“Oh.Geez.”She snaps out of it, rubbing her hand across her mouth, “I was just thinking about how we tell Mom about this.Or … do wenottell Mom about this?”
We all look at each other, but Lee is still in the dark and he looks confused.“Is there a reason that Carrie’s mom has to know about me?”he asks.
I let a hum escape and tap my hand against my leg, considering how to bring this one up.Dylan sucks in a breath loudly and Carrie looks between us.“What?You haven’t told him that part yet?Shoot, sorry!”
“Okay guys, what are you all keeping from me?”Lee asks, sitting back down next to me on the couch.He leans forward, hands clasped between his knees in a very business-like manner.“Ellie.I think we owe it to ourselves to be completely honest here.We’ve been given this second chance, and I don’t want anything hidden between us.”I nod and he continues, “I don’t care about anything that happened in the last eighteen years, even if it involves you and another man.I can take it, but Ineedto know.”
Carrie holds back a laugh and I glare at her with my best mom look.“It’s not another man.”I tell him.“It’s … a bit complicated, so I’ll just jump right into it.”I can see him tense, and his head drops so he’s no longer looking at me, like he’s bracing himself.This news is probably going to hit him exactly how I think it will.“Carrie’s mom is Maggie Lancaster.”I don’t say anything else, letting that sink in.He just looks at me blankly and I ask, “You remember Maggie, right?”
“Oh, I remember Maggie alright.”He looks over at Carrie and presses his lips into a thin line.“I don’t know how I missed it.You look like her.”His tone is cold, emotionless.I interject before he can say anything else that might come off mean.
“Maybe we should have her over for dinner.We need to clear the air.”His head snaps back toward me and he’s looking at me like I just slapped him.He thinks I’m crazy for suggested such a ridiculous thing.
“Lee, Maggie and I … we know about each other, and we’ve moved on.We put aside our past and we are actually … friends now … because of the kids.I think, maybe this would be a good opportunity to continue that honesty, so I don’t feel like I’m hiding anything from you.”
He slaps his forehead with his hand, considering this information.“Okay.”He says, jaw clenched tight.He doesn’t like it, but he’s agreeing to it.Then he sits up and looks at his watch.“Dinner?Shit, it’s 9:45.I guess I’m not making my 10’oclock flight.”
“Your flight?”I ask, my heart skipping a beat.“You’re leaving?”
“Not a chance!”He looks from me to Dylan, “I’m not leaving you two ever again, I just got you back.”We all sit there, looking at each other, not sure where this leads our conversation.Lee wipes his jaw with a hand, “Iwillhave to go back, though.I’ll have to figure out work and all.I’ll call the airline and change my flight, but … maybe you can come with me?We can call it our first family vacation.”
I smiled, excited at that idea and the fact that he even mentioned it.“Itissummer break, and we didn’t get to go on our beach trip.”I considered a moment longer, then turned to Dylan, “I could close the shop for another week.What do you think, Dylan?”
Dylan doesn’t hesitate, “Hell yeah!”he says, laughing.
“Where is work?”Carrie asks because no one has bothered bringing that up.We had no idea where Lee had been all this time, and I didn’t even think about asking.
“Florida, near Pensacola.”He says, “I don’t know how it will work but we’ll figure something out and I’ll be damned if they try to keep me away from you both for three more years.I’m sure I can get transferred here to finish out my contract.”Then he stops and looks at me before continuing his thought.“I mean, that is if you want me to be here with you?We haven’t really discussed that yet.You and Dylan, you’ve had each other for so long, and I don’t want to…”
Dylan cuts him off, “Are you kidding?Dad, I can’t think of anything I want more.You belong here.I need you here.And Mom needs you here.”
“God, I don’t think I’ll ever get over you calling me that.”Lee says smiling.
Dylan sits on the couch next to him and says, “I’ve called you Dad every day of my life.You’ve always been my dad, even when you didn’t know it.”
Lee brings him in for a hug and squeezes his shoulders tight before letting him go, a tear running down his face.Carrie brings him a tissue and claps her hands together.“This isjustlike a fairytale ending!”
I inhale and wipe my own tears away, then straighten up and get back to the topic we started a minute ago.Stop getting side-tracked, Ellie!“So … about dinner.”This brings us all back into serious mode.“Carrie, call your mom and ask her if she could please join us for dinner tonight, but don’t tell her the reason over the phone.”
“Actually, I’m supposed to be having dinner with my dad tonight.He’s picking me up at 6’oclock.”She explains, looking upset, like she’s ruining the plans we were trying to make.
“Well perfect!I haven’t met your dad yet.Why don’t you see if he can join us too.”I tell her.
“Really?”
“Yeah, we’ll set up on the patio and have a nice family dinner with lots to talk about.”
“Okay then!”Carrie grabs her phone and calls both of her parents.They agreed and will meet at our house at 6’oclock.Maggie can’t stay long because she has some meetings to plan but we told her it was important, and she said she would come.
I’m nervous to see the interaction between them.I know Lee confronted her about the lie all those years ago, but I have no idea how they left it.I’m assuming they did not leave on good terms by his initial reaction to her name earlier, so this ought to be interesting.
While Carrie was on the phone with her parents, Lee called his boss and explained that he would need some extra time off before returning to the office.Then he called the airline and changed out his single ticket for three tickets to Pensacola, leaving out on Wednesday next week.
“That gives us a few days to reacquaint ourselves before jumping in to all the other stuff.”He says to me in a hush, so the kids don’t hear him.
I turned away from him, smiling, and handed Dylan a list.“Here, bud, will you and Carrie run up to the grocery store and grab these things for me so I can start dinner?”
“You can drive?”Lee asks, looking at Dylan.
