“Dad, I still have a long way to go.” The fear was there that I could relapse. I struggled with it every day. I kept reminding myself that Skylar, Luke and the LaBenito children were counting on me. I couldn’t let them or most importantly myself down by using again.
We sat down to Christmas dinner. Gramps gave an even sappier prayer since Dad’s surgery and Skylar’s emergency C-Section happened at the last prayer but he was right. We had a ton to be grateful for.
On the way home, I finally told the kids and Skylar what Delilah told me on the phone. Skylar was grinning. I knew she was happy but it was very quiet in the backseat. Nervously, I glanced in the rearview mirror and my eyes met Dom’s. “If this isn’t what you want, tell me now and I’ll let your mother know.”
“Hell, I was hoping you were going to say she is letting you adopt us,” Nickolas said. “I don’t want her to ever take us from you.” One child was happy about it.
“Does she not want us?” Maddie asked. There was no mistaking the hurt in the child’s question.
Skylar turned around and spoke, “Maddie, Momma has been very sick for a really long time. She just needs to focus on getting better.” Nickolas grunted.
“She thought maybe you could fly to Florida and see her next summer. There are beaches there and an ocean. Then you would come back to us,” I told her.
“I can go to college now,” Dominick declared so softly I almost didn’t hear him. I nodded and our eyes met in the rearview mirror again. I could see his happiness and his relief. Two children were happy but was Maddie.
“Thanks Ronan. I can’t thank you enough.”
“I want to thank you guys too.”
“For what?” Dominick asked.
“For changing mine and Skylar’s life.” I glanced at Skylar out of the corner of my eye. She reached across the console and I took her hand. One day, we would have more kids of our own but we were young. We had time. For now, our house was full with these kids and our love for them.
“Promise me,” Maddie said to me.
“Promise you what Maddie?” I asked her.
“Promise me that you’ll always love me,” she said uncertainly. I realized then that she was insecure and Skylar and I needed to reassure her.
“Maddie, I’ll always love you,” I promised her.
“Me too,” Skylar added.
That was all she needed to hear but her brothers told her that they loved her too. We had three happy children and one cranky baby from being passed around at Christmas dinner because everyone wanted to hold Luke.
The End