know existed. So if you want, you can be sure of one thing—you’ll have a dad. And we’ll play together whenever you want, because I’ll always be there when you need me.”
“I want that!”
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.And in that moment, I was surer than ever that being with them was the best choice I’d ever made. My best choice.
When I looked to the side, I caught Isabelle crying again—and that image hit me deep. She was so real, so unguarded, wearing her heart right there on her sleeve. Someday, I hoped I could be like that too, because I knew I still held too much back.
“What you just did… I don’t even have words,” she whispered.
“From now on, you two—and Joshua—are my priority. In everything. You can count on that.”
Joshua was playing video games when I sat down next to him on the couch.
“I’ve got some news for you, son.”
“What is it?” He paused the game and looked at me curiously.
Be direct, Colin.
“I asked Isabelle to be my girlfriend—and she said yes. Well, technically, I talked to Hanna first, and apparently her mom didn’t have much of a choice.” I shrugged, trying to sound lighthearted.
“Oh, I know about that.”
“You do?!”
That caught me off guard. It hadn’t even been an hour since it happened.
“Yeah. Hanna told me. She’s really happy and said she finally has a dad.”
For a moment, I couldn’t say a word. I wasn’t sure how this would affect Joshua, what he’d think or feel about it.
“And… you’re okay with it?”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “At first I didn’t want a sister, but I like Hanna.She annoys me sometimes, but she’s cool. And I’ll never forget my sister.”
My son was a mirror image of me—and Isabelle and Hanna had the same effect on both of us.
“Isabelle annoys me sometimes too, but don’t tell her I said that,” I whispered.
“Uh-huh.”
We both laughed, and a wave of warmth spread through me.
“I’m glad you’re not upset, son.”
That’s when Joshua said something I wasn’t expecting.“If Hanna has you as her dad now, then it’s the same for Isabelle, right? She’s gonna be my mom.”
