Page 104 of Diamonds in the Mud

Randy greeted us at the door with a warm smile, his eyes tired but welcoming as he ushered us inside. The familiar scent of home-cooked food wafted through the air, mingling with the soft murmur of conversation as we settled around the dining room table.

“Evening.” Randy shook Jameson’s hand and came in for a hug.

“Dad.” I smiled and hugged him back.

“It’s taken you twenty-three years to call me that and really mean it,” he said over my head. “She called us Mom and Dad for a few years when she was younger, then watched a movie where an adopted daughter called her parents by their first names and started doing that.” He rolled his eyes. “We just sort of went with it. Calls me Dad or Daddy every now and then, but I could always tell it didn’t come from here.” He touched his heart. “Now…” he smiled.

In my head they would always be Mom and Dad, even if I called them Randy and Edith.

“It helps to keep things professional when we work together,” I added as I laughed. “How’s Mom?” I asked, looking around.

“Tired. Her last chemo session is tomorrow,” he added with a smile. “Then we get to heal and see how things went before her next surgery.”

“She’ll have a follow-up, reconstruction from her double mastectomy, once she’s strong enough,” I told Jameson, who nodded.

We stepped into the dining room where Edith was propped up in a chair. The silver wig that Aria had given her could have fooled anyone. Even I almost forgot it wasn’t her own hair as I leaned in and brushed a kiss on her cheek.

“Mom, this is Jameson,” I said and stood back as Jameson shook my mother’s hand.

“Mrs. Cordova, it’s a pleasure,” Jameson said smoothly.

“Please, call me Edith.” My mother motioned for us to sit. “Randy will set the table while we chat.”

We were halfway through the pot roast meal when Randy finally broached the topic of his retirement. I felt a surge of mixed emotions wash over me.

“I’ve been thinking about retiring,” he said, his voice tinged with weariness. “And I think you’d be the perfect person to take over as chief of police. I’ve already broached the subject with your SSA.” He chuckled. “She was surprisingly optimistic about the move.”

The words hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. I glanced at Jameson, a flicker of surprise and pride dancing in my chest as I realized the magnitude of the offer my father was extending to him.

“I... I don’t know what to say,” Jameson said, his eyes searching mine. “I’d be honored, but I haven’t quite figured out what’s going to happen after I close this case. Can we take a while to figure things out?” He took my hand in his.

I squeezed his hand reassuringly, offering him a supportive smile. “Take your time and think about it,” Dad said with a smile. “But know that whatever decision you make, we will support you both.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said, feeling my heart swell with love.

As we continued our meal, the conversation turned to lighter topics, and soon we found ourselves reminiscing about my parents’ past. Dad chuckled as he recounted the story of how he and Mom had first met at a local diner, their eyes meeting over a spilled cup of coffee.

“It was love at first sight,” Dad said, his voice tinged with affection as he glanced at my mother. “I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the one.”

Mom blushed at his words, her eyes sparkling with fondness as she reached for his hand with her frail one. “Oh, Randy, you’re too sweet,” she said, her voice soft with emotion. “I knew from that first moment that you were the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with too.”

As I listened to all of my parents’ stories, which I knew by heart, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and nostalgia wash over me. Despite the challenges they had faced over the years, my parents’ love for each other had only grown stronger with time, a testament to the enduring power of true love.

Even after they’d found out they couldn’t have any more children after their one and only child had died as a baby, they’d claimed they’d never given up hope. Shortly after little Randy Jr’s death, Randy had found me, and their lives had gained a new purpose.

As the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the backyard, we all fell into a comfortable silence, content to bask in the peacefulness of the moment. And as I looked around at my family, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude wash over me.

In that moment, surrounded by the people I loved most in the world, I knew that no matter what the future held, we would face it together, with love, laughter, and unwavering support. We watched the stars begin to twinkle like diamonds in the darkening sky and I hoped there would be many more nights like this to come. My eyes moved to my mom and her frail state, and I sent up a silent prayer.

Please, if there is a god somewhere up in that star-filled sky, please don’t take my mother.

The next morning, before the sun even rose, there was a pounding on my door.

Jameson groaned and then jerked awake, instantly on guard.

“I know you’re in there, Rayne.” Aria’s angry voice echoed in the darkness. “Jameson, I know you’re in there. The two of you get your naked butts up and come tell me why in the hell I’m just finding out what happened on the news.”

“Shit,” we both said at the same time.