A Father's Name(29)

“I take it paperwork isn’t your favorite thing?”

“I’d rather clean toilets—the ones in the garage bathroom, which I won’t use myself. That should tell you something.”

He let out a long, low whistle. “Any time you need help, holler. I’m good with keeping books and money…” He let the sentence trail off as he remembered he was a convicted embezzler. He never thought of himself as such, but he knew the rest of the world did—and rightly so. “Sorry. That was a stupid offer.”

“One I’m happy to say yes to. I’m not too proud to take help with the paperwork.”

“But you shouldn’t take help from me.” He waved a hand in the air. “Convict, remember?”

“I’ve wanted to ask you about that. Why—”

He cut her off. “There’s nothing to tell. They accused, I didn’t argue with them, I went to jail, served my time and paid restitution.”



“You sold off everything?”

He thought about Mr. Matthews saying that they wanted to pay him back from Jason’s estate. He should be pleased, but he wasn’t. Taking that money would seem like an admission that Jason owed him, when in reality, he owed Jason a debt he’d never be able to repay—and never could now.

He thought about how to answer Angelina. “I liquidated almost everything. The condo, the cars. I had enough left to buy the farmhouse and the truck, so, no, I’m not destitute by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve got a roof over my head, enough food to eat. I’m fine.”

He knew what it was like to look in a cupboard and find it literally bare. He knew what it was like to start school with no supplies, no new shoes or clothes. His father hadn’t paid the water bill and they’d turned it off one summer. Tyler had scraped up enough money to do his clothes at the laundromat most of the time, but a few times he couldn’t even manage that. He’d had to go to his neighbor and ask to use her machines. It was one of his most humbling memories.

“I’ve got enough,” he assured Angelina, “so I’m fine. I will always see to it Jace has what he needs.” It was more a promise to himself.

“Well, back to Jace, the offer stands. Paying Jace’s sitter will only be one more bill on your already stretched finances, and Tyler, I really enjoy having him around. We all do. It reminds me so much of when Bart was young.”

He could hear the wistfulness in her voice.

“I—”

“We’re here.”

They pulled up in front of Eli’s house. Rather than go to the front door, she led him around the house on a brick walkway. “The party’s in back. Eli’s place isn’t big enough for Keller functions inside.”

As they passed under a small vine covered arbor, Tyler got his first glance at the Keller family. When Angelina had issued the invite, he’d said no. He didn’t want to go to a party with a bunch of strangers—strangers who more than likely knew about his past. But Angelina had told him that Mr. and Mrs. Keller had adopted their six children. Her friend Eli had adopted a daughter as well. If anyone could give him tips on parenting Jace, they could.

When she threw Jace’s well-being into the equation, he didn’t have any choice but to say yes. He’d do anything—even go to a party—for Jace.

“Tucker,” a number of them yelled when they spotted her.

“Hey,” she called back, then grabbed his hand and pulled him into the throng. “This is the garage’s newest employee, my friend Tyler, and this is his godson, Jace. He’s going to be raising Jace, and I told him he couldn’t find any better authorities on childrearing than the Kellers. Don’t make a liar out of me. Tyler this is…”



She pointed and rattled off names. He caught a number, but not all. Eli, her husband Zac Keller and their kids, Ebony and Johnny. Another Keller, Seth, and his wife Laura with their son, Jamie. There were more Kellers, and a number of people who didn’t seem to be Kellers, but seemed like part of the family regardless.

When he could fade back from the throng, he did. Taking Jace with him to a quiet corner where he could study the loud, happy family.

So, this was what it was like. A real family.

He studied Abe and Deborah Keller, a large grizzled man and a tiny, round woman with salt and pepper hair and an ever-present smile. How did two people open their home and heart to six children who weren’t theirs? Not only the kids they adopted, but by the looks of this party, they’d opened their hearts to half of Whedon as well.