Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
“And I thought, why can’t I father someone? Why can’t I teach a small person how to trust the world—not later, after damage had been done, but right from the get-go? And it was like a miracle had descended over me. Here I was, unworthy me, being tasked with presenting the beauty of the world to a brand-new soul. To teach my own child what it felt like to be loved and protected and valued so that he or she could spread that love far and wide. And all I could say was ‘Thank you.’”
Kaison felt a lump forming in his throat, and so he cleared it. “Thanks, Dad. Did, uh, Mom forgive you for running out on her?”
His dad grinned again. “She was calmly folding laundry when I came home. She just looked up and smiled as though she’d known exactly how I would return and expected me just as I was—breathless and hopeful.”
“Sounds like Mom.” His beautiful, gentle mother, who played the piano like an angel sent to earth to mend hearts with her music. A look came over his father’s face, the same one Kaison had seen all his life whenever his mom was mentioned—love and awe and just a small amount of surprise, as if, even after all these years, she was still unexpected.
“Speaking of your mom, we should go. Reservations are at six.”
His graduation dinner. His whole family would be there. His parents and grandparents and his uncle, his sister and her boyfriend, who they were all looking forward to giving as hard a time as possible. If the guy could handle it, and was deemed good enough for his sister, he’d be welcomed with open arms.
“Let’s go,” Kaison said. A new chapter with a new facility, and a new phase of his education. As they approached the front door, his father turned back and stood there for a moment, eyes closed, as though he needed this short pause the same way he’d needed to gaze at those old trees, to ground himself before stepping into yet another new beginning.