Romance for Matthew (11 page)

They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, and the only sound in the room was the furious beating of their hearts along with their ragged breathing. And the only scent was theirs, the exotic, soft, lingering fragrance of two people in love.

Epilogue

"Poppy! Poppy!" Jacob's cries echoed through the large house. He needed to find his
father
to tell him what happened. It was his sixth birthday today, and he also needed to ask what time the other children would be there for the party.

"Poppy! Where are you?"

"What is all this about, then?" Sarah asked him as she came around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I need to show this to Poppy," he said excitedly. "And I need to ask him something."

Sarah smiled. "He's upstairs with the twins while your Momma is in the garden. The twins were up all night with colic."

He screwed up his face. "What's that?"

"A tummy ache."

"Oh." He'd had a tummy ache just once and now he felt sorry for them. Although, he wasn't sure what all the fuss was about for the twins. Everyone said they were 'identical' and he didn't know what that meant. They just looked like babies to him, with little red faces and loud cries.

"Go on up," she told him as she headed back to the kitchen. He smelled one of her cakes baking and he grew even more excited. Maybe she'd let him lick the frosting bowl.

He ran up the winding staircase, and into the twin's bedroom. Their names were Mark and Seth, but he couldn't tell which was which. He saw his father rocking in the rocking chair, patting one of the twins on the back softly while the other slept in the crib.

"Jacob?"

He knew his father couldn't see, so he replied fast, "Yes. It's me, Poppy. I wanted to show you something."

Poppy smiled at him, and seemed to look at him now with his eyes, although Momma said he couldn't see at all, except for shadows.

"I need your hand," Jacob said. "I wanted to show you something."

Poppy reached for him. "What is it?" he said softly.

"I found it," Jacob said proudly. "Underneath the back steps."

Poppy rubbed his shoulder. "And what color is it?" he asked, still smiling, while he ran his hand over the pot.

"It's warm. Like sunshine. That color."

"Oh, I remember...your mother and I made this a long time ago. Five years, at least."

"Momma said to tell you we planted seeds in there. So they could grow into pretty things."

He laughed. "That sounds like something your Momma would say. What type of seed? Is it a flower? Or a vegetable?"

Jacob's face fell. "I don't know. She didn't say."

"That's all right. Tell you what. You can give your Momma a secret message from me. Can you do that?"

Jacob loved secrets. "What is it?" he whispered, as he put the pot next to his Poppy, on the table.

Bethany watched Jacob run across the yard to her garden. He was so healthy now, and the doctors told her his brain lesion was actually healing. He still wore his helmet for baseball, with some convincing on Matthew's part, with the assurance that he really did look like a knight in armor.

She smiled at him. He was breathless from running and had pink cheeks. "What is it?" she asked.

Now he whispered, "It's a secret."

She whispered back, "Can you tell me?"

"Poppy said it's just for you. He said not to tell anyone else."

"Okay. I promise."

"He says," Jacob whispered, "that he loves you."

She smiled. "That is a big secret. I like it. But I do think we should tell everyone, don't you?"

"Is it like loving God?" he asked.

She laughed. "No, not exactly. But, then, I suppose when we love other people, God gives us that ability, doesn't He? And, He always seems to know just when we need Him the most. Don't you think?"

He remembered church and the Sunday School he went to. "I guess so. He's always around us?"

She hugged him close. "Yes, always around."

"Can I go to the barn? To see the little bunnies?"

"Yes, sweetie. Go ahead. But walk, don't run. Uncle Nat is with the horses and you can help him."

She watched him trudge towards the barn, and went back to her gardening with a smile.

*****

The End