Chapter 290

“We’re going on a holiday—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
“We’re going to have a lot of fun—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
“No one can stop us now—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
Melanie laughed as Adir burst into the spontaneous jingle, singing with a dramatic flair and jumping up and down as they moved towards the airport. She reached over and patted his head fondly.
“One would think you’ve never been on a holiday before,” she said with a smile.
Adir grinned. “Father’s idea of a holiday was driving up to the cabin and fishing all day. I always got bored out of my mind there. And I hated the worms! They were eww.”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, the grin faded. His shoulders stiffened, and his expression crumpled like paper folding in on itself. Melanie noticed it right away and before he could break down, she cut in and said,” Uh huh! That’s okay, you know. Just because you didn’t enjoy something doesn’t mean you’re wrong for saying it. You used to tell him that too, didn’t you?”
Adir hesitated, then gave a small nod. “I complained and complained but he said that it would teach me patience.”
Melanie reached over and ruffled his hair. “Then you’re not being disrespectful to his memory. You’re just being honest. And that’s something he always valued, didn’t he?”
Adir blinked, then nodded again, this time with a trace of a sad smile returning to his lips. Melanie waited a beat, watching him carefully. “Still, there must have been something you liked doing up there. You were what—three? Four? A smart boy liked you, I don’t believe you didn’t find something to do there as well.”
Adir sniffed and then gave her a toothy grin,” I don’t remember how many times he took me there, but I was three the last time. I turned four last winter,” he clarified with the seriousness only small children could manage and continued conspiratorially, “I used to chase frogs.”
Melanie looked at Adir in surprise at that, “Chase frogs?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded eagerly now. “They used to jump out from the grass near the lake. I’d sneak up on them and try to catch them in my bucket. Once, I tried to keep one in my pocket.”
Melanie chuckled at that, imagining the little one catching a frog and trying to stuff the poor animal in his pocket. “In your pocket?”
Adir looked pleased with himself. “Yes, but it peed. A lot. I had to change my pants.”
“Oh no,” Melanie laughed hard at that, “Well, I suppose that’s one way to learn about wildlife.”
Adir giggled, the sadness from earlier fully replaced by the funny memory. “I also liked throwing pebbles into the water. Big ones made splashes, but I tried to find flat ones too-to do skipping like Father. Mine never skipped. They just plopped.”
“Thankfully, you will not get to catch any frogs there.” Melanie muttered and Adir gave her a glance and asked with a grin,” Are you scared of frogs?”
Melanie sent him a look, before giving a prim answer,” No. Of course not.” There was no way, she was confessing to this kid that she could not imagine the slimy little creatures anywhere near her. Knowing him, he would probably collude with Adam and bring her a frog as a birthday present. Or insist that he wanted a frog pet.
She almost shuddered at the thought and decided to change the subject soon. Thankfully, Adir was not talking about frogs any longer and was only skipping along with her as he tilted her head up again and asked, “Do you think Adam will be surprised when he sees us?”
Melanie smiled down at him, and nodded, “Very surprised. After all, we’ve kept our plans hidden. He has absolutely no idea we’re coming. He’ll probably drop whatever he’s holding when he sees you.”
Adir’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s perfect! I just hope he is not holding a cake or something.” He bounced on his toes, then added more quietly, “Do you think he’ll like my birthday gift?”
Melanie stopped briefly to adjust the bag on her shoulder, then looked at him seriously. “Adir, if he doesn’t like your gift-” she leaned in and tapped the tip of his nose-“we’ll just tie a big ribbon around your head and give you to him instead. You can be the present.”
Adir burst into a fit of giggles. “He’ll love that! I’ll make a very shiny present.”
“You certainly will. You’re one of a kind.”
He nodded proudly, as if that settled the matter completely. Then, just as quickly, his energy returned at full volume. “Let’s go then. We should hurry up and make sure that we record his expression. For now, we should sing!”
Without waiting for a response, he picked up the jingle from where they’d left off, skipping ahead with wild enthusiasm, his arms swinging at his sides.
“We’re going on a holiday—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
“We’re going to have a lot of fun—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
“No one can stop us now—ba-dum, ba-dum!”
Melanie chuckled under her breath and followed him, dragging the suitcase behind her as she watched him leap ahead, singing and skipping without a care in the world. Just this-this dancing, laughing, singing child- was proof enough that Melody Thomas was simply wasting her time fretting over nothing, insisting time and again that Adir didn’t feel secure or settled.
Anyone with eyes could see that he was happy. He was safe. Yes, both she and Adam hoped that, one day, he might call them his parents, that the words would come naturally to him-but that wasn’t something they could force. That decision belonged to Adir, and Adir alone. And right now, watching him bounce ahead like a firecracker on legs, Melanie was sure of one thing: whatever name he chose to call them by, he knew he was loved. And that was all that mattered.
Without another word, she messaged Adam’s assistant that they were on the way, confirming his schedule so that her plan would work perfectly. Adam Collins, it was time for a birthday surprise for you.