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satisfied sigh, his big blue eyes un-blinking. “You’re my daddy.”
    Matt coughed, his throat dry as sandpaper.

Chapter Four
    M att spoke around the hard lump in his throat. “How do you know I’m your daddy? Did your mother tell you that?”
    Davie shook his head. “Mom has a picture of you in her bottom drawer. Sometimes I sneak in and peek at it.”
    Before Matt could respond, the boy hopped off the couch and padded out of the room. Matt sat there in confusion. Had he said something wrong?
    The child returned and handed Matt a picture of him with his arm around Andie, smiling and snuggled together on a large boulder at the Grand Canyon. Their honeymoon. Matt remembered it like yesterday. The best time of his life. They’d been so in love. So happy.
    And he’d destroyed it all.
    Davie sat on the ottoman. “Mom said you’d come meet me one day. Why’d you leave us?”
    Us. Fascinating how Davie assumed he’d always been in his parents’ lives.
    “I didn’t know about you when I left. Your mom had you after I was gone.”
    “So why didn’t you come back?” The boy’s eyes filled with awe and dejection at the same time.
    Matt’s mind scrambled for a legitimate excuse that wouldn’tlose him any respect in his son’s eyes. “The truth is, I was selfish. I wanted to fight wildfires in Oregon, which meant I had to transfer up there.”
    “Why didn’t you take us with you?”
    “Your mom didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay in one place and raise a family. I wanted to build my career.”
    “Can’t you stay with us and build your career, too?”
    Boy, this kid wasn’t making things easy. “It’s not quite that simple, son.”
    His son. A bright boy who was confronting him with the truth while trying hard to understand why his father had left him.
    “Mom said you don’t want her. You just want to see me.”
    “That’s not true. I want both of you. Very much.” Matt spoke around the emotion in his voice, hoping to dispel any misunderstandings right now.
    “Really? You mean it?”
    “Yes, I mean it.”
    “Pinkie promise?” The child held out his hand, his pinkie finger hooked slightly.
    As Matt looped his pinkie finger around Davie’s and they shook, he fought the urge to smile. “Pinkie promise.”
    Davie tilted his head in confusion. “Mom must not know you still want her. You should tell her.”
    Or rather, she no longer wanted Matt. He couldn’t believe it was too late to win her back. He couldn’t give up hope.
    “Hey! You want to come to my T-ball game in two weeks? It’s the first of the season,” Davie said.
    Matt flinched, having trouble keeping up with the change in topics. It appeared his son had forgiven him so easily. If only Andie could do the same. “I’d love to.”
    Davie scooted off the ottoman, his face alight with excitement. “All the other dads come. Brian Phelps says I don’thave a dad. Won’t he be surprised when you show up? You want to see my uniform?”
    Matt’s heart wrenched. Thinking about his son growing up without a father almost unmanned him. Matt had so much apologizing to do. So much lost time to make up for. “I’d like that.”
    Davie ran across the room and disappeared down the hallway. Matt looked up and found Andie standing in the doorway, her eyes filled with annoyance.
    “I didn’t invite you to dinner, you know.” She crossed her arms.
    “I know that now. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I’m not used to how little boys work.”
    “Oh, sure you are.” She leaned against the wall. “They’re just smaller versions of grown men.”
    Matt sighed with resignation. This wasn’t going to be easy. For any of them. In the old days, he would have snapped back at Andie, but he just didn’t want to anymore. She must be so hurt and angry. Nothing but remorse and love for her filled his heart. “I suppose you’re right. But eventually even grown men grow up.”
    She stepped away from the wall, her mouth tight with disapproval.