Promises (TP 6)

76 - Promises

Hannah wouldn't share any information with Patrick about her visits to Dr. Deb, but she agreed to go back every week. Other than harping on at her to write the thank-you notes for her graduation gifts, his relationship with his eldest had calmed down. It was not serene because Hannah ignored Tessa and the girls.

Patrick thought about Tessa when they weren't together. They had settled into a routine as June gave way to July. Tuesday evenings he spent at Tessa's and she and the girl spent Wednesday afternoons with him. Saturdays were date nights and Sundays they went to the beach and had dinner together at his house. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, they spoke on the phone.

Gabby and Kevin were good sports. They were nice to Tessa and her girls. Even Maya was more comfortable with him, but not as affectionate as Chloe.

On the last Sunday in June, they were walking back from the beach. Everyone but Chloe was walking. She had manipulated him to give her a piggyback ride. Her excuse was her feet were too sandy for her flip-flops.

Maya wasn't buying it. "Chloe, you always walk."

Tessa smiled at him. He didn't mind carrying her.

"Doc. Abbie's going to fireworks."

Tessa said, "Fireworks are past your bedtime."

An idea popped into his head as he looked at her and smiled. "I think you should stay over. The Fourth of July is worth bending the rules. The girls could be asleep before the traffic lets up on the causeway." The Point was always mobbed on the Fourth of July.

"What about Hannah and the other two?"

"I'll change her curfew to midnight. She sleeps until noon. Honestly, she won't even know you're there."

"I don't know."

"Think about it. Kevin will probably sleep at Probst's, and Gabby, I'm not sure she'd be that bothered by it."

"Wouldn't she tell Hannah?"

He shrugged. "She's on team Dad, not team Hannah."

"There shouldn't be teams." Tessa frowned.

"I was kidding." He really wasn't. Family dynamics could be messy. Tessa knew from her own sisters. Patrick lied because he didn't want to give her a reason to run. If she ran again, it would hurt more than before.

Chloe said, "I wanna have a sleepover at Doc's house and see the fireworks!"

Maya said, "Me too! Please, Mommy!"

Patrick felt the excitement grow. Tessa could say no to him a lot easier than she could her daughters. He dropped Chloe from his back at the edge of his yard. "Go run in back and clean off in the shower."

Like many other houses, he had an outside shower. The girls had been over enough to know what to do on their own. He took Tessa's hand as they ambled toward the backyard.

"I really want you to stay over. It may be a mistake, but we won't know until we try."

"The three of you are ganging up on me."

He leaned in and whispered, "I want to hold you all night." He smiled at the blush painted across her tanned cheeks.

He had been sleeping in an empty bed for a long time. Eventually they would have to discuss their future. He was getting a clear vision of what he wanted, and it involved more than just sleepovers.

With the sand washed off, the girls changed back into their clothes and played in the yard as he and Tessa prepared dinner. He missed the sound of their laughter when they weren't visiting. They brought life back to his house and his life. He loved working in the kitchen with Tessa. He was never a perfect husband and rarely helped in the kitchen. It wasn't until Erica became too sick that he took over meals. He was proud of the way all three of them stepped up and created a routine. He felt it shifting, but it wasn't just Tessa and the girls. It was his daughter's work schedule and the boyfriend and Hannah with one foot out the door. When he visualized him and Kevin eating alone in a few years, Tessa and the girls filled his mind. Did he want Tessa to be a part of his life because he was lonely or because she was his new one and only?