The pediatrician said Henry would meet his milestones in his own time. And Jensen definitely didn’t want to push the little guy. He had passed the hearing test with flying colors already, and they had an appointment coming up with a speech pathologist, just to be sure. But Jensen figured it couldn’t hurt to give his boy more of thethings that got him excited enough towantto talk. If nothing else, Henry would enjoy himself today, and that was worth taking a day off.
“You’re an amazing dad,” Willow said. “He’s a lucky boy.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Jensen said without a thought. “He’s… my everything.”
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the most important person in his life was blissed out watching the snowy trees blur past out the window.
“He loves car rides,” Jensen said.
“Smart boy,” Willow said approvingly. “And what a sense of humor.”
Jensen looked over at her, but she looked like she was dead serious.
HeknewHenry had a great sense of humor, and he could always see the workings of the boy’s mind, even when he didn’t choose to speak.
But sometimes it scared him that maybe other people would think there was something wrong with Henry, or that they might feel sorry for him as a dad, just because his son didn’t like to talk, or was doing things at his own pace.
“How many toddlers would try to tell a knock-knock joke?” she asked, turning to Jensen. “Your little boy is definitely paying attention.”
“Thank you,” Jensen replied, surprised to feel a little overcome. He was used to his parents saying positive things about Henry, but it was so good to hear all his own feelings confirmed by someone who had no reason to know he was worrying. Willow probably didn’t evenknow what the benchmarks were for a kid Henry’s age. Jensen certainly hadn’t before becoming a father himself.
“I guess we got lucky with the weather today,” she said, mercifully changing the subject. “We won’t have to worry about getting snowed in on a train or anything.”
They chatted as he drove on, about old friends, plans for the holidays, and other light topics. Jensen wasn’t normally a huge talker, another reason he felt okay about his son being on the quiet side, but it was surprisingly easy to share an upbeat conversation with Willow.
The more they talked, the more he appreciated how much she had grown over the years since they had spent time together. It wasn’t just her insights on Henry, it was her perspective on the world and her role in it. And when he asked her about her new job, she had so many good things to say.
“Anyway, I know I’m the one who asked them to let me start in January,” she laughed after listing out half a dozen reasons why she thought Tarker County General was a wonderful place to work. “But the more I talk about it, the more I realize it’s going to be kind of hard to wait.”
“You’re going to be an amazing addition over there,” he told her honestly.
“Well, the Army experience definitely keeps us cool under pressure,” she said, nodding.
“That too,” he said. “But I meant your enthusiasm. If you believe they’re in such a great position to grow their services for the community, how can they say no?”
“I’ll definitely give it all I’ve got,” she said with a smile. “Hey, are you ready for a snack?”
“Sure,” he said, glancing at the dash clock and realizing they were probably almost there. “Thank you.”
“Excellent,” she told him as she pulled a white box with a cellophane top out of her bag. “I didn’t have time to make cookies, but I stopped by the Co-op and grabbed some banana muffins.”
“They smell amazing,” he groaned in appreciation. “Much better than the snack I brought.”
“What did you bring?” she asked.
“Goldfish crackers,” he replied, shrugging.
“Don’t you dare say a word against goldfish crackers,” she retorted. “They’re the best.”
“I’ll probably think so again as soon as Henry’s a little older,” Jensen chuckled. “Right now, we eat way too many of them. You’ve probably never found them in your pockets when you were doing laundry.”
She laughed and set a muffin in his cupholder, before reaching into her bag for something else.
“And I picked this up for you,” she told him, setting a bottle of fresh-squeezed orange juice in the other cupholder.
She knows.
“Why OJ?” he asked, his stomach sinking.
