Richard put the brush down and wiped his hands clean. “I’m sorry, guys. It’s just that I want to get this nursery done as soon as possible. With my luck, Annie will go into labor early, and it won’t be ready. But yeah, I heard what Dad said, and I’m happy Jake is getting involved with our family business.”
I knew he wanted to be more involved with the baby, but I didn’t think that meant painting. “Didn’t you just get your place redecorated? Why didn’t you have one of the contractors your interior designer hired paint the room?”
Richard grinned at me. “You don’t understand, but someday you will. I missed out on so much with Addison, and I want to be as involved with the new baby as I can. So I decided to paint the room myself. I’d also like to give you a word of advice, Gavin. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should always get someone else to do things that might bring you pleasure if you just stop and think about it.”
Mr. Truman put up his hands. “Alright, alright, guys. I have someting to add here?”
The three of us turned to him and said in unison, “What?”
Richard shook his head. “Wait, Dad, let me finish. I’m on the roll. This is really something all of you need to know about me. I have changed, as Gavin has suggested.”
“You know having money doesn’t always bring you happiness. I thought I was as happy as I could be as a bachelor until I found out about Addison. When I realized how much I had missed out on her life, it killed me inside. That’s why I’m painting this room. I’m going to be as involved in my new baby’s life as I can be.”
I knew the history with Addison and should have known better than even to question Richard about his painting project.
“I’m sorry, man,” I said. “I didn’t look at it that way.”
“Neither did I, Richard,” his Dad said, “do you want me to put the tablet away? We can discuss this later.”
Richard shook his head. “No, Dad. You’re fine. Let me take a look at what you have.”
As Richard picked up the tablet to look over the spreadsheets, the three men began chatting about the new project while I thought about how much both Richard and Jake had changed since marrying and starting families of their own.
It’s like Jake and Richard had a whole new glow to their faces.
Richard had always been a hands-on kind of guy, to begin with, but I could never have foreseen him painting a nursery. Then again, I remember the look of hurt in his eyes when he told me he had just found out he had a daughter. To know that he had missed out on some of the most critical years of her life had killed him inside. And Jake had been a died in the wool playboy until he had reconnected with Julianna and fallen in love with her daughter, Caley, eventually adopting her as his own.
After their brief discussion, Richard seemed pleased with the numbers on the screen. “This is perfect, guys. Jake knows what he’s doing. This will definitely squeeze out the competition?”
I walked over and clapped both Jake and Richard on the back, “You two are amazing fathers and businessmen.” Then I turned to Mr. Truman. “And so are you.”
Richard picked the paintbrush up and went back to work. “I sure as hell hope so, Gavin. I have so much to make up for with Addison, although she seems to be happier with Annie and me than her biological mother.”
Jake let out a belly laugh. “I think that would be a major understatement. Heather was a stuck-up bitch! No child should have to live with her as their mother.”
Richard finished painting the right corner of the room then turned around to face me. “You’re going to be a great dad one day too, you know.”
I sucked in a quick breath and felt dizzy. For a second, I imagined that Crystal was pregnant and had told Annie, who had told Richard, but that would have been crazy. Since we had only slept together once, this notion was definitely a fantasy. “What makes you say that, man?” I spluttered.
“You have what it takes to be a dad. You’re disciplined, have a calm disposition, and have your life together. When the day comes, you’re going to do one hell of a job.”
I started to think about my own father. “I hope I will live to see my kids and grandkids grow up. And well, really, Dad just didn’t know how to handle me. After Mom got killed in that school fire, Dad was never the same.”
“Oh, that’s right. Your mom was a school teacher, and she died trying to save her class after the heater caught fire. Look, man, you don’t have to talk about this… but you can if it will make you feel better,” Richard told me.
“It’s not that Dad and I hadn’t gotten along, it’s just that we didn’t have anything in common as I got older. Maybe I’m one of those weird guys, but I never understood his fascination with all of that man stuff. He was a mechanic who was obsessed with football, cars, and drinking beer. Whereas I was more interested in figuring out how much sunshine Mom’s plants needed in a twenty-four-hour period to stay green, or reading a book.”
“You seemed to have gotten along well with him. Back in college, whenever I heard you talking to your dad on the phone, there was never a harsh word between you two.”
Richard sensed what I was about to say. “Look, man. It’s the same way with fathers whom you do have things in common with.” He poked a thumb toward Mr. Truman as Jake listened with wide eyes. “Sure, mine taught me everything I know about business, but aside from that, we were never that close until I was older. And Jake, well, their relationship was just the opposite. They were closer when Jake was younger, but when he grew up they went their separate ways.”
“Until now.” Jake interjected, clapping his father on the back.
Mr. Truman started laughing. “Well, don’t give me too much credit. I’d wouldn’t have been caught dead painting the nursery you boys had.”
Richard shook his head. “Remember what he said about us attending the baby shower, yesterday?”
Jake’s ears perked up. “What did he say?”
