Ash hadn’t told her thank you. He should have done it already, but he’d been too drained to even think about it.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” the woman asked.
Ash shook his head. “Not right now, thanks.”
He opened the screen door and stepped into the backyard. Both his kids looked over and stared at him. He wondered if their uncertainty would ever go away, if they’d ever truly believe he was their dad.
As he walked toward them, the golden retriever ran to him. Ash knelt down and petted the dog’s head. “Hey, buddy.” He looked over at his children. “What’s his name?”
Neither of them said anything for a moment, then Brandon took a step forward. “Strider.”
“Hello there, Strider,” Ash said to the dog.
Strider wagged his tail and licked Ash’s hand.
“He likes to play catch,” Brandon said.
Ash stood up. “You have a ball?”
Brandon nodded and showed him the tennis ball in his hand.
“Throw it for him,” Ash said.
Brandon tossed the ball across the yard, and Strider took off after it. As the dog was bringing the ball back to the boy, Ash casually walked over.
“Can I try?” he asked.
“Sure,” Brandon said, handing him the ball.
They played toss with the dog for several minutes, alternating turns, with neither of them really saying anything. While they did this, Josie sat quietly on the bench watching them.
As Ash was about to throw the ball again, Josie said, “Why did they tell us you were dead?”
Ash paused for a moment, then let the ball fly. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Because they weren’t very nice, I guess. They told me you were both dead, too.”
“They did?” Brandon said.
Ash nodded.
Strider returned with the ball and dropped it at Brandon’s feet, but the boy didn’t seem to notice. Brandon looked at his father for a moment, then glanced at his sister and whispered something just low enough so Ash couldn’t hear it.
Josie seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then looked up at their dad. “Is…Mom alive, too?”
Ash could feel his heart suddenly break. He sank down to his knees so he was closer to their height, tears forming in his eyes. “No, sweetie. She’s not.”
“But you’re here, and they said you were dead,” she countered.
Ash could hear Brandon’s breath become ragged as he fought his own tears. “I know, Josie. But your mom was gone before they even took us out of the house.”
“But…but…are you sure?”
He nodded.
Brandon was the first to fall into his embrace, sobbing into Ash’s shoulder, but Josie wasn’t far behind him.
“I love you guys,” Ash said, then repeated “I love you” over and over.
“I love you, too, Dad,” Josie said, once her tears had finally lost their strength.
“Me, too,” Brandon added.
The hug that followed seemed to last for hours.