Page 52 of Tasting Fire
“Five kids, Dad. Most men—even in your generation—wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.”
“And you’re wondering why I did?”
“I just need to understand.”
“Let me ask you a question. Do you think it made me less of a man to scramble eggs for breakfast, pack lunches, do laundry, and whip up spaghetti for dinner?”
“Hell, no.”
“Do you think it made your mom less of a woman to wear a hardhat, lead a team of engineers, and bring home a nice paycheck?”
“Of course not.”
“Even if you might’ve wished for her to make chocolate chip cookies now and then instead of me.”
Cash chuckled, but it came out as another burp. “They say to be careful what we wish for. I think she’s making up for lost time now.”
“Which was it? The muffins or the scones?”
“The scones were still in process.”
His dad dug into his pants pockets and handed Cash a roll of antacids. “I don’t usually like to take OTC meds, but…”
“Desperate times.” Cash thumbed off three and popped them into his mouth. Didn’t even mind the chalky texture and artificial flavor since they promised relief for his stomach.
“Your mom’s retirement has truly been a Dicken’s line. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’” Nicksie woke, turning to her back for Cash’s dad to scratch her tummy. “But mostly the best.”
“Do you think the baking phase will pass?”
“If God answers prayers. But your mom is a pro. She’s the kind of person who needs not only to tackle projects daily, but she also needs a guiding purpose. As much as she loves every one of you kids, keeping a house and being the family manager wasn’t her purpose. That wasn’t a surprise she hit me with when we were expecting Maggie. I knew that from our first date.”
“She told you on your first date that she wanted a househusband?”
“No, she talked about her passion for environmental engineering. I knew then that if I wanted to be with her that I would be the one to bend more. I knew I could fall in love with her. She was so smart and passionate. She reminded me of Athena, ready to do battle for the environment, for the planet we live on. She was so determined. I won’t lie. It was sexy as hell. Still is.”
“A confident woman.” Just like Emmy in the debriefing. “But did it ever bother you that she was the primary breadwinner?”
“So you’re wondering if being with a strong, financially independent woman—one who outranks you in your career field—diminishes a man?”
Put like that, it sounded stupid and shallow. But real life was more than mythic spears and shields. It was mortgages and minivans.
“A lot of men would be threatened,” his dad went on. “Might feel as if a woman didn’t truly need him. But to my mind, a woman who makes her own way in this world and still chooses to be with a man…That’s a real commitment. Because shechooses.”
True. Emmy might never need to be with him, but if she chose him, that was even more powerful.
But his own dad had given up pursuing a career for years because of their family. “Five kids. Did you have any idea what you were signing on for?” Not to mention that they were all damn strong-willed, and Shep had introduced additional challenges into their family unit.
“About as much as anybody does. Which is to say not at all before the first one comes along. But when I held your sister for the first time and she screamed bloody murder, I fell in love all over again. She was a piece of your mom and a piece of me. Cliché as it might sound, son, a baby is a miracle you can hold in your hand.”
He didn’t even know how Emmy felt about having children. She had never talked much about how growing up in a single-parent family impacted her. He knew money had been tight. That was the reason Emmy tutored back in high school and had been so motivated to earn big college scholarships. Her dreams had hinged on it.
And she’d made them come true.
He was incredibly proud of her for that. Why had it taken him so long to realize it?
“Each time one of you were born, it was a new and equally astonishing miracle. When you made your way into the world, you didn’t scream and cry. You were the only one of our kids to come out grinning. I expected you to throw me a peace sign from the crib. I won’t say you were always the easiest, but you were the most laidback.”
“Any kid would look mellow next to hardworking Maggie.”
