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“Him, who? And assume what?”

“Caleb, clear as day, referred to Milo as Daddy this morning.”

“What was Milo’s reaction?”

“His first thought seemed to be how I reacted.”

“Because he’s Milo. How do you feel about it now?”

“I spent all day trying to understand why it hit so hard. I finally concluded that, as sad as it is, Caleb doesn’t remember Tom. He was three years old when Tom suddenly disappeared, which traumatized him. But almost two years later, he wouldn’t know Tom if he walked through the door.”

“He’s old enough now to realize that families have dads. Milo is there, loving him and taking care of him. It seems like a natural transition.”

“Milo took on that father role instantly, even if he didn’t realize it.”

“So, now that you’ve had time to digest it…”

“I think I’m okay with it.”

“The kid just wants a dad.”

Milo was sitting on the front porch when Wilda arrived at the house. It was past eight, and Caleb was already in bed. Milo stood and moved to the edge of the steps. “Do I need to help you into the house?”

She closed her car door. “Do you think I would’ve driven home if that were true?”

“No.”

She went up the steps and put her arms around him. He kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t much care for coming home to an empty house.”

“Sorry. But it was good. We only had one drink. But we decided to order an appetizer. Which led to us ordering a second appetizer.” She looked up at him. “Did you eat?”

“No. I sent Caleb to bed without dinner.”

She nudged him. “You did not.”

“We brought home a pizza after we spent some time at the park.”

“Can we sit for a minute?”

“Of course.” They went to the chairs and sat down.

“When Caleb called you Daddy, it really caught me off-guard.”

“Me too.”

“But after a lot of reflection, and a daiquiri, I realize that I need to let that image of Tom go. Mathias has been filling that role, but he’s Uncle Mathias. He’s always been Uncle Mathias. He’s not Dad.”

“We actually talked about it at the park today.”

“How’d that go?”

“I told him I’d love to be his dad, but that he’d need to ask you. That you’d need to be okay with it.” He took Wilda’s hand. “This was a full-on, normal conversation. No whispers. No one-word responses. He talked to me.”

“He loves you, and you take care of him. You make him feel safe.”

“I hope so.”

She stood, then sat on Milo’s lap. “Thank you for making us both feel safe again.”