Built

The toddler took the toy and smiled a toothy grin just as her very pregnant and very frazzled mother came around the corner. I saw Cora’s multicolored eyes light up at the sight of us and a huge smile crossed her face when she saw Hyde.

“We were wondering when you were going to show.” She put a hand on her round belly and scooted closer. “Oh my, don’t you look just like your daddy? You’re quite handsome, my little friend.”

“I’m Hyde.” He looked up at me and grinned. “My dad’s a giant. So I’m going to be a giant, too.”

Cora tossed her head back and laughed. “You’re probably right about that. But don’t be surprised to find there are a few giants running around this place today. It’s nice to meet you, Hyde. I’m Cora and the little thief that took your truck is Remy. You can call her RJ if you want. She’s harmless, mostly.”

The little girl looked at her mom and gave her a grin like she knew exactly what was being said about her. I didn’t envy Rome having to deal with that kind of handful as the little girl got older.

Hyde took the truck from me, and even though he grumbled about it, he didn’t complain when Remy took his hand and started to totter off with him deeper into the house. Cora put a hand over her heart and sighed.

“Oh my. I think my daughter has her first crush. I can’t blame her. He is adorable, Zeb.”

I grinned and lifted a hand to rub the back of my neck. “He’s a good kid. After everything he’s been through . . .” I shook my head. “He deserves the world.”

She half walked, half waddled toward me and I didn’t argue when she wrapped her arms around me even though hugging her around her protruding belly was slightly difficult.

“And what about you, Dad? What do you deserve for giving him the world?” That was Cora. She was never one to beat around the bush or pull any kind of punches.

“I’m still working on that. It’s been a little tougher than I anticipated.”

She pulled away from me and I followed her into the house. The sound of voices got louder and I could hear Hyde talking about giants from somewhere close by.

“She left already. She was here with Poppy, but all the people and all the noise . . .” Cora shrugged a shoulder. “Poppy froze up and Sayer took her home. I honestly don’t think she wanted to leave, but she’s like a mother hen where that girl is concerned. I think it hurts Salem’s feelings that Poppy leans so much on Sayer instead of her.”

“Did she know we were coming?”

Cora nodded. “Rowdy told her. Zeb, that woman is in love with you and your son. She talks about Hyde the same way I talk about Remy. She lights up when she says your name and we both know she isn’t the type that glows.”

I sighed. “She can be.”

Cora looked at me over her shoulder as we joined the revelry. “For you she can be. Not for anyone else. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I do know that you shouldn’t give up on her if she is who you want to be with.”

“It’s not about me giving up, it’s about her giving in.” I said it, but I don’t know if she heard me because we were separated by a bunch of guys, most of whom were as big, if not bigger, than me.

There was a lot of back pounding. There was a lot of congratulations and at one point Rowdy handed out cigars that had It’s a Boy written on the band. I took it all in stride and was happy that Hyde seemed fascinated rather than intimidated by all the colorful and exuberant people around him. He also seemed okay with the fact that wherever he went, Remy followed. She was stuck to his side like glue, which had Cora cackling and Rome frowning from my son to me in an entirely comical way. All I could do was shrug at him.

It was an onslaught of well-wishes and catching up. It was busy and fun, so when Rowdy cornered me when I was coming out of the bathroom I wasn’t really ready for it. I should’ve known something was coming my way from him; after all, I would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes. I knew all about the brotherly need to protect and defend.

He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I rubbed my hands on my jeans and tilted my chin up at him. “I did my best, dude. It’s all on her now.”

His blond eyebrows shot up. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” It really was that simple.

“Things seemed to be on the right track there for a while. You want to tell me what happened to fuck it all up? She’s my sister, Zeb, and you’re my friend. I feel like if I can help fix this, I should.”

“What happened is I told her that I needed her to be more than my lawyer. I told her I needed her to be everything and she told me she couldn’t. She’s lost somewhere where she didn’t matter enough to the people she was supposed to matter the most to and I can’t help her find her way out of that.”

He frowned a little and pushed off the wall. “But she’s great with me. She fought to have me in her life even when I resisted, and she’s amazing with Poppy. You can’t tell me she doesn’t love that girl like she’s her own flesh and blood.”

I rubbed both my hands over my beard and shrugged. “You’re the only real family she’s ever had. That asshole that raised her, and her mother, sure as hell don’t count. She’ll hold on to you for dear life because without you, she thinks she’ll be alone . . . really and truly alone. And Poppy is like a bird with a broken wing. Sayer is nursing her back to health, but she knows one day she’s going to be able to fly again, so she isn’t worried about her leaving, she knows she’s gonna go. With me she has to take the risk that I’ll stay, that I’ll be there no matter what, that I’ll love her even if things aren’t always easy. She has to trust that she’s enough, more than enough, and I can’t tell her that. She just has to know it and believe it. It has to be her truth.”