Chapter 1050

Taking his hand, she smoothed down his hair. “You’ve got a phone call, honey. Come to the office with me.”

Michael looked up, confused. “A call for me? Who is it?”

“I’m not sure. You’ll have to go see for yourself,” she said.

‘Is it Mom?’ Michael wondered. ‘Did she forget to give me something?’

The preschool director was waiting for them in her office, her own cell phone in hand. “Wanna guess who it is?”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Here,” the director said, handing him the phone. “Just say hello.”

Michael put the phone to his ear. “Hello, who’s this?”

A deep voice, a voice that was etched into his heart, rumbled through the line. “Mike, it’s me.”

Michael froze. Then the tears just exploded out of him. “Dad…” he cried, tears flooding his face. “Mr. Daddy Lime…”

Jonathan’s chest clenched up tight. He finally realized how badly Michael had been missing him. He’d been so wrapped up in his own pain, and he hadn’t seen his son’s at all.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls? How come your work trip is taking forever? I miss you so much, Dad,” Michael sobbed into the phone.

Jonathan’s own eyes welled with tears. He flashed back to being little himself, wanting his dad but never having one around. So, he had sworn on his life that his own children would never, ever know that kind of pain.

“I miss you too,” Jonathan said, his voice earnest and low. “More than you know. But I had a mountain of work to catch up on, and with the holidays, I’ve been crazy busy flying all over the place.

“I saw you called yesterday. My phone was totally dead. By the time I plugged it in and called you back, yours was off.”

That made Michael feel a bit better. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and said, “But you hung up on me before.”

“I hung up? When?” Jonathan searched his memory, coming up completely blank. He couldn’t recall a single instance of hanging up on his son. He couldn’t even remember getting a call.

“That day. I was in my room, and Mom was there. I used her phone. But you hung up right away. I waited for you to call back, but Mommy said you never did. I thought… You didn’t want me and Mom anymore,” Michael cried.

Jonathan’s head snapped toward Irene, who was sitting across from him. His eyes were like daggers. Irene flinched, her gaze darting away, refusing to meet his. She remained silent, frowning.

Everything clicked for Jonathan right then. He finally understood why Michael’s calls never went through, why Michael was so torn up, and why Teresa had been crying and begging him to come back to see their child.

Irene should take the blame for everything. Again, she had wielded her cruelty like a weapon against the people he loved most in the world.

Jonathan’s hand balled into a fist. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He would not scare his son.

“I’m so sorry, Mike,” he said, his voice steady and gentle again. “My phone was totally broken that day. When you called, it was getting fixed at the store.

“I never knew you tried calling. The records were wiped when they fixed it. But I have a brand new one now. I promise you, from this day forward, I will never miss your call again.”

“Promise?” Michael sniffled.

“Cross my heart,” Jonathan said, “I’ve wanted to call you every day, but I was always worried you’d be asleep. I didn’t want to wake you. I know how amazing you’re doing at preschool, always the first to raise your hand.

“I know you’re eating all your vegetables at lunch. And I know you’re the most popular kid in the whole class.”

Michael’s whole chest felt warm and happy. He thought, ‘Mr. Lime has been watching over me this whole time…’

A teary, brilliant smile finally broke through. “Dad,” he said, his voice bright. “When are you coming home?”