“Yep. Come here, Ellie. It’s time for dinner.” Deke scooped their daughter into his arms. She kicked her little legs and laughed as he plopped her into the highchair and buckled the straps, then slid the tray in.
Ava set the plates on the table and took her seat, the evening light now softened to a gentle glow. He pulled out his chair and settled in. The aroma of sizzling steak and buttery potato made his stomach growl. Conversation flowed easily between them.
“What did you do today besides drooling over Jonah?” Deke asked, flashing her a teasing grin as he speared a forkful of steak and savored it, eyes half-closed. “This is so good.”
Ava made a dramatic shudder. “No way.”
“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”
She brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “When I picked up Ellie, I stayed with your dad for a while. We talked about Thanksgiving.”
“What about it?” he asked.
“If it was all right if my dad and Jessica came here for dinner.”
Deke cut another bite of steak, the knife sliding through effortlessly. “I’m sure he said yes.”
“He did,” Ava confirmed with a nod.
“What about your brother and his family?”
“They always go to Jeanie’s parents’ house. So, it’d just be me, my dad, and Joella there for Thanksgiving. But I love spending the holidays with him, so I asked Frank. I absolutely adore your dad.” She smiled across the table at him.
“I’m pretty sure he feels the same.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Is Joella coming, then?”
“I mentioned her coming for Thanksgiving, but she had to run, and we didn’t get to make plans. All she talked about were the pictures of Jonah I sent her. I hate to make more work for your dad. I even offered to help him cook, and he turned me down flat.” Ava laughed.
Deke chuckled, shaking his head. “He loves cooking for the holidays.”
Ava buttered her potato. “Do you see your mother, then?”
“No. She’ll do her own thing. Just like always.” He shrugged.
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all. She was never around, so it’s no different.”
Ava’s lips curved in sympathy. “I don’t know how she did that. You were just little boys. I couldn’t imagine walking away from Ellie.”
He leaned back, gaze drifting to the window where the sky had deepened to twilight. “Since we were so young when she left, we didn’t miss her. She pops in only when she wants something.”
“Does your dad still care for her?”
Deke exhaled, a rueful laugh escaping him. “No. She killed any feelings he had for her when she walked out on him and us.”
“I see.” Ava shook her head.
“What does Joella do?”
“Oh, I never told you, did I? She owns a gallery and sells beautiful paintings.”
“Does she paint?”
Ava laughed. “No, but she loves art. Mostly paintings from new artists.”
Ellie clapped her hands again, impatient for more bites, and the family settled into a cozy silence, the only sounds the soft tick of the clock on the wall, the scrape of forks on plates, and the gentle murmur of early evening outside.
Chapter Seventeen
