“Oh.” Ty chews on his lip, staring over at all the intricate climbing equipment. If any park is going to entice a kid, it would be this one. The possibilities are endless. He wants to so bad, but that trauma lingers.
“Do you have any ideas what might help me? I really want to climb, but I don’t want to feel so nervous about it.”
His eyes are still set on the park as his mind swirls, but eventually he responds.
“Maybe we could do it together.” His voice cracks, barely above a whisper and he doesn’t even look at me.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea,” I say. “Let’s try it.”
I offer my hand out to him, and he takes it hesitantly. Ty likes to be brave, just like his dad, so maybe if he thinks he’s helping me, it’ll be the thing to get him back on the playground. Step by step, we make our way to the equipment until we’re standing right in front of it. A big climbing dome with built in tunnels and monkey bars and a few other cool contraptions stares right back at us.
“Where should I start?” I ask him.
Ty reaches out, touching one of the bars. First, it’s just with a finger, then the palm of his hand, and soon, he grips the whole thing. A smile pulls at his lips as he holds onto it, and then slowly he lifts his foot up.
“Like this,” he says. “Put your foot up here.”
“Okay.” I follow his direction and then wait for another, giving him time to process through. Once he gets the hand of it, he needs no encouragement.
“And then this one!” he shouts. “Come on, Maddie!”
“I’m coming, buddy,” I laugh, climbing up after him.
“Higher! Put your hand here. You can do it.”
The encouragement is almost more than I can take. He’s so sweet and adorable and the light on his face is contagious. I can’t stop smiling as I watch him scale the giant dome, and as I teetering on the railing behind him, I actually do start to feel a little nervous. Just as we get to the top, I see Roman’s car pulling back into the lot.
Even from here I can see the shock on his face, although I’m not sure if he’s more surprised to see me or Ty up here.
“Daddy! Look!” Ty beams, waving as Roman walks down the hill toward us. “We’re up here!”
“I can see that.” Roman chuckles. “That’s awesome, buddy. Great job!”
As I make my way down the structure, Ty basks in the praise and continues to climb all over it. It’s like nothing can stop him now.
At the bottom, Roman helps me off, sweeping me into a giant hug. “You’re pure magic, you know that?” He kisses me, and when he sets me back down on the ground, I notice a few tears in his eyes. “How did you manage this?”
“Well, I think I finally have you Molanari men figured out.” I smirk, lacing our fingers together as we walk to a nearby bench where we sit and watch Ty.
“Is that so?” He laughs, arching an eyebrow.
I nod. “You like to fix things. I just had to make Ty think I was the one who was scared.”
“That’s brilliant,” he says. “He looks so happy up there.”
“He does.” I agree. Ty hasn’t missed a beat in the last few weeks and it’s incredible to see.
There’s an unfamiliar tug in my heart, and I can feel how attached I’m getting to Ty–to both of them—but the weight doesn’t feel as daunting as before. It feels right.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Astheweekgoeson, things get easier with Ty. He’s far less anxious in the mornings, and when he comes home in the afternoons, he’s excited to regale Maddie and I with all the new first grade drama. It’s good to see him back in his element; a way I haven’t really seen him since before his mom died.
He’s slowly coming out of his shell again, and I’m painfully aware that we have Maddie to thank for that. She’s so goddamn good with him that it’s almost irritating. I’ve been at this parent thing much longer than she has, but she makes it look easy. She has a very special way about it, and it’s why she’s such a great doctor, too. People trust her. They believe her when she says it’s going to be okay. They feel safe with her.
Safe isn’t something I thought I’d ever feel. With a list of enemies a mile long, we never truly are, but it isn’t physical safety that Maddie provides. She makes my heart and soul feel safe, and that’s something completely new to me.
And she does the same for Ty. He’s carried that little marble around with him all week, and regardless of whether or not her story was true, it’s gospel to him now. I even found him clutching it in his fingers while he slept the other night.
