A Wedding In the Family (10 page)

“My mother, the worrier.”

He nodded in agreement. “A trait you’ve undoubtedly inherited from her,” he said with a smile. “Go clean up, and I’ll check on Heather.”

“I’ll do it, Adam. I’m headed back toward her room anyway.”

“Nope,” he said as he caught up with her in the hallway. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple lightly. “You shower and change while I look in on her. After all, that’s what I’m here for—to be helpful.”

Helpful, Angela mused as she bit her lower lip. He was already too helpful, too kind, too easy to kiss. And that shadow of a beard…She wondered how that roughness would feel against her cheek. Grabbing some clothes from her bedroom, she went into the bathroom for a long-awaited shower. She
must
be in love to think this way. “But then, I don’t have much to compare it to, do I?” she reminded herself out loud.

Soon hot water was splashing over her head, through her long, limp hair and down her weary body. How long she stood there, thinking of possibilities, with her eyes closed and her forehead against the cool blue-tile wall, she wasn’t sure. “Oh, Adam, what are we getting ourselves into? Three kids to raise and you’ll probably want one of your own. Maybe more. Two careers, two homes, two people who won’t trust—”

Just then the door to the bathroom opened.

“Mom?” Heather said in a sleepy voice. “Can I take the next shower?”

“Yes, hon. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Soon both she and Heather were clean, dressed in jeans and sweatshirts, and taking turns with the hair
dryer. Then they joined Adam in the kitchen for breakfast.

“There you are.” Adam smiled and pulled Heather’s loosely fastened ponytail. “Feelin’ okay?”

Heather nodded. “I’m hungry.”

“That’s always a good sign,” Angela commented, pouring hot water over a tea bag, as Adam went to the stove and picked up a skillet.

“How about some scrambled eggs to go with your toast?”

“How about a dozen of them?” Heather responded and climbed up onto a tall stool at the counter.

“She’s well,” Angela pronounced, sipping from her cup. “Are there that many eggs in the refrigerator?”

“Yep.” Adam put bread in the toaster. “I brought a few groceries with me this morning.”

Angela smiled. She had to find a flaw in this man sooner or later, but she certainly wasn’t seeing one here in the kitchen amid delivered groceries and a home-cooked breakfast.

When the food was served, Heather dug in despite Angela’s warning not to overdo it. Eating heartily had never been an issue with her; she’d been a good eater as far back as Angela could remember.

Adam filled plates for Angela and himself before they sat down. “And you cook. Does my mother know that about you?” she asked.

“Would it help my case if she did?”

Angela looked across the counter into the deep gray eyes of the man she seemed to want more with every
passing moment. “You don’t need any help. Mom already adores you. If we ever go our separate ways, she’ll probably request visitation rights with you.”

He looked up from his plate, meeting her gaze with a silent but warm response. Her pulse quickened as she stared into eyes darkened with emotion. Should she tell him that she loved him? And if she did, what would be his reply? Or would he be ready to give one?

“Do you cook lots of different stuff?” Heather cut into their unspoken exchange between bites of her toast and eggs. “Pizza, chili, chocolate cake, everything?”

Angela returned her focus to the breakfast on her plate, as Adam answered her daughter’s untimely question.

“I don’t know about chocolate cake or everything, but pizza and chili—those things I can handle,” he said. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Mom’s hamburgers with coleslaw on them and French fries.” Heather reached for her glass of milk. “They’re even better than burgers at the restaurant”

“That’s quite a compliment coming from you,” Angela spoke up, now that she could think clearly again. Almost. “Maybe we could have that for dinner tonight.”

Heather looked up at Adam. “And maybe you could stay? For the meal, I mean.”

A glint of humor flickered in his eyes, and Angela knew he was amused by Heather’s awkwardly stated invitation. “Thank you, but I need to be at the center
this evening. I’ll come by after we close up to pick up the boys.”

Angela’s eyebrows lifted in question. “I’m feeling well enough to look after them.”

“But. I promised them they could stay over again. After Grace brought you home from the hospital late last night, I took the boys home with me. They liked using the sleeping bags on the floor in the room with the wood-burner. They thought it was like going camping.”

“You sure you want to do that again?” she asked.

“Yes, I like having them around,” he answered. He had enjoyed their company more than he had expected, and he had hoped he’d made some headway with Nathan. It was a relationship that needed to be dealt with a little at a time. “I’m going to clean up the kitchen, and then I have some reading I’m going to do while you and Heather rest”

Rest? In the middle of a weekday morning? There’s something Angela hadn’t done recently, and the idea sounded appealing. “I probably should check in with the office first.”

“Yes, do. Gretchen wants to talk to you before noon today.”

Suddenly, Angela felt tired. The toll on her from the virus and the fever was registering, and she stopped eating after only a few bites of toast

“I’m going back to the bedroom to sleep for a while—if nobody objects. I’m exhausted.” She started to take her plate and cup to the sink when Adam stopped her, taking the dishes from her hands.
“Go lie down. I’ll take care of this,” he said. “I’ll be here until your mother comes back.”

“Mom, can I lie down with you?” Heather asked.

“Sure, c’mon, honey,” Angela replied, and they headed toward Angela’s room. “Thank you—” she looked back at Adam “—for being here.”

Adam nodded, and watched them go. He wanted to be here, now more than ever, but he knew he hadn’t yet earned that right—even if he had won her heart.

When Angela and Heather awoke a few hours later, Adam was gone and Grace had returned. He did come by much later that evening to pick up Nathan and David. Then he was gone again, leaving Angela with a new twinge of emptiness. She missed the boys. She’d seen so little of them the past few days. And she missed Adam.

The ringing telephone startled Angela the next morning as she was just about to take a bite of an English muffin. She placed her plate on the counter.

“Hello.”

“Hi, it’s me,” Adam answered, “and I’ve got a problem.”

“Something with the boys?”

“Kind of. The center was broken into last night. I’ll fill you in on the details later, but I can’t get out of here to take Nathan and David to school right now. Would you let them miss a day to stay with me?”

Angela hesitated. “Adam, I don’t know. I don’t usually allow them to be absent unless they’re really
sick. I could pick them up on my way in this morning.”

“I know, but—” He paused. “Nathan is really interested in everything that’s going on. The police are here and there’s a lot of cleanup to be done. If I could keep both of the kids here to help me, I think it would mean a lot. To Nathan, especially.”

“You have made progress with him in the last couple of days. I was surprised he wanted to spend a second night at your house.”

“So was I,” Adam admitted. “I think this could be important today. Will you let them stay?”

Knowing she probably shouldn’t agree to the request, she found herself giving in. The boys didn’t have any tests that day, and they hadn’t missed any school since it had started late in August. One day out of classes couldn’t matter all that much. On the other hand, one good day with Adam might make all the difference in the world.

“A
re you guys all right?” Angela rushed to open the door of the truck, when Adam pulled into the driveway behind her apartment.

“Yes, Mom, we’re fine,” Nathan answered for all of them, seemingly a little embarrassed by the attention. “Don’t worry so much.”

Angela put an arm around each of her boys, and then looked up at Adam, her eyes wide with question. “So, everything is okay at the center?”

Adam nodded his head. “Pretty much. The equipment will be replaced by insurance, and I still need to go through some records to determine exactly how much cash was taken. But, basically, things are okay.”

“It was awesome, Mom,” David said excitedly. “The police were there asking questions and some newspaper people came in to take pictures. We liked it, didn’t we, Nathan?”

Nathan shrugged and finally grinned. “It was kind of cool, actually. The storage room was a mess, and there was a window busted out…glass everywhere.” He hesitated, then said, “Thanks for letting us see it, Adam. I thought you’d send us home right away.”

“There wasn’t anything dangerous going on as long as you two stayed out of the glass and I knew I could trust you with that.” Adam folded his arms and watched Nathan struggle with whatever it was that he wanted to say next

“Anyway, thanks,” the boy offered. Then he headed for the garage with his brother in close pursuit.

“Nathan’s getting so tall,” Angela remarked as she watched them go. Her children were growing up, too quickly to please her. She moved to Adam’s side. “Thank the Lord everything turned out okay at the center. Nobody was hurt, not much was taken.”

Adam tilted his head, studying the concern he saw in her wide blue eyes. “Everything’s okay. I’ll go back later and go over the records to see if I can figure out what was left in the cash drawer. It couldn’t have been much.”

“But thank God it was an overnight break-in, not a robbery in broad daylight Adam, people can get killed over a little bit of money in a cash drawer.” Angela felt the sudden sting of tears surfacing, and she turned, moving into his arms and burying her face in his shoulder. “I couldn’t bear it if…” Her muffled words trailed off.

Then Adam did something he hadn’t done before.
He held her close—out in the open. And no calamity occurred. None. Even though Nathan looked over at them from the garage—where he and David were retrieving their bikes—and Heather giggled when she noticed them as she came running from the apartment to join her brothers. After that, the three kids paid little attention to the adults, and went about their play as if they were alone.

“It’s okay, Angie. There’s nothing to cry about,” he said gently as he rubbed his chin against her soft hair. “Nobody was in any danger, honestly.”

She nodded and sniffed, digging into the pocket of her corduroy pants to find a tissue to wipe her nose. Adam was right, she knew. She pulled away from him, chiding herself for being such a worrier. She needed something else to think about. She sniffed again. “How did Nathan act with you today?” she asked.

“Better, I think.” Adam thought about the morning, the things that had happened. “Letting him stay while the police were there was good. He seemed to like being trusted that way.” Usually Nathan kept his distance from Adam, but today, Adam recalled, he had stood physically closer to him—close enough that at one point during Adam’s discussion with the police officers, Adam had rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Nathan hadn’t moved away as Adam had fully expected him to do.

“Really? That’s good news. I guess I have something else to be thankful for,” Angela remarked, hugging her arms to her stomach to fight off a chill.

“Let’s go in,” Adam suggested and placed his arm loosely around her shoulders. “It’s getting colder out here. You were sick yesterday, and you don’t even have a jacket on.” He turned to look toward the kids. “Neither does your daughter. Heather, come in here. You need a coat,” he called to her. Angela just smiled and accompanied him to the back door. The warmth of the kitchen flowed over them when they stepped inside.

Within moments, Heather came charging into the room. “It’s too cold, Mom. I don’t want to play outside,” she said with a shiver. “I’m freezing.”

“C’mere,” Adam said, and she eased into his arms for a hug. “You don’t feel feverish,” he said while touching her face. “Go let your mom see what she thinks.”

Angela placed a hand against Heather’s cheek and then forehead. “I think you’re okay, honey. Why don’t you go to your bedroom and put on a sweat suit? That will be warmer than those jeans and that shirt” She tugged on Heather’s dark ponytail as the girl turned to follow orders.

“And how do
you
feel?” Adam asked Angela. “You were very sick not long ago. Remember?”

Angela picked up the tea kettle from the stove and began filling it with water from the faucet “I remember.” She placed the kettle on the burner. “I feel fine now. A little tired maybe, but that’s all. Want some tea?”

“No, thanks. I need to get going.” He stood up and walked to where she stood by the stove.

“Thank you for taking care of us. I don’t know what Heather and I would have done without you, other than completely worn out my mother. And I’m sure the boys enjoyed getting to spend two nights at your house.” She slipped her arms comfortably around his waist when he took her into his arms.

“I think these past two days were good for them. Nathan is finding it easier to be with me—he’s letting down his defenses a little—and David had fun spending the nights in a sleeping bag on the floor. He said he’s never been camping.”

Angela nodded. “True, and I’m sure he’d love it.”

“We’ll plan a trip,” Adam promised, and kissed her forehead. “Nathan really misses his dog, too. Have you considered doing something about that? Another pet of some kind maybe?”

“I can’t here at this apartment. I told him we’d take care of that later, after we find a house,” she explained. “He really loved Max.”

“I could tell by the way he talked about him. Well, I guess we can think about that later. Call me if you need anything. If I’m not at home, try me at the center.” He leaned forward, kissing the soft hair at her temple. “And let’s plan to have dinner at my place tomorrow.”

“Just the two of us?” she suggested with a smile.

“That would be nice,” he answered, and reached into his pocket. “I should be there by six o’clock. If I’m not, here’s an extra door key to let yourself in.” He turned to go.

“Adam.” She hesitated when he looked back at her in question. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. See you soon.” And with that, he was gone.

It wasn’t until later that day, when dinner was nearly ready and Adam was nowhere around, that Angela began to understand the impact the past couple of days had made on Nathan.

“Mom, do you remember how it was with Dad?” Nathan had started the conversation as Angela checked on the pork chops in the oven. “It seemed like anything that went wrong caused a big problem. You know what I mean? If Max barked too loud or one of us broke something…or even when our van quit running…he would always get really upset.” Nathan pulled plates out of the cupboard and set the table as he confided in his mother.

“Sure, I remember,” she said quietly and wondered what direction this conversation was taking. Nathan probably remembered lots of things about the years gone by that she wished time would erase.

“Adam’s not like that,” he stated softly. He looked up at his mother as he put silverware beside each plate. “Even at the center today. He didn’t make a big deal out of the robbery, never complained about any of it, never told us to get out of his way. He could have. We probably were in his way a lot of times.”

Angela didn’t respond right away. She was considering carefully what her son had said, and wondering how to answer him in the best possible way. “Adam
is calm, patient. He has a very different personality from your father’s. And a different perspective on life.”

“You mean, because he’s a Christian?”

“Yes.” Angela picked up several drinking glasses and handed them to her son to distribute around the table. “Things were inconsistent around here sometimes—with Dad, I mean. It wouldn’t be that way with Adam.” She reached out, touching Nathan’s soft hair. He tilted his head, smiling up at her.

“Mom?” he asked. “You’re not going to cry now or any emotional stuff like that are you?”

“No,” she responded, but not before kissing the side of his face and moving away from the boy she missed holding in her arms. Where had the years gone? “Adam can’t replace your father—not in your life or in your heart. But you could have a good relationship with him, if you chose to. He cares about you, a lot.” She bit her lip, waiting for his reply and knowing she was probably hoping for too much.

But much to her surprise, Nathan nodded. “I know. I like him, too,” he answered, bringing a broader smile to his mother’s face.

“Thank you,” she offered softly.

“For what?” Nathan asked.

“For being the mature, open-minded young man that I’d hoped you would be.” Tears filled Angela’s eyes. “I love you.”

“I know.” Nathan shrugged off his mother’s sentiment. “You don’t need to start crying about it, Mom. I love you, too.”

She hugged him, holding him tightly for a moment and then releasing him. “Go have some fun. I’ll finish the table.”

“Really? Gee, thanks!” he said and took off out the back door.

“Thank You, thank You, thank You,” Angela said aloud to the Lord, who she knew was listening. “How can I ever thank You enough for this?” Adam had been right. Things were better with Nathan now, and it had to be, quite simply, a gift from God.

Just as a life with Adam could be, Angela considered. A lovely, unexpected gift. One that she felt, for the first time, might actually be meant for her.