A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel (30 page)

Trent followed Cassie over to the
house and was completely surprised to see the kitchen painted a
crispy, clean white. So much had transpired during his absence.
When he peered into Shawn’s room, his heart skipped a beat. She has
said that she bought a trundle bed, along with a bureau and chest
of drawers, but what caught his attention were the beautiful murals
that Dallas had painted.
He’s going to
love this.

Then another thought ran through his brain. He had no
idea what something like that must have cost her, but he knew he’d
never afford it, and he didn’t think Dallas had done it for free.
She was an exceptional artist, and her paintings were
expensive.

He peeked in what Cassie called the master bedroom
and wondered about the colors she had chosen. One wall was deep
plum and the others were light green. Colorful striped curtains
hung at the windows over sunny yellow Roman shades. He shook his
head. He couldn’t imagine why she had chosen such colors.

The other bedrooms were untouched,
as was the small room that she had deemed an office. He stood in
the center of that small room and imagined it filled with a desk
and file cabinets. The image of him sitting and studying for an
exam hit him in the gut. Could he do it? Could he really go to
college?
Why not?

“Trent?” Cassie called.

“Up here.” He walked to the top of the stairs.

“Oh, good. The guys are going to bring in our bed.”
She ran up the steps and snagged a quick kiss. “Our bed goes here.
The bureau goes here, and I think the highboy will fit perfectly
here. Do you think the bookcase can go here?”

“Would you rather put it in the office?”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. If we put it in one of
those rooms, we’ll wind up moving it when we paint.”

“Then put it over there for the time being.”

She grabbed another quick kiss and flew down the
stairs. He grinned at her energy.

***

Trent listened to the doctor and nodded. Making sure
Shawn had therapy twice a day for the next week and then once a day
after that, wasn’t going to be easy. But he wasn’t going to
complain. His son was going to grow up to be a normal kid, and that
was all that mattered.

As soon as the doctor left Shawn’s hospital room,
Trent began to pack up the boy’s belongings. Everyone they knew
seemed to have brought him some sort of toy. He filled three large
plastic bags and still had things to pack.

The phone in the room rang and he picked it up.

“Hi. What time will you be bringing Shawn home?”
Cassie asked.

“He should get back from therapy about four o’clock.
I’m trying to pack everything up.”

“Super! Tate is here and the rest of the gang should
begin to straggle in any time. We're planning a little party for
him.”

He shook his head at her words. “I’m not so sure a
party is the best thing.”

“Why not? He’s up to it.”

“It’s a lot of excitement.”

“Trent, don’t coddle him.”

“Yeah, I know.”

***

Cassie hung up the phone as Ari and Berto came
through the kitchen door.

Smiling at the guys, she said, “We’ve got at least
another forty-five minutes.”

“Good. It’s going to take us a few minutes to
assemble everything.” Ari opened the refrigerator door and grabbed
two colas.

Cassie smiled as the men went outside.

“Was that my husband I heard?” Tate asked as she
walked into the kitchen.

“Yes.”

“I think I’ll see if they need help. Can you handle
what’s left?”

“It’s mostly kitchen items. I’m not worried about the
other stuff. I’ll put those boxes in the closet.”

“I already did that.”

“Tate, I don’t know what I would have done without
your help.”

“You can pay me back in babysitting.”

“You know I love that daughter of yours. Babysitting
her is fun.”

“I see Pamela Wendy’s got you hoodwinked, too,” Tate
said as she opened the back door.

Cassie returned to unpacking the boxes of kitchenware
and soon she had everything in place. She made a quick tour of the
house, and as she was coming down the stairs, she heard a car
pulling in the driveway. The minute she opened the front door, she
realized it was not Trent and Shawn, but rather her friends Dallas
and Rick.

“Hi,” Dallas called. “Come help.”

“Ohmigod. Look at that cake. Did Tess Martinez do
that?”

“Of course. Do you think I’m capable of doing some
thing that looks this good? Rick’s got ice cream in the bag.”

“Balloons and everything, he’s going to be
thrilled.”

A few minutes later, Trent opened the front door.

“This is home.” He watched his son’s eyes as the boy
entered the house. “Cas?”

“Trent, Shawn!” Cassie ran to Shawn. “Welcome to your
new home, sweetie.”

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

Cassie put her arms around him and gave him a
hug.

“Can I see my room? Daddy said I’ve got a big
surprise in it.”

“Of course you can, and you
may
see your
room.”

Trent scooped his son into his arm and carried him up
the steps. “This room is for Cas and me, this is the office, and
your room is right here.”

Slowly, he put his son down and turned him loose.

The child opened the door and squealed in delight.
“Dinosaurs!”

“Don’t touch them. Dallas just finished painting
them,” Cassie warned as she wrapped her arm around Trent’s
waist.

Trent put his arm around her shoulder and beamed. To
see such joy on Shawn's face, and on Trent's face, warmed her very
soul. She wanted the feeling to last forever.

~~32~~

Dallas covered Shawn’s eyes and marched him into the
backyard with Trent right behind her.

“Ready?” she asked, as she took her hands away.

Shawn’s mouth opened wide when he saw the wooden
pirate ship in the yard, and Cassie noticed that his father had the
very same expression.

“Berto?” Trent asked.

“And Ari,” Cassie answered. “I think they’ve spent
every spare moment on it. The lumber store had the plan and the
fancy supplies.”

Shawn wasn’t quick at scampering, but he was doing
his best. “May I?” he asked, from the top of the bright blue
sliding board.

Trent nodded and caught his son at the bottom.

“I want to do the ropes!” Shawn took off again,
climbing the ladder.

Trent shook his head. “He could really get hurt. It’s
too soon.”

“Then go up there with him, but let him enjoy it.”
Cassie walked backward, trying to keep an eye on her two men.

“I think he’s going to have a blast,” Ari said, with
a big grin on his face.

“Saying thank you isn’t enough.” She didn't want to
take her eyes off Shawn or Trent.

“We had fun building it. Now, I’m going to have to
make one for Pamela,” Ari said, referring to his daughter.

“Another pirate ship?”

“Probably not. They have several different
designs.”

She held her breath as Shawn struggled to climb the
rope-knotted sail, but Trent stood behind him.

Ari hissed between his teeth. “If he falls and Trent
catches him with that arm…”

Cassie put her hand on Ari's shoulder. “Shawn will be
fine. From what Trent said, the doctor okayed Shawn to play as any
normal child. He needs to build coordination and strength. This
will help.”

An hour later, they all had paper plates filled with
food, and Shawn was anxious to have a piece of cake.

“Not so soon, sweetie. You need to eat the good stuff
before you have cake and ice cream.”

“When?”

“Oh, maybe another fifteen minutes. Did you thank
Dallas for painting your room?”

He nodded and then smiled up at Cassie. "Can I…May I
have a fish tank?”

“A fish tank? I thought you wanted a puppy?”

“Well, I do. I want both.”

“Daddy and I need to discuss that a little more.
We’re not really settled into the house yet.”

“Okay.” Shawn wandered off.

“What was that about?” Trent asked as he came up
behind Cassie.

“Fish tanks and puppies.” She giggled. "Have you
considered either one?"

***

Trent shook his head and turned when he heard someone
propose a toast to Berto and Amy.

Berto thanked everyone. “Last weekend as a single
man. Then I will have Amy as my wife, and we can make a few
babies.”

Amy stood beside Berto and blushed.

Cassie poked Trent in the side. “What a way to spend
their wedding night, his parents are coming from Mexico and staying
with them for several weeks.”

“I overheard Mac and Amanda offering a fancy condo to
them so that they’d have some privacy.”

“That was nice of them.” Cassie wrapped her arm
around Trent's waist.

Trent looked at Cassie and his grin tugged at his
cheeks. “I thought so, too. You really do have some wonderful
friends.”

They listened to the chitchat of the upcoming
wedding, and small knot began to grow in Trent's gut. He put his
arm around Cassie and fought with the thought that continued to
grow along with the knot. He put his cheek against her head and
sniffed her sweet scent. Giving her a little kiss on the top of her
head, he walked into the house.

He looked around the rooms and into what he hoped
would become his mom’s apartment. Then he went out to his car and
pulled a manila envelope from the trunk. That small package seemed
as if it weighed a ton in his hands. It would change
everything.

The knot in his stomach had continued to grow. He
walked though the house and into the backyard. There were even more
people who had joined the party. Shawn was playing a beanbag toss
game, but it took another few seconds to spot Cassie talking with
an older woman.

“Excuse me. I need to steal Cas for a minute.”

“Oh, there you are. Do you remember Mrs. Winston and
Gail from the museum?”

“Ah, yes, I do. Pleased you could come.” He tucked
the envelope under his sling and extended his hand to the women.
Putting his arm around Cassie’s waist, he said, “Excuse us. I just
need her for a few moments.”

Cassie looked up at him questioningly.

He smiled back and steered her away from the crowd.
“Who are all these people?”

“Friends. I’m overwhelmed. Seems the word got out and
everyone has come. From what Tate said a few minutes ago, her dad
is circling the neighborhood trying to find a place to park.”

“Maybe this is really bad timing, but I wanted you to
have it. Here.” He handed her the envelope.

“Yes, I know. I had it sent to the museum. I meant to
tell you about it, but with the move--”

“I found it last night when I went for my stuff. I
took it to the hospital with me. Open it.”

His breath caught in his throat as she pulled out the
papers.

“You filled them out. You’re going to do it?”

He nodded.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Oh,
Trent, I’m so thrilled for you.”

“There’s one more thing. I have a favor to ask, and I
have nothing to go with it.”

Her brow furrowed as she peered up at him.

“I mean…I’m supposed to… Damn!” His gut clenched. Her
blue eyes stared into his. “Everything has happened too
quickly.”

She pulled away from him and then clasped his face in
her hands. “What, Trent? You know I’d do anything for you and
Shawn.”

He took a deep breath. “Marry me, Cas.”

She smiled as she stood on her tiptoes and put her
mouth over his. Her answer was in her kiss. The knot in his gut
exploded and fell into a million little pieces like gigantic
fireworks and their heat pooled in his groin. His arm wrapped
around her as her body meshed with his.

Her mouth separated from his, but her lips trailed
across his cheek and settled on his earlobe, where she whispered,
“Do you always get an erection when I kiss you?”

“Most of the time.”

“Hmm, maybe I’m not doing something right, if it
doesn’t happen all the time.”

“You’re doing just fine. I’m the one who has to fight
it.”

“We do have to join our guests.”

“I know. It’ll take me more than a few seconds.”

They heard their names being called.

“It’s time for cake. Are you going to be okay?”
Cassie asked.

“Guess I’d better be, or it’ll be embarrassing.”

“No one is going to look at your crotch, and if they
do, they’ll be jealous.” She laughed and pulled his hand.

***

Cassie cut the cake into small pieces and made sure
all the children were served first, as there was not enough cake
for all those in attendance. Someone had strung lighted lanterns
along the fence and the festive mood continued until Trent finally
told Shawn he needed to take a bath and go to bed. That brought on
an immediate round of tears.

Ari walked over, took Shawn into his arms, and
whispered something into his ear. The child immediately calmed
down, and Ari took the boy inside, with Trent in their wake. A
minute later, Ari reappeared.

“What did you do? I could use a few of those skills,”
Cassie said.

Ari chuckled. “Dog obedience training works great on
kids, too. I think it’s time for us to take Pamela home.”

Soon the crowd dispersed and
Cassie washed up the few kitchen items they had used.
What a night.
She looked
around and saw nothing more that needed her attention. She turned
out the floodlights and turned the lights down low in the living
room. She pulled her hair loose from its ponytail and ran her
fingers through it as she gazed around the room.

His application!
She remembered holding it until she had cut the
cake. Panic bubbled inside her as she flew out the back door and
looked around the patio. She came back inside and looked in the
dining room where all of Shawn’s gifts had been stacked. Then she
went back to the kitchen and looked through the pile of cards on
the table. Several three-by-five cards in Dallas’ handwriting gave
a quick description of each gift and who had brought it. But there
was no manila envelope to be found.