“Mom, Mitch wants to see Leo.”
“He’s still asleep,” Samantha said.
“We don’t plan on waking him.” Zoe rounded the front of the car to join them. She glanced at Mitch. “Ready?”
In response to her question, he took a halting step forward, then another. She turned and led him into the house, followed by Samantha. Thankfully, her expression had changed.
They entered the living room of the roomy ranch-style house. He’d spent most of his high school years here, visiting Zoe, but also putting some distance between him and his father. The memories were a bit fuzzy right now, but he would never forget that this was where Samantha encouraged his gift. Where he’d taken the first steps in realizing a career that had ultimately taken him away from his family and friends.
Your choice.
Yes, it had been. In pursuit of freedom and adventure, his life had taken a dramatic turn. The ultimate price to pay: nearly losing his life.
“This way,” Zoe said, leading him down the dim hallway. She pushed open a slightly ajar door and disappeared inside the room. Mitch hesitated. Once he went inside, viewed his son for the first time in person, his life would change forever.
Zoe stuck her head back out into the hallway. “Mitch?”
“Give me a moment.”
Annoyance crossed her face, then she was gone again. His world suddenly tilted out of control. He braced a hand against the wall, tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he was a father. Did he have it in him to act like one?
Even when they were trying to get pregnant, the thought of taking care of another life had frequently crossed his mind. He hadn’t taken the idea lightly, no matter what Zoe thought. But unlike most fathers, he hadn’t had nine months to prepare for his role. In his case, he’d had less than an hour to get ready.
Once the panic subsided, he hesitantly stepped through the doorway. A small lamp set on a dresser sent soft light over the room. The scent of... Was that baby powder? In the corner sat a shelf filled with books. Plastic toys littered the rug in front of it.
Zoe stood beside a crib. From across the room, he could see her leaning over. Attending to the baby? She looked at him, the fierce love etched on her face stopping him from moving. He’d always thought Zoe was pretty, but now, she took his breath away. Becoming a mother had transformed her. She was no longer just his high school sweetheart. Before him stood a full-grown woman, a mother, who had become more beautiful in the time he’d been away.
“Come see your son.”
Leaning on the cane, he made his legs move forward. When he came to the side of the crib, he gazed down at the sleeping boy, who had one thumb brushed up against his lips. Mitch’s breath caught and completely left him for a moment.
Zoe moved to give him better access. He stepped closer. Leo’s chest rose as he inhaled and exhaled. Mitch stared, then began taking inventory, like he imagined a father would upon the delivery of his child. Ten fingers and toes. Light colored hair, standing on end. Chunky little legs. Rosy skin. Spiky eyelashes caressing his cheek.
A longing, unlike any he’d ever experienced before in his life, pummeled him. This was his son. His flesh and blood. A miracle.
“He’s so small.”
Zoe fingered the downy soft hair sprouting from his head. “He’s actually at the correct weight percentile, according to his pediatrician.”
“So he’s healthy?”
“Ear infections have plagued him since he first came home, but the pediatrician is on top of the problem. He eats well. Babbles up a storm.”
Mitch tilted his head to get a different view. “What color are his eyes?”
“Blue.”
He swallowed against the sudden thickness in his throat.
With halting fingers, he reached out. He barely touched his son’s arm, so soft and plump, then moved to Leo’s face where the tips of his fingers brushed his cheek. When Leo shifted in his sleep, Mitch jerked his hand back to his side.
“He’s okay,” Zoe said in a low tone. “Just resettling.”
Right. People moved in their sleep. Even babies.
She gently pushed Leo’s thumb from the proximity of his mouth. “He never took to a pacifier, so I have to keep his thumb away from his mouth.”
Mitch didn’t know what to say. Taking care of a baby was completely foreign to him.
“I’ll give you a few minutes.” She pointed to a white radio-looking thing on the dresser. “The monitor is on. Call if you need anything.”
As she walked away, Mitch gazed down at his son. His chest swelled. Was this what pride felt like?
“Hey, buddy,” he whispered.
Leo puffed out a breath, but instead of panicking at the child’s response, Mitch smiled. The longer he stood over the crib, the more a sense of protectiveness seized him. Now that the initial shock had worn off, he desperately wanted to be a part of this child’s life. No matter that he and Zoe had made a mess of their marriage, he was thankful they had produced this miracle despite things not working out.
For some reason, thoughts of baseball crossed Mitch’s mind. Little League. Rooting for his son as his short legs ran the bases. Wait, was he walking on his own yet? Had he taken his first steps? He’d have to ask Zoe. Before long, he’d tell his son stories about all the cool places he’d traveled to in the course of his career. Eventually, he would take Leo along. Include him in the adventures. Silently, Mitch vowed to be present in his son’s life. He would never be like his own father, distant and disapproving.
Yes, he’d continue to travel for his job, but he’d never close himself off like his own father. So rigid in his ways, he’d tried to squelch Mitch’s spirit.
As he got older and increasingly curious, Mitch would often sneak off whatever military base they were on and explore the local sights and, more often than not, take off on thrilling adventures. His father never approved. Luckily, when his dad retired, he’d brought the family to Cypress Pointe, although he’d expected his son to carry on the generations-old tradition of joining the army.
Ironically, it had been all those years growing up traveling from base to base that had given Mitch a severe case of wanderlust. So, he would show Leo the world. Give him options. Nurture him in a way his own father never had.
The door opened behind him. Zoe’s vanilla and floral fragrance reached him before she did. She took her place beside him again.
“Why Leo? His name, I mean,” he asked after a prolonged moment of watching their son together.
Zoe crossed the room to a basket of stuffed animals. Removing a lion from the top, she returned to the crib and held it out for him to see.
“Do you remember him?”
Mitch stared at the small animal with the fluffy mane. “No.”
“We were in high school. My mother had missed my debate team competition and I was really upset. A few weeks later, a carnival came to town and you made me go. To cheer me up, you said.” A small smile curved her lips as she brushed her fingers over the lion’s mane. “You won this at one of the game booths. Told me not to be sad or scared because Leo the lion would look out for me.”
Her misty gaze met his. “I found the lion when I was packing up our belongings at the old house to move here. I held on to this little guy and cried, over the memories we’d shared and the reality that I would never see you again.” She took a stuttering breath. “When Leo was born, I wanted to give him a strong name. I thought he needed it since he’d never know his father.”
Mitch swallowed hard.
He’d