Page 72 of Kylie

Needless to say, the shock had officially set in. My wife was working double time to keep from crying. She was being strong so that the little ones didn’t pick up on it. It didn’t matter that those were tears of joy and relief. We knew all too well how an overabundance of emotion could cause fear and worry in those little faces.

Wanting the kids to be home when their mother arrived, we loaded them up, and now here we were, at Travis’s house, wrangling them in an attempt to get them somewhat settled before their parents got home.

My wife unlocked the front door while the kids unloaded and took off after her. Maddox, always the quiet, calm one, remained with me, holding my hand as we headed for the porch. Oh, if he only knew how his little life was going to change. For the better, of course, but change nonetheless.

“We need to have a chat,” I told the kids as they were tossing their things into the foyer. “Hey, wait a minute.”

Kate, Kade, and Avery stopped suddenly, pivoting to look at me. They knew that my tone meant they were forgetting something.

I nodded to the bags they’d left on the floor.

With a huff, Kade marched forward first and picked up his bag. It took him a few seconds to hang it on the hook designated as his. Avery was next. Kate did the same, but I sensed she was far more curious about the chat I promised.

“Thank you,” I told them. “Now come on. Let’s cop a squat.”

When we walked into the living room, Lorrie was already moving about, tidying things up. I could tell it wasn’t so much that the house was a mess, more so that her hands were trembling and she didn’t want the kids to see.

I understood the feeling. The wealth of emotion that my body was attempting to process was overwhelming. But I had to keep a level head for these little ones. The last thing I wanted was for Kylie to walk through that door and for them to be shocked that she was there.

In my opinion, a heads-up was critical.

“Put the butts on the cushions,” I instructed when they started hopping around as only kids could do after dinner.

Little butts landed on cushions, and five sets of eyes peered up at me with eager anticipation. While they practically vibrated, Lorrie came over to sit in the chair facing the couch.

“Why is Grammy cryin’?” Avery asked.

“She’s happy.”

Haden giggled. “No, she’s not. She’s cwyin’”

“These are happy tears,” Lorrie explained.

I waited until all eyes were on me once more. “Alright. So you know your dads had to take a trip. They⁠—”

“Where’d they go?” Kade interrupted.

“We’ll get to that,” I informed him as I came closer, nudging the wooden coffee table back, putting some space between the couch and it.

“Are they comin’ home?” Avery asked.

“Yes. In fact, that’s what I want to talk about.” I eased my old bones down onto the coffee table, bringing myself to their level.

I looked at each of their faces as I took a deep breath. When I met Kate’s eyes, I got the feeling she already knew what I was about to say, although I had no idea how that could be possible.

“What I’m about to tell you is very important. That means I want you to listen to every word before you say anything. Understood?”

“We understand, Pop,” Kade said, his tone stern. I could see the amusement in his blue-gray eyes, though. He was humoring me as he was known to do.

“Your dads are on their way home, and they’re bringin’ someone with them.”

“Who is it?” Haden asked absently, his attention on the little truck he was holding.

I glanced at Lorrie, trying to build the nerve to share news that would forever alter these kids. I wasn’t sure how they were going to react, but they needed to know before Kylie walked through that door.

My wife nodded, giving me permission to continue.

I turned back to the kids. “When everyone’s lookin’ at me, I’ll tell you what’s about to happen.”