“Yeah, whatever. You’re probably trying to make it look like you love me more than my dad does. Like you’re that perfect TV father like Wyatt’s is. My dad might not have done all that stuff with me all the time, but he loves me.”
Holden was speechless for a moment. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t good at this. He didn’t have experience with kids. Part of him wanted to wrap Sean up in his arms and never let him go—to tell him he loved him and wasn’t trying to prove anything. That people could want to spend time with him just because he was a great kid. That despite his dad having done those things, he’d still loved Sean, because even though the kid acted like he knew his dad did, Holden wasn’t sure if he believed it.
But the other part of him? That part was pissed. Not at Sean, of course, but at Adam. Why in the fuck hadn’t the man spent more time with his own kid? Not let him believe that it was something that only happened on television or in what he considered perfect families like Monroe’s. He wanted to tell Sean to never accept less than he deserved, and that his dad wasn’t worthy of his loyalty, because he was just like Holden’s father, who really fucking hadn’t been.
Holden also really wished his sister would sit down and tell him exactly what happened between them all.
He settled on saying, “Listen, Sean. I don’t know all the answers. I’m sure as shit not a perfect person, or a perfect uncle, and I don’t always know the right thing to say. All I can say is, my wanting to spend time with you isn’t to prove anything. It’s because I like you. Because we’re family. Because I want to hang out with you and get to know each other better. I have no ulterior motives here. I love you. Your mama loves you, your daddy loves you, and people would have to be crazy not to want to hang out with you. Wanna know how I know that?”
Holden was surprised when Sean said, “How?”
“Because you remind me of me at your age, and I was fucking awesome.”
Probably the wrong thing to say, but it earned Holden a spark in Sean’s eyes and a soft chuckle.
“I mean, super fucking awesome. The awesome started with me and then went to you.”
“You’re such a dork.”
“Dorks are cool,” Holden countered. Jesus Christ, though, the kid was right. He was the biggest fucking dork. He had no idea how to do this.
“Maybe in the olden days, but not anymore.”
“Hey, brat. Take it back. I wasn’t alive in the olden days,” Holden teased.
“You’re even older than Mom, and she’s ancient.”
“That’s where the awesome helps.”
Sean surprised him again by saying, “Are we really gonna do something fun today?”
“We sure are. Why don’t you go get ready, and we’ll head out.”
“Okay.”
They went out to lunch first, and Sean was a lot more talkative than usual. They hit up the arcade again, because he was thirteen and it was video games, which meant he never got tired of them. Then Sean asked, “Can we play the claw machine?”
“Yeah, sure, but those things are rigged. I don’t think anyone ever wins.”
“That’s ’cause you never played with me before.”
The damn kid was right. He won two big stuffed animals—a bear and a pig with pink bows on his ears.
“How’d you do that?” Holden asked.
“Because I’m made of awesome.”
Holden chuckled, really enjoying this side of his nephew. When they were about to head back to Harmony, Sean asked, “Ooh, can we go to Sundae’s Best?”
“What the hell is that?”
“It’s an ice cream shop in Everett. It’s kinda famous around here. They make these really unique flavors, some of them with like, cereal and shit like that in it.”
“Hey, language,” Holden said. He was pretty sure Sean didn’t curse around Marilee, and while he appreciated that they were getting closer, he didn’t want his sister to kick his ass. “And sure, we can go.”
While there were other small towns around Briar County, obviously, the main three he heard about were Harmony, Chelsea, and Everett. Holden handed his phone over to Sean, who put the address in his navigation. It took about twenty minutes for them to get there. Everett had a postcard-perfect downtown area just like Harmony, with Sundae’s Best right in the middle of it.
They parked, and despite it being a weekday, Sundae’s Best was busy inside. A tall man with warm, brown skin—Deacon, his nametag said—who looked about Holden’s age, and a blond teenager, who’d obviously spent too much time in the sun, were working behind the counter. Even though there were about ten people ahead of them, it didn’t take too long before it was their turn. Holden was a little overwhelmed by all the flavors—some were traditional, like chocolate or mint, others more commercial, like the one with Fruity Pebbles cereal in it; and then there were more unique ones, like whiskey, sweet potato, and mango spice.
“What do you want?” Holden asked Sean, and Sean chose something sweet with lots of candy in it.
“First time?” Deacon asked when Holden didn’t choose right away.
“Yeah, I’m from Atlanta. Came down to visit my nephew, and he said we had to try this place.”
“You can taste some if you want…otherwise, what kind of ice cream do you usually get, and how adventurous are you?”
“Something fruity, and surprise me,” Holden answered.
“Hmm…let’s see what we can do.” Deacon walked over to a section of the ice cream fridge that said: Granny’s Favorites. A plaque explained how the recipes came from Deacon’s great-grandma’s cookbook, and while not all of them had been for ice cream, he’d taken her dessert and food recipes, along with flavors he enjoyed, and turned them into ice cream. Deacon picked Granny’s Mango Spice, and Holden had to admit he was nervous. It wasn’t a flavor he would have ever chosen for himself.
Deacon placed two scoops in a bowl and handed it over. “If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else on the house,” he said, but Holden waved him off.
“I’m sure I will.” He took a bite and… “Holy shit.”
“That’s what I thought.” Deacon clapped his hands together, clearly proud of his choice.
“This is incredible.”
“Thanks, man.” They walked over to the register, and Deacon rang them out. “Come back again.”
“We will!” Sean replied, and Holden ruffled his hair playfully.
“You driving? Buying?”
“I wish!” Sean said. “Not the buying part, but the driving.”
They walked together toward Holden’s car. “You ever driven?”
Sure, he was only thirteen, but from what Holden remembered, that was how it worked in small towns. He’d known how to drive, if only around the property, by the time he was ten.
“No.”
“We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
Sean’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
“At least just a start on the driveway. I need to talk to your mama first, though.”
“Thanks, Uncle Holden!”