He took in the scenery with a content smile on his face. Reid was focused on the chess board, but his thumb was caressing Zoë’s arm. The girl looked right at home against Reid’s chest and although she was watching the game, Luke recognized the subtle signs. It wouldn’t take long before their little girl would fall asleep in her daddy’s arms.
He also liked the concentrated look on his father’s face. Obviously Damian was being challenged and Luke knew for a fact how much his dad liked that. Apparently they had some sort of tournament going on, because on a small table next to them, Holden and Ethan were also fully concentrated on their chess game.
Danny had nestled himself between Nat, Faith and Bill Rainsby. While Faith and Bill were entranced by some video game, the youngest kids were cheering them on and Abigail sat on the armrest of the couch, her fingers playing with Bill’s hair.
Luke’s smile grew. His matchmaking skills were pretty good, even if he did say so himself.
Seeing his mother and Molly involved in a relaxed conversation made this picture of family bliss complete. It felt strange yet wonderful to watch his family being so…normal.
“Now here’s a sight for sore eyes…”
Luke turned when he felt the arm around his waist and kissed his grandmother on the cheek.
“It sure is,” he whispered, while he followed Emma back into the kitchen and chose a chair where he could watch Reid. It made his grandmother kiss him on top of his head.
“I’m so proud of you, my sweet,” she said as she handed him some fresh coffee. “It’s such a joy to see your family interact the way they do and I know your love has a lot to do with that. Both kids adore you and that man of yours…”
They both grinned and when Luke looked at Reid, it was like the doctor felt it, because he suddenly looked up and smiled at Luke. To return to his game with that smile still on his lips.
“Yeah, he’s something else.”
“He is,” Emma agreed, “and so are you. But the minute you’re together, the real magic starts. I can’t put it into words, but I do recognize it. My beloved Harvey and I…we had that magic too. It was special to experience and it’s also special to see it with you.”
Luke nodded. He wished he could have seen that magic between his grandparents. Maybe it would have prevented him from seeking love in the wrong places. On the other hand, those ‘wrong places’ taught him a lot about himself. It also made him extremely grateful for the relationship he had now.
“I more or less expected Mr. Taylor to be here too,” Luke cautiously informed and Emma gave him a quick smile.
“I did invite Todd, but he wasn’t ready to be part of this family, now his own family is so deeply shattered.”
Luke took a sip of his coffee, nodding. Again he looked at Reid and he smiled when he saw Zoë fighting to stay awake.
“I totally understand,” he nodded. “He must be devastated.”
“He is,” Emma took a deep breath. “He totally worshipped that little boy.”
“Is he able to talk about it?”
“Not by nature, but when I ask about it, his feelings, he opens up. We talk a lot.”
“I’m glad,” Luke put his hand over Emma’s. “I know first hand how healing your love is.”
It made Emma tear up a little.
“Thank you, sweet boy of mine. It’s still amazing to me that something so beautiful and precious as you could come out of so much pain and chaos.”
Luke chuckled. “Reid calls it the Snyder Mystery,” he entrusted, “and he’s personally convinced it has everything to do with your personality and your cooking.”
They both laughed, Emma clearly flattered.
“I like that thought,” she smiled. “sometimes this family felt like some soap opera run amuck. One drama wasn’t even over and the next one was already knocking on our door. It was crazy. Literally crazy at times.”
“I know. But things are pretty good right now, aren’t they?”
Emma smiled. “They are. Holden and Molly are doing good and your mother is leaving them alone. That helps.”
“I’m sure,” Luke snorted. “Maybe Damian’s presence has something to do with that too.”
“Maybe,” Emma would never be a fan of Damian, “but whatever it is…I’m happy with that. I was told about her change, but I really never believed it. But after this dinner…she seems more at ease with herself.”
“Yeah, I think she is,” Luke nodded. “She’s really making an effort. She treating me as an adult. That’s a major step up.”
They both softly laughed.
“Major,” Emma grinned. “And about time too. As I said earlier…I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Grandma.”
“I know it didn’t fall into your lap either. You’re doing the work and it shows, Luke. Every time I see you, you look more confident, more secure, more relaxed.”
“I’ve found that there’s no short road to learning and I’ve also realized that I really like that longer road. It’s exciting to make sense of things that happened. It’s like working on a crossword. I find more and more words that explain my choices and everything fits together.”
“That’s a brilliant metaphor,” Emma tapped his arm. “And our lives have many different crosswords. The personal one you’re talking about it very important, but every relationship has its own crossword.”
Luke was silent for a moment, thinking about that concept.
“I never thought of it that way, but you’re right. And those crosswords are even trickier, because we’re filling those in together.”
“True. If it’s a healthy relationship you’ll be working on it together. The moment you find yourself doing all the work, you know there’s something wrong.”
Luke nodded, immediately thinking of Noah.
“Putting it like that, makes me realize even more how disrupted my relationship with Noah was,” he whispered. The warm hand on his back soothed him and his grandma’s wise smile was filled with understanding.
“You were each working on separate puzzles,” she softly said. “Noah had a lot to work through and so had you. He was a sweet boy, Luke. Don’t let the current developments infect the love you two shared. I was there. It was real love between you two. The problem started when he stopped allowing any help with his own crossword and he refused to help you with yours. That’s when it became toxic. But he was a sweet boy. I can only hope he will find a way to his own heart again. I think he’s lost.”
Although tempted, Luke didn’t tell his grandma about Noah’s current whereabouts.
“I know he’s lost. I can only hope he’ll find his way out of the hell he created for himself.”
