Chapter 33—Raine

I stare at the front door without blinking. My Dad is going to walk in here and change my whole world. Will he like the man that I am? Will he be disappointed with what he sees? I can’t think that way. I'm sure he has no preconceived ideas about what I am like. It’s only been six hours that he’s known I'm even alive. Actually, Mom didn’t even mention me in their brief conversation. Maybe he hasn’t even realized she actually had the baby. There is no way he knows he has a son. This is going to be awkward.

Then I hear the car pull up. I don’t look outside. I just sit right where I am in the living room and wait. There is a knock on the door. I stand uncomfortably. Jade and Jonah are further away, giving us space. Mom opens the door. I see him standing there and I still can’t believe it. This man is my Father. The first thing he does is pull Mom into a big hug. He’s holding her. Rocking back and forth. His eyes are closed. When he opens them, I notice the tears. No one has spoken a word yet. Next, his eyes meet mine. I see a flash of recognition. Then he steps over to me and engulfs me in a bear hug as well. I feel stiff at first. Uncertain. But the warmth that exudes from him is comforting. I give him a hug back like a long-lost friend. “You must be my son.” He says with a little catch in his throat.

“I am.” I say, feeling a little caught up myself. He releases me and takes a long look. He’s still teary eyed, but he’s smiling brightly, shaking his head in disbelief. “Finally. I never thought this day would come.” He says. Mom motions for us to sit down on the couches. Jade and Jonah each sit in a chair while my Dad and I sit on one couch and Mom on the other. He takes a long deep breath. “I wish I could have been in your life for the last 18 years. Let’s not let another day go by without knowing each other.” That brings a genuine smile to my face. This isn’t going to be as hard as I thought.

He turns to Mom and asks, “Where have you been all this time Hope?” Mom is slightly flustered. I can tell she isn’t sure where to start or how much to tell him. “I was kidnaped as you know. He took me to a compound in Tennessee where we lived in seclusion for 15 years. This is your son, Raine. He is the reason we escaped. He saved our lives. He is everything to me. I couldn’t have survived all those years without him. He is the kindest, most loving man you will ever know. He has your heart Zack. I'm so sorry you never got to know your son. I’m sorry I ran away and never told you about the precious gift that I deprived you of.” Tears are streaming down her cheeks. My Dad gets up and kneels in front of her and takes her hands in his. “Hope, I searched for you. I prayed for you. But I never once blamed you. We were both young and naive. I should have never gone to Los Angeles without you. I will always regret that. I waited for you for years. Always hoping that you would come back to me. Hoping I would someday meet my child. Today is that day, and I plan to make the most of what you have given back to me. I want him to be part of my life if it’s okay with you both.” He says looking from Mom to me.

“I want to be a part of your life too. But you need to know what happened to us and the danger that still exists. The man who took Mom is out there right now looking for us. He plans to kill me and take Mom back.” He looks startled. “I'm not letting that happen.” He says determinedly. “Neither am I.” Jonah adds.

My Dad stands and looks over at Jonah as if this was the first time he noticed him. They both stand. “I'm going to marry Hope. And I don’t plan on letting anyone hurt them again. Raine has been like a son to me. He’s a good man who would do anything to protect his Mother. I think it’s time we take that burden off of him so that he can live a life as full and productive as he should have all along. I'm glad that you will be a part of that.” They shake hands. “Well, then, I think it’s time you all tell me about this situation so that I can start helping to fix it.”

We spend the evening filling him in on all the details of our previous life. Then we update him on the events of the past weeks. From the YouTube video to the rescue of the others. He is astounded at the story, stopping us to ask lots of questions along the way. We tell him about how our lives have changed for the better since meeting Jade and Jonah. Zack thanks them over and over for taking care of us. He seems like a really amazing guy. I see why Mom fell for him years ago. I even notice many of his mannerisms that are similar to mine. It’s amazing that I can be so much like him even though we never met until today. His protective nature and concern for us is one that I believe I got from him as well. Mom used to tell me that everything good about me came from my Father. That I was nothing like Ezekiel and I never would be. I believe that after spending the last few hours talking to him.

He tells us about his wife. She knows everything about him loosing Hope and his child. She wanted Zack to come to us today. She can’t have children of her own and she said she wants to meet me soon. Mom explains that she loves Jonah and that she doesn’t want Zack’s wife to feel at all threatened by her. It’s almost midnight and Jade says that I should get my guitar and play a little. “I'm not nearly as good as you. But I do love to play.” I confess. He listens intently as I play the song I'm writing for Jade. I see pride in his eyes. Who would have thought that I could have this type of relationship with him? When I’m done, he puts his hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eyes. “Son, I didn’t even play like that at your age. You have real talent. I'm so proud of you. I couldn’t have dreamed up the type of son that I wished I had, but I’m pretty sure you are it. After everything I heard today, I must admit that I wouldn’t have been nearly as brave as you were.”

After more stories and hugs and tears, we all head to bed. Zack was going to get a hotel, but Jonah asked him to stay here. He takes the couch in the living room. This day has been more that I could wish for. I met my Dad, and I really, really like him. Life has certainly changed in the last few months. I think we owe it all to Jade and Jonah. They brought us out of hiding and into the real world. One where we could love and be loved. I need to tell everyone how I feel about her. I can’t keep pretending. She is so important to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Not as my stepsister, but hopefully one day as my wife. I definitely want to tell my Dad before he leaves. I think he suspects something. I can see him looking between Jade and I with a question on his lips that he hasn’t asked. I'm sure he sees the pull between the two of us that Mom and Jonah just don’t want to notice. I can’t wait to get to know him more tomorrow.