Promise Me

He was puzzled about that news at first. Then he burst out laughing. “She’s the only person I know who would drive clear to Florida to confront somebody. She can’t just pick up a damn phone and make a call.” He shook his head. “At least Grandma got her into rehab,” Dominick said.

“Mom is in rehab?” Nickolas overheard us.

I pulled him into me. “Yes,” I told him. I didn’t say where or why she went there. I just agreed that she was in rehab.

“That’s good news. Right?” Dominick said.

He scoffed. “She didn’t bother to let us know where she was. That she was all right. She didn’t make sure that we were taken care of first. She just checked herself into rehab. Crazy bitch.”

He pulled away from me and went to sit by Skylar. Dominick looked at me then he looked at his brother in the living room. “Ronan, you have to understand what she’s done to us.”

“I think I do.” I was worried about Nickolas though. I really thought he needed therapy.

We looked into the living room again and Maddie had taken up residence tucked into Skylar’s arms. Nickolas was at her feet. “We might have some difficulty if Mom ever comes home,” Dominick told me.

I laughed. “With which one?” I asked.

I grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him to me giving him a quick squeeze. Gramps hung up the phone and called me to the kitchen. Dominick followed me.

“So your grandmother is more than willing to let us take care of you,” he started off by saying to Dominick.

“I’m not surprised by that.” Dominick rolled his eyes at Gramps.

“Your mom is in rehab for ninety days then she’s doing an out-patient program for at least another ninety days. Neither of them are too worried about you staying with Ronan and Skylar.” He was looking at me for confirmation.

“If you look in the living room right now Maddie is cuddling with Skylar we were trying to decide how we were going to break them up when Delilah did come home. Nick is at her feet, also seeking her comfort so I’m fine for however long they want to stay and I think Sky will be too.”

Dominick was looking down. Gramps put his hand on Dom’s shoulder. “Son, are you all right?”

“I want my mom to get better. I really do…”

“But?” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

He glanced up at me. His eyes never left mine. “This is the most normal existence we’ve had in our lives.” Dominick teared up. “I don’t want her to come home.”

Gramps looked at me. I hauled Dominick into my arms for a moment. Dad taught us to hug when we needed hugging. Say how we felt when there was something on our mind except to call him an unforgiving bastard. He did draw the line at disrespect. “We want you to stay Dom.” Gramps patted his back and left the room giving us a moment. “I hope you still feel the same when we have a crying baby around all the time.”

He started laughing then wiped his face on his sleeve. I hooked my arm around his neck and pushed him into the living room. “Let’s check on the girls and Nickolas.”

**

Aine called us all to dinner. There were so many of us we couldn’t all sit at the dining room table so Gramps setup more tables in the kitchen. Some of the men were going to take their plates to the kitchen table to sit down and some were eating in fro

nt of the television to watch football. The one thing that we did do was gather around the table for my grandfather’s prayer. I stood behind my wife’s chair. Maddie sat on one side of her and Nickolas the other. They both seemed to gravitate to her.

Dominick and I were two of the men going to the living room to watch football. Maybe I should have wanted to have my first Thanksgiving dinner by my wife’s side but she gave me reprieve to catch the Cowboys and Lions game on the tube.

I put my hands on her shoulders as Gramps began to speak. She laid her hand on mine. It was something that was reassuring and comforting to me and she knew it. Her touch sent a shock of warmth up my spine. Gave me a sense of security. Yeah, she was young. Skylar knew what she wanted though. She was excited about Luke coming in just a few weeks. She was happy that we were married. Damn, I was over the moon about loving her.

“Lord, thank you for this meal, my granddaughters-in-law made with the help of my daughters-in-law on this special day. When Betsy gave me these two boys I didn’t think so many special women would come into my life but look at us now. Grandchildren, I’m so proud of. Great-grandchildren. Luke Ronan Moore, the first boy coming in just a few weeks. A bright spot in his Daddy’s complicated life.” He winked at me. “Alive to see this day for more reasons than one.” Everyone laughed knowing he was referring to the fight with Dad in their front yard. “I thank you Lord for giving us Ronan back. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life that we would not lose him that night and the next day.”

Gramps glanced across where we were standing. “We’ve been blessed to add new family.”

“That’s us,” Maddie whispered. Skylar nodded at her.

“May we all have happy and healthy holidays. Amen. Let’s eat people.” Gramps rubbed his hands together. I didn’t want to imagine a time when he would not be here to lead us in prayer. He couldn’t live forever, I knew. Gramps was in his eighties but he was relatively active and healthy. I added my own silent nod to the big man upstairs asking that he let us keep him for a while and finished with a resounding amen, in my head.

Those of us standing went to grab plates of food from the kitchen. Everyone in the dining room with Gramps dug in from the bowls and platters scattered across the massive dining room table. When Skylar was done eating she and Maddie joined us in the living room. She sat in the corner of the sofa and put her feet across my lap. I had already finished eating myself.