Coming Home

Catherine wrapped her frail hands around the warm mug. “I’ll admit that a little part of me wished I’d had some way to contact you. And then, wouldn’t you know it, we came home and found your note.” She smiled to herself. “And that’s when I knew I could relax, because there were higher powers on the job.”

She looked up at Leah with a tiny laugh. “The night he found your bracelet, he had this little glint in his eye. Like Christmas morning. Even better than finding it was finding his excuse to call.”

Leah’s stomach fluttered at the realization that he’d been interested in her, even back then.

“I do believe everything happens for a reason,” Catherine said, ru

“I’m sorry,” Leah said, and Catherine smiled sadly.

“Thank you. You know, I was okay with it, really. The only thing that made me sad was that I wasn’t able to provide my Louie with a son. He never said it, but I knew he wanted one.” She took a deep breath. “But God has a plan for everyone, and he works in mysterious ways. My daughter…she made some poor choices in her life. But those choices gave me Bryan.”

Catherine smiled, her eyes focused on her mug as if she were seeing something different than what was in front of her. “It wasn’t the way it should have gone, and it wasn’t the way I pla

She brought her delicate hand up to her chest, pressing it over her heart. “He was one of the kindest little things I’d ever met. He had a warmth in his heart, even back then.”

Leah looked down and smiled, imagining a six-year-old Da

“What a pair they were,” Catherine said with a chuckle. “They certainly kept me on my toes. Such good boys. Thick as thieves. They would do anything for each other…” She trailed off, and her eyes welled with tears.

Leah reached across the table, placing her hand over Catherine’s, and for a minute they sat that way, neither of them speaking.

Eventually, Catherine grabbed her napkin with her free hand and dabbed at her eyes, taking a steadying breath.

“My sweet Daniel,” she said, more to herself than to Leah. “I wish they’d understand that losing Bryan has been punishment enough for him.”

There were no words to say. Leah knew what she was feeling. The sadness. The anger. The frustration. The overwhelming desire to convince the people who held Da

“You’re good for him, you know,” Catherine said.

Leah raised her eyes.

“And I know he’s my boy, and I’m a bit biased, but he’s good for you too, isn’t he?”

Leah nodded, her eyes begi

“He’ll take good care of you, sweetheart.”

The waitress approached the table then, asking how everything was and if they needed anything else. Once she left, Catherine changed the subject, asking her questions about her job, what made her want to be a teacher, what her favorite things to teach were.

A little while later, Leah got a text from Da

The drive home was once again quiet; Da

Leah sat quietly beside him, her hand clasping his on the console, drawing lazy, soothing patterns on the back of his hand with her thumb.

When they were a few minutes away from her apartment, Da

“You really haven’t eaten anything all day?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I haven’t been hungry all day. I could probably eat now, though.”

“Do you want me to make you something when we get back?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll just grab a quick snack.”

“Okay,” she said, scooting over to rest her head on his shoulder.

Once they were back in Leah’s apartment, she headed to the bedroom to change as Da

All day long she’d been trying to come up with something that would make him feel better, and there was one thing that always helped her relax when she was stressed or upset. She knew the kind of worry Da

Leah turned into the bathroom and sat on the edge of her tub, leaning over to turn the faucet on. After adjusting the water to the right temperature, she plugged the drain and allowed the tub to fill, and then she turned and reached into the cabinet under the sink, pulling out the lavender orchid-scented bath gel.

Leah squeezed a generous amount of it under the ru

As the tub continued to fill, she went back to the cabinet and grabbed some tea candles, lining them up along the back ledge of the tub up against the wall. By the time she was finished lighting them, the tub had filled completely, the glistening bubbles nearly spilling over the sides. She turned off the faucet and set the plush bath mat down on the floor before she dimmed the lights and surveyed the scene. And then she smiled to herself as she turned and headed out to the kitchen.

He was leaned up against the counter, an open bottle of water in one hand and a half-eaten granola bar in the other. When he heard her come into the room, he looked up and smiled weakly.

“You doing okay?” she asked softly, and he nodded.

“Just tired,” he said, taking the last bite of the granola bar.

“I know something that might make you feel better.”

“What’s that?” he asked after he had swallowed.

“It’s a surprise,” she said, taking the bottle of water out of his hand and placing it on the counter. “Come with me.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her, and when he stepped away from the counter, she came behind him and went up on her toes, cupping her hands over his eyes.

“What are you doing?” he laughed.

“Bringing you to your surprise,” she said, guiding him out of the kitchen. His shoulder banged the doorframe as they exited, and she flinched. “Whoops. Sorry.”

Leah steered him slowly down the hall and turned him into the bathroom, stopping as she came around to his side. “Ready?” she asked, looking up at him.

“I think so,” he said with a tiny laugh.

She removed her hands from his eyes and they fluttered open; after a stu

“You want me to take a bubble bath?”

She nodded. “I’ll never understand why guys don’t do this for themselves.”

His expression was skeptical as he looked back at the tub, overflowing with bubbles and surrounded by candles, and Leah rolled her eyes, pushing him gently toward the tub. “I’m telling you, it’s awesome. You’ll love it.”

He crossed his arms. “It even smells girly in here.”