Page 63 of Louisiana Protector

“It’s good to see you doing well, Johnny,” Gramps said.

“I’m doing just fine,” Johnny replied. “You can’t keep a good man down,” he added with a cheeky grin.

“Why don’t we all sit down?” Mimi said.

“I’m gonna go get my blocks, so me and Johnny can build a tower,” Danny said.

“Wait, honey. I want you to sit down right now, I need to have a talk with you,” Mimi said.

Danny instantly frowned with worry. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, honey. Not at all,” Mimi replied.

Johnny and Mimi sat on the sofa with Danny on the floor in front of them. Johnny looked at Mimi curiously, but she merely smiled at him.

“Danny, remember when I told you your daddy had died and gone to heaven?” Mimi said.

Happiness soared through Johnny as he realized what Mimi was about to do. She was going to bring him back to life.

“Yeah, I’ve been building towers so I could maybe see him,” Danny replied.

“Well, when I told you that, I made a big mistake,” Mimi said. “I was wrong. Your daddy is alive. Your daddy is Johnny.”

Danny looked from Mimi to Johnny and then back again. “He’s my real daddy?” Danny asked.

Mimi nodded. “He’s your honest to goodness real daddy.”

Johnny’s eyes filled with tears as Danny looked at him with joy and love. “Come here, son.” He gestured Danny into his arms.

Danny clung to him. “I love you as my Johnny, but I really love you as my daddy,” Danny said.

“And I love you as my Danny, but I really, really love you as my son,” Johnny replied.

“Now you don’t have to build your towers to heaven to see your father,” Mimi said.

“Oh, I still got to build them. There’s chocolate cake up there,” Danny replied, making everyone laugh.

“Actually, I have a little secret in the kitchen,” Gramps said. “I got up very early this morning and guess what I baked?”

“A chocolate cake?” Danny asked hopefully.

“That’s right,” Gramps replied with a grin.

Danny jumped to his feet. “I love you, Gramps. Now can we eat it?”

“We can definitely go eat it,” Mimi said.

The rest of the evening passed with chocolate cake and laughter. Johnny’s heart was so full, and he’d never felt such happiness.

When bedtime came for Danny, tucking him in was a particularly sweet task. Now that Danny knew Johnny was his father, Johnny felt a new affinity for his son. As they exchanged kisses good night, all was right in Johnny’s world.

They returned to the living room where Mimi told him what Jean-Luc’s plans for her had been. “Apparently, he’d rented a house someplace in Crystal Cove to take me to. He was going to keep me locked in a bedroom until I grew to love him. He was obviously delusional,” she said.

“Thank the good Lord for roadwork,” Gramps said after Mimi had told Johnny about the pothole and her escape from the car.

“And thank God you didn’t break your neck jumping out,” Johnny said. “Although I see that the swamp scratched up your arms and some of your face.”

“A small price to pay for freedom,” she replied.