Page 22 of Rum & Coke
“Oh!” Everything was making sense. I stuck out my hand and Melony took it.
“Should I call you Duane or—”
“Vinny is fine.” I winked.
She smiled and blushed at our little secret joke. “It’s good to officially meet you.”
“Same, and thanks for the info the other week.”
“Not a problem.”
My gaze moved back to Tessa. “Colt is sleeping,” she said, “but if you want to carry our bags, I can get him.”
“No, let me.” I didn’t know how heavy he was, but for some mysterious feeling, I felt as though I should do it.
“Are you sure?” Tessa asked.
“Of course.”
“I’ll grab the car seat,” Melony stated.
I followed Tessa to a bedroom with a nightlight that projected the illusion of water onto the ceiling. “Wow, this is cool,” I whispered, looking up at the rippling image.
“It calms him.”
“I bet.” I was already in awe of her parenting skills. Sensory processing disorders for children with autism were a huge issue, and it was vital to find or develop what worked for each child, and many needed something to focus on while going to sleep. It was beneficial for his sensory therapy.
“Go ahead and grab him. I’ll unplug the light so we can bring it with us.”
There was an odd feeling in my chest as I picked up the sleeping boy. It was as though all the pieces of my life I didn’t know were missing were finally being put together.
But I didn’t know why.
I was nervous.
The man beside me made me that way, but at the same time, seeing him carry my sleeping son melted my heart. The only other man to hold Colton was my father, and it had been four months since we’d seen my parents at Christmas. I knew Colt would eventually need a father figure in his life—someone to teach him sports, how to shave, whatever. And while I thought Vinny could maybe be that person in a friendly capacity, I didn’t realize how much my heart wanted it to be more.
When I went to the school to have the meeting with Colton’s teacher, I never in my wildest dreams thought the teacher would be Vinny. He was shocked to see me, too, and to learn that I had a son. Colton was supposed to come as well, but he was having a meltdown and I couldn’t get him into the car. At the end of the day, I suppose it didn’t matter. Now Vinny would interact with Colt longer than thirty to forty-five minutes, and hopefully, that would make the transition better.
“Are you excited?” Vinny asked as we drove down the dark freeway in the desert toward Los Angeles.
“So excited. I haven’t been to a game in years.”
“I go a few times a year.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Love my Dodgers.”
I snorted. “I love my Giants, but having Colton has made it difficult to go.”
“I can imagine.” There was a brief pause, and then he asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, is his father around?”
I took a deep breath. “No. He was in the Marines and died before I could tell him that I was pregnant.”
“I’m sorry.”
I smiled tightly to myself. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay that Colton’s father died, but I didn’t know him. It was actually a one-night stand during Fleet Week, and before I could get in contact with him, he died in combat.”
