I Love You, I Hate You: Part 2

My cheeks heat. I run my thumb along the bottom of the band. It’s funny how fast I adjusted to wearing my ring. Half the time I forget it’s there. The other half I can’t stop staring at it. “Logan asked me to marry him last week.”

Nona smiles, the tiny wrinkles on her cheeks kissing her eyes. “I always knew you two would find your way back to each other

. The way you talked about him.” She pauses looking out the window at a far away thought. “You only find a love like that once.”

44

Logan

I look at my phone for the millionth time. Danika is late and I have to be on duty in thirty minutes. I’ve called her a dozen times but she’s not answering. I knew I should have set up the bluetooth before she left, but there wasn’t much time. I have to assume Danika’s phone is on silent in her purse. That woman misplaces her phone too many times throughout the day to count and can’t find it because she forgets to turn damn the ringer on.

Her black SUV pulls into the drive and I let out a sigh of relief breath. I don’t know what I would have done if they were broken down or hurt somewhere.

Finally.

“Mommy’s home!” I shout into the house. Molly comes running out of her room with the picture we colored. She jumps into my arms and I carry her outside. One day my girl is going to be too big to carry. Until then, I’m making up for lost time and holding her every chance I get.

“Mommy!” Molly shouts, stopping Danika in her tracks. The color drains from Danika’s face, happy tears streaming down her cheeks. I’m pretty sure this is the first time Molly has said Danika’s name. The woman I’m assuming is Nona covers her mouth with both hands, hiding an ecstatic smile.

Molly wiggles out of my arms and skips down the drive. She holds up the picture she drew, a family portrait and points to her strangely disproportionate stick people. “Mommy!”

“Yeah, baby.” Danika’s voice cracks. She flutters her lashes and sniffles. “That’s me. Who is that?”

“Daddy,” Molly says proudly.

“The therapy is working.” I walk down the drive and extend my hand to the most interesting old woman I’ve ever met. The woman has long gray hair that falls to her shoulders in loose waves, similar to Danika’s, but Nona’s ends are dyed easter-egg blue. She’s got on a knee-length lace covered dress that hugs her tiny frame tighter than anything Danika wears. This woman is like no grandmother I’ve ever seen. “You must be Nona.”

Nona’s lips press into a firm line, her eyebrows drawing together. “And you’re the man who took my granddaughter’s best years.”

This is going to be a fun few weeks.

Nona leans forward and punches me in the shoulder. “Just kidding. Welcome to the family!”

I laugh, equal parts relieved and nervous because Mom is going to hate Nona. She loves to be the center of attention and this woman could command a room without batting an eye. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my shift is about to start. I have to go.”

I shake Nona’s hand again then give both my girls a quick kiss on the cheek. “Have fun you three!”

I am dog tired. Getting back into the swing of night shift has been rough. I’d forgotten how many idiots are swerving through the roads after midnight. Other than them, things are quiet. I have to fight to keep my eyes open until shift change and then resist the urge to pass out as soon as I walk through the door. I’ve been trying to give Danika a few minutes in the morning to have a quiet cup of coffee. Most days I succeed, but some days I’m just too tired.

All that changed yesterday. Rotations switched and I’m back on day shift for two weeks. Just in time for Mom's annual Christmas Eve dinner. This year it’s at our house. Danika didn’t want to risk another food incident after the Thanksgiving fiasco. Truth be told, I didn’t either.

“Nona.” Walter sounds surprised as he walks through our door with a handful of gift bags and a bottle of wine. I guess we forgot to tell him about our house guest. Oops. “I didn’t know you were in town. When did you arrive?”

Nona takes the bottle of wine and turns her back as Mom enters. I’d wager Danika told her about my upbringing. From the looks of things, Nona is as big of a fan of Mom as Danika is. “A few days go. You’d know that if you took the time to call your only daughter.”

I stifle a chuckle. That fire Danika has, it comes from Nona. This woman is a firecracker in the best of ways. I can understand why Danika wanted to live with her. She is a million times more supportive than Walter. I feel bad for pulling them apart again. Maybe I can make things right again.

“We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting.” Mom extends her hand to Nona. I’d bet a hundred dollars she’s freaking out inside. In all the time I’ve spent with Walter, he never brought up his late wife. I doubt that’s any different with Mom. Nona being here is a mix of his past and present and she’s going to hate it. “I’m Tessa, Walter's wife.”

Nona stares at mom's hand and smirks. “Darling, your nail polish is chipped. You should do something about that.”

Nona turns and leaves mom to inspect her nails. I bring the rim of my beer to my lips and look down at my feet. Lord knows if Mom catches me laughing at her expense, I’ll get an earful.

“Where is my niece?” Piper pushes a stroller into my house like she owns the place. She’s been here all of three times since I moved in a few years ago, but this is the first time since Liam has been born. “I’ve got four years of cuddles to make up for.”

“It’s cool, Pipes.” Rex is a few steps being her with more gifts in his arms than we have under the tree. For the record, our tree is stocked. Molly isn’t going to know what to do with everything she’s getting. Add these to what Mom brought to her stack and we could open a toy store. “I didn’t need any help.”

I set my beer on the counter and reach for one of the overflowing totes Rex is struggling with. “She’s in the room with Danika. They should be out any minute. Molly just woke from her nap.”