“Give them to Jillian,” Theo directed Thomas as they came out from behind some trees. Thomas clumsily ran to me, clutching a bunch of dandelions. He peered up at me proudly with rosy red cheeks and a bright, beaming smile.
“Oh my goodness, they are beautiful!” I exclaimed. I took them from him and held on to them like they were gold instead of weeds. Just seeing Thomas’ excitement over it made them more beautiful than any flower in the world.
“Those are the expensive variety,” Theo joked.
After Thomas and Theo had their fill of running around, we cleaned up our lunch and went for a walk. Thomas wasn’t having any part of his stroller, so we made a stop at Theo’s car to put it in the trunk or the boot as Theo referred to it before continuing. Thomas toddled a few steps ahead of us, stopping and bending over to pick up rocks or pieces of dirt every now and then.
“He is just too cute for words,” I said as I watched him chasing a butterfly.
“That he is,” Theo agreed.
“Does Kate plan to tell his father about him?”
“I don’t know.” Theo sighed. “I’m afraid to bring it up because I know what a sensitive subject that is for her. And if I’m being honest, maybe I’m avoiding it because I’m being a little selfish.”
“What do you mean?” I looked up at him and creased my eyebrows.
“If something happens to Kate, Thomas is all I’ve got left of her. What rights would an uncle have if the natural father wants to take him away to Scotland with him?”
I nodded, never stopping to think of the impact Kate’s decision would have on Theo.
“Thomas does deserve to know he’s got a father out there. I would never begrudge him of that, but I just don’t think I could bear losing him.”
I stopped and took his hand. “They say everything works out the way it should, and I’m certain that this will too.” I hated that he had another thing on his plate to worry about. I was certain that it scared him half to death to become Thomas’ guardian all by himself, but the look in his eyes told me it scared him even more to be faced with the alternative. If Thomas’ father was the loser Theo made him out to be, then maybe he wouldn’t want to be part of Thomas’ life. Whatever was to be was a choice only Kate could make, and I hoped for everyone’s sake it would end up being the right one.
“Well, hello there!” an older woman sitting on a bench up ahead with her little dog lying beside her exclaimed as Thomas approached her, sticking his hand out to the dog.
Theo rushed to Thomas’ side and picked up him. “Sorry,” he apologized.
“What are you sorry about, love? I love the wee ones. Did you want to pet my Angus? He won’t bite.” She looked up at Thomas in Theo’s arms.
“Did you want to pet the dog?” Theo asked, placing Thomas back down.
The little black dog sprang to his feet, wagging his tail, excited by the attention Thomas was showing him. Thomas’ smile broadened as he gently ran his hand through the dog’s long, thick coat. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was such a beautiful child with a gentle spirit that most children his age didn’t yet possess. After Thomas got out all of his affections for the dog, Theo swooped him up once again.
“Say thank you to this nice lady for letting you pet her dog.”
Thomas opened his fingers and did his version of a wave goodbye instead. The woman smiled, and I got the feeling that Thomas had made her day just as much as her dog made his.
“You dropped something!” she shouted as we started to walk away. I turned around to find her bending over and picking up Thomas’ stuffed bunny off the ground.
“I got it,” I said to Theo. Striding over to where she was sitting, I reached for the stuffed bunny and was just about to thank her when she took my hand in hers.
“You have a lovely family, dear. Cherish it forever.”
“Oh, that’s not…” I started to explain, until she gave my hand a gentle squeeze and closed her eyes.
“Cherish it,” she whispered.
Cherish it. Perhaps, it wasn’t the concept of the family she thought she perceived to which she was referring, but the moment. Something in that old woman’s eyes told me she had seen a lot, and she was as wise as the years of her life. She understood the value of time gone by, that so many of us took for granted. It was something we wished away in anticipation and then wanted back once it was gone. I’d been living for so long, wanting to reclaim the happy times I had with Evan, even before he had died. Chasing a past that didn’t mesh with my present, never realizing how those actions would affect my future. But the moment I was in, that afternoon, watching Theo and Thomas playing hide-and-seek, seeing the joy on Thomas’ face when he pet that dog was
