Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1683

Tarquin nodded. “I know. I’ll talk to him later tonight.”

Elliot took a deep breath. “Have you and Mom been okay these past few days?”

“Everything’s been fine, other than missing you guys terribly.”

Elliot asked again, “Any progress with the mystery person?”

A flicker of something unreadable crossed Tarquin’s eyes. He paused for a moment before saying, “I have a plan for that. You don’t need to worry about it for now. I’ll let you know when I need your help. For now, just focus on relaxing and spend more time with your mom. She thinks about you all day, every day.”

Elliot nodded repeatedly. “Okay, Dad.”

Parting was sorrowful, but reunion was joyous. Elysia was in high spirits and cooked a magnificent feast. The family of seven shared a happy dinner. Afterward, they spent more time together, laughing and talking. While Elliot and the others chatted with Elysia, Tarquin called Evan out to the mountain behind the house.

Just as Bernard used to, he played a game of chase with Evan, leaping from tree to tree, then hiding and letting Evan find him. After playing for a while, they went to the mountaintop to look at the stars.

As soon as they reached the peak, Evan suddenly said, “Dad, I miss Bernard again.”

His voice broke, and he began to cry, his quiet sniffles turning into heartbreaking sobs. “Bernard said… he said when he died, he’d become a star in the sky to watch over me… but I don’t want him to be a star! I want the real Bernard…”

“The one who could talk to me, teach me kung fu, play with me… the one who would hoist me onto his shoulders and make me feel like we were flying through the mountains!”

“I wanted him to live, to live forever! I didn’t want him to die!” A jagged cry escaped him.

Tarquin’s heart ached. He pulled Evan into a tight hug. “I know, son. I know everything. You love Bernard, and you don’t want him to be gone.”

“What Bernard feared most wasn't you crying; it was you not being able to accept reality, you giving up hope.”

“As long as you stay healthy, it’s okay to cry.”

“When your grandparents passed away, I was just like you are now. I was devastated. I cried until I passed out. For a long, long time after that, I’d burst into tears just thinking about them…”

Evan clung to Tarquin. “Dad, I’m so, so sad. It feels like I’m going to die from sadness… My heart… right here, it hurts so, so much…”

Tarquin sniffled hard. “I know, son. I understand. My Evan is hurting so badly.”

Evan was racked with violent sobs, his grief echoing through the silent forest as Tarquin held him.