comes to me I will never drive away.'
April
Two things about Alice. One, she had no stamina when it came to exercise. Two, she didn’t move recklessly, even when mad. Her madness always had a purpose; or in this case, her grief. So, where was the closest place to grieve about her father? Chase had gone three blocks from Connor’s car when it hit him and urged him into a sprint.
The trees regaining their leaves, the shadows were growing long when he made it to the cemetery. Remembering what Alice was wearing, he picked her out immediately. Cross-legged, backpack bunched in her lap, she leaned at the foot of a dogwood... next to Falcon’s grave. She was clearly distraught, yet whole and unhurt. Chase’s lungs ballooned with fresh relief, the keychain out of his pocket. “You lose something?”
Alice started, showing wet cheeks. Seeing Chase however, she abandoned her backpack and ran into a hug. Chase held her tight, letting his jacket get ruined with her tears. He gave it a minute, eyes on the rectangular plaque they’d made for Falcon. They’d lost him only a year after Oliver was born. They didn’t have a yard, so the cemetery had been it. A fair hike from the salon, but what did that matter to a scared kid; all they wanted to feel was safe.
“He didn’t hurt you?” Chase pulled Alice back, giving her the once over. She scoffed, her tough tone back in place. “I never gave him the chance.”
She took the keychain from his gingerly. “Guess it fell off when he grabbed my bag.”
She went quiet, rolling the trinket in her palm. Chase sighed. “He needed money?”
Alice kept herself from nodding, blinking back more tears. She stepped back, shoulders squared. “He’s always about the Benjamins… I did the math on that years ago.”
As much as Connor Welk had crossed his mind, Chase hadn’t thought about the letters. Sydney hadn’t allowed any more money to pass between them and- eventually- she was able to make Alice see why. They’d become less frequent, but not extinct.
“You’re smart like that,” Chase could admire about his stepdaughter. “So why-“
“I wanted to change his mind.” Alice wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I thought… I prayed.”
Chase’s heart ached for her. As a parent, it was second nature to want all their dreams and wishes to come true. Until you found yourself preparing them for a life that wouldn’t grant them. Alice straightened up, her cry over- for now. She looked up at Chase matter-of-factly. “You’re here… Michelle called you and Roman?”
“She’s a good friend.” Chase praised with a chuckle. “We found him limping back to his car.”
Alice smirked at that, stepping back to Falcon’s grave. Only she sat back down, mindlessly fitting her keychain on her backpack. Chase joined her, realizing it’d been awhile. When had they stopped visiting this place together?
“Falcon was a good friend.” Alice stated with another sniff. “I could tell him anything.”
Chase nodded, glancing over the dedication he could read in his sleep. “I’m glad you could.”
“Wish Ollie could’ve met him.”
Chase agreed. But the cross between the birth of his son and the death of his dog had made him reflect a lot. “I think Falcon did his part.”
“His part?” Alice gave him her oddball look.
“We didn’t get real close until he got sick.” Chase pointed out. “You started talking… we had the opportunity to trust each other.”
“Yeah,” Alice raised her chin and quirked her brow. “He was the only part of you that was cool.”
Boy, did she know how to cut the sentiment out of a moment! Over time, Chase came to realize it was more her personality rather then his presence.
“I just needed one sign.” Alice pulled at the grass, still so new after the year’s snowfall. “I didn’t care whatGod used. He just needed to show me that he had changed.”
How can I still feel in competition with this guy? Chase stayed the irrational worry. “You want me to quote about God’s plan versus the heart of man?”
“No.” Alice bit out. “And don’t talk about him like a lost cause.”
“He’s not. But it might not be your job to save him.”
This angered her. “But it’s your job to be my dad?”
She didn’t say it with disgust or malice, like the younger Alice might have. She just gave a reasonably confused question.
“I used to think my job was the world’s most eligible bachelor.” Chase told her. “Then your mom came along… and I found out how short-sighted my goals were.”
“She opened your eyes?” Alice snorted.
“Both of you did.” Chase emphasized. “And… I resisted at first.”
He had his wallet out, heart warming at the pictures held in the center. They weren’t just of Falcon, may that beloved dog rest in peace. Chase pulled out the one of him and Sydney on their wedding day. “It was all about me, Alice… that had to be God’s intention.” He handed the picture to Alice. “On the back.”
Alice did, frowning. “John 6:37-38. So?”
“More of Jesus’ famous work,” Chase leaned on his palms, wanting the space to voice this right. “That first verse was for when I became a police officer. It was teaching me that I’d come across many different people, coming from tough, sad situations.”
“Never drive them away.” Alice quoted, brow back in an arch. “And the second part?”
“Not my will,” Chase spoke to Falcon’s plaque. “The will of him who sent me.”
“Makes sense since God put Jesus on earth.” Alice nodded.
“Doesn’t mean He hasn’t sent us?” Chase put to her. “You and your mom… God used you to prove to me how wrong I was viewing my life. I guess that’s what I want you to get… He usedyou Alice.”
He stared at her intensely now. Alice stared back, but it was clear she wasn’t connecting the dots. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to until she was a parent. But Chase had given in to God’s nudge and became a family man. And never regretted a minute of it.
“God surprises us.” Chase summarized, putting an arm around her shoulders. “In ways we can’t always understand. But- and I say this from experience- if we roll with it, we find it’s exactly what we need.”
Alice used her toe to scrape hardened dirt off the plaque. “Yeah?”
What do I know about what her future holds? Chase wavered, thoughts back on Connor. But he just tightened his arm around her. “You can trust me on that.”
Alice leaned in, no hesitation. Just a sigh that released her worries, maybe her fears, and gave them to him. “Ok, Dad.”
THE END
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