A Wedding In the Family (9 page)

“M
om, the kids…” Angela said with a hoarse voice. Her throat, raw and scratchy, barely let her speak her mind.

“They’re fine, honey. The boys are with Adam, and Heather is sleeping. Her temperature is down to 99.5 now.”

“Thank the Lord. She was so sick.”

“She’s not the only one. And we
should
thank the Lord—and Adam, too. He’s the one who called me,” Grace Granston explained to her daughter.

“I didn’t want him to—I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Nonsense, worrying is what mothers do best. Three kids of your own, Angela…don’t you know that by now?”

“I suppose, but—”

“But, nothing. When you need help, you call me. That’s an order,” Grace said. “Did you know that
your Adam stayed with the children while I took you to the E.R.?”

“Mom, he’s not ‘my’ Adam.”

“He could be,” Grace answered with confidence. “I like him, Angela. Very much. How are you feeling now that your fever has broken?”

“Better. Different,” she said. “I felt so disoriented last night.”

“It’s no wonder, as high as your temperature soared. Heather wasn’t half as sick as you were. Her fever started going down before I even got here. This twenty-four-hour virus hits hard but leaves fast, and that’s the only good thing that could be said about it,” Grace said. “I’ll get you something to drink.”

“No juice, please. My throat feels horrible.”

Grace nodded her head, disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a jumbo-size glass of crushed ice and tea. “This ought to taste pretty good.”

“Thank you,” Angela responded and took a large swallow of the cold liquid. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I guess you’d need to rely on Adam more,” Grace answered without hesitation as she leaned over and straightened Angela’s blanket. “Have you realized you’re in love with him yet?”

“Definitely, completely,” Angela said between sips of iced tea. “Hopelessly.”

“Have you told him?”

“No,” she said.

“You need to discuss that with him,” Grace answered
with a smile and a pat on her daughter’s leg. “I don’t think you ought to let this man get away.”

“Since when do you interfere in your kid’s love life?”

“Interfere? With you? When did I have time to do that? You had little more than started dating Dan when you came home, crying and pregnant You were married and a parent before you even knew what a grown-up relationship could be.”

Angela sighed. “Mom—”

“Well, it’s true. You had no idea how special or loving or just plain fun the whole thing can be. And considering the way Dan treated you, I doubt that you do even to this day.” Grace sat down in a chair close to her daughter.

“Mom, why are we having this conversation? Dan’s gone—”

“We should have had talks like this all along,” Grace interrupted. “Even when you were very young. I don’t know why I thought that even without talking about things they would somehow turn out all right.” She paused. “Do you remember those books we gave you when you were about twelve?”

Angela thought for a second. “You mean those little books about the facts of life?”

“Exactly. I don’t know why I took the easy way out. I should have talked to you about that instead of letting you read about it.”

“Mom, why are we discussing this?”

“Because I want you to do a better job with Heather than I did with you.”

“Heather and I talk about everything.”

“Everything?”

“Well, no, not
everything.
Maybe not in depth. Not yet, at least. She’s only six years old.”

“Six isn’t what it used to be. Be more open with her than I was with you,” Grace suggested.

“Especially with the don’t-get-pregnant-and-embarrass-your-family part. Right?” The sting of the past sharpened her words.

“No, I was never concerned about gossip or any of that. The only person you hurt was yourself. That’s what broke my heart.” Grace gave a bittersweet smile. “That’s all I really cared about.”

Angela’s eyes misted with tears.

“I want you to do a better job with your kids than I did with mine. And I want to see you in a happy marriage. It’s your turn.”

“I’ll try. Honestly, I will. But I’m thirty-two years old. I gave three children and twelve years of my life to Dan. I don’t think I have much left to offer Adam.”

“Nonsense,” Grace replied. “Give him your heart. You’ve kept it to yourself far too long.”

“Mom, how did you know…”

“Know what? That you never loved Dan? That things weren’t right between you? Honey, I knew from the start. When you finally did really care about him, it was more of a watching-over-him, wanting-to-help-him, wanting-him-to-change kind of affection.” Grace leaned forward to touch Angela’s cheek.

“I wanted to love him. He was my husband, the
father of my kids. And they loved him very much. They still do.”

“I know, but when he left you, I was glad. I knew you’d be too stubborn to ever leave him.”

“I guess I was glad when he left, too, but I didn’t want him to die. I hoped he’d be happy with Sylvia, if she was what he wanted,” Angela responded. “The Lord knows he was never happy with me.”

“But Dan is gone, regardless of how we feel about it. And you’re free to love and free to marry. So do that for me. Make your mother happy by being happy yourself for a change.” Grace smiled and stood up. “And my guess is Adam Dalton is your man.”

“I don’t know, Mom. He’s almost perfect Sometimes it scares me. How could things be so good?”

“Wait until you’ve married him. You won’t believe how good things can be,” Grace commented with a sly smile. “That’s how God intended.”

Angela reached for her glass of tea without responding. Her mother was right, she knew. She really had no idea how a relationship like that could be.

Grace frowned at the silence. “You and Adam—you’re not…”

Angela nearly choked on her iced tea. “Mom! I’m thirty-two years old!”

“I didn’t ask your age. I asked if—”

“You
can’t
ask me personal things like that,” Angela stated flatly.

“I can ask you anything I want. Whether you answer or not is up to you.” Grace stood, waiting for a reply.

“No, of course we’re not,” Angela said with a sigh. “Mom, give me a break, will you? I’m an intelligent woman, a mother, a Christian. Do you think I have no regard for living a Christian life-style? For myself? In front of the children? I’m not the same stupid college kid who got into trouble.”

“I know you’re not. Forgive me for asking, but I worry about you. You’re not a kid, but you’re still my child. You’ll see how this feels when Heather is grown up.” Grace sat back down, pushing some brown hair behind an ear. “Adam is exactly the kind of man I had envisioned for you to marry.”

“Well, I may not be what his mother envisioned for him, or even what he envisioned for himself—a woman with three kids to raise?” Angela ran a hand through her disheveled dark hair. “I must look awful.”

“Not awful enough to scare him away,” Grace said with a smile. “He was here all last evening helping with you and Heather, both sick with the stomach flu. If he didn’t love you, that would have been the right time to make a quick exit, don’t you think?”

“I guess you’re right. God is so good to me, I don’t know why He’d give me another chance. Especially with a man like Adam. I don’t even know if I could be a good wife to him. I’m not certain I know how.”

“You’ll figure it out, one step at a time,” Grace assured her. “I’m going to check on Heather again. I want you to sleep.”

“But what about David and Nathan?”

“They went home with him after you and I came
back from the emergency room. He’s taking them to school, as long as they both feel okay. They didn’t show any signs of catching this bug last night. Now, you get some sleep. Adam will be over later to see you, and I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” Grace stated.

“Thanks, Mom,” Angela said, and reached out to clasp her mother’s hand. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, dear.” Grace squeezed then released Angela’s hand, and she headed for the hallway. Before disappearing around the corner, she added, “Remember when I asked if you’d told Adam you were in love with him yet?”

Angela nodded. “Yes.”

“I think you should tell him soon. He deserves to know.”

“I’d rather wait until he tells me.”

Grace stood there thoughtfully for a moment. “I think, in a way, he did last night. The way he was with the kids, with you—”

“Mostly, he was with the kids, Mom. I was too sick—”

“That’s the point. You were much sicker than Heather. I was the one who said I’d go to the hospital with you and that he should stay with the kids. He deferred to my judgment—since I am your mother—but, looking back on it, I’m sure he wanted to take you to the E.R. himself. I guess I was just the worried, meddling mother who stepped in and changed the plans. Since you have allergies to some medications, I wanted to be with you to make that clear to the
doctors and nurses. But I should have trusted Adam to do so. I apologize for that.”

“Mom, it was fine that you were with me. Don’t apologize for caring too much.”

“I’m not, but I’m beginning to think Adam may be as reluctant to trust you as you are to trust him. If that’s the case, this could be a very slow-moving romance you’ve embarked on here.”

Angela laughed lightly. “That’s what you and Dad wanted for me, wasn’t it? Something I wouldn’t rush into?”

“Yes, but…” Grace’s smile had a mischievous slant. “You don’t have to crawl along at a snail’s pace either, you know, dear.”

“Right, I’ll keep that in mind,” Angela answered before leaning back onto her pillow. Keeping Adam in mind wasn’t difficult to do, but it did make sleep absolutely out of the question.

“Hi. Feeling better?” Adam asked when he arrived later that morning. He bent down on one knee beside the sofa and placed a hand on Angela’s forehead to check for fever.

“Much better,” she responded, reaching up to squeeze his fingers.

“You’re much cooler. Your fever must be gone—the worst of it, anyway.” He picked up the thermometer from the coffee table. “Have you or Heather used this thing this morning?”

“Yes,” she answered with a smile. “Mom’s been looking after us, and we’re both doing fine.”

Just then, Grace came out of the kitchen. “Morning, Adam. I think our patients are both on the mend.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he replied. “You’re probably exhausted. Go home and get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on things around here. I won’t need to leave until about three to pick up Nathan and David from school.”

“Yes, Mom. Go home, rest, quit worrying,” Angela encouraged, as Adam and Grace moved toward the front hallway.

“I am really tired. I guess my age is finally catching up with me. Angela, stay in bed and take care of yourself. Adam, Heather is asleep in her room, and Gretchen called from school asking that Angela call the office sometime before noon. But don’t let her do that much. The moment she can stand without fainting, she’ll be up trying to do the laundry or cook or something.”

Adam took Grace’s jacket from the coat hook, and held it for her while she slipped her arms into the sleeves. “I’ll take care of her, Grace. Don’t worry.”

She turned then and looked him directly in the eyes. “I know you will. You’ve already proven that to me…several times over.” She touched Adam’s arm with an approving pat. “She’s crazy about you, Adam. Don’t let her tell you otherwise.”

“You know the inside story on this?” he asked, a skeptical frown creasing his brow.

“I know my daughter,” Grace replied and then paused. “She’s afraid of being hurt again.” She
turned to the door that Adam pulled open for her. “She has a hard time trusting anyone.”

Adam’s expression brightened with a smile of acknowledgment. “That’s not something you needed to tell me.”

“What are you talking about?” Angela called from her makeshift bed on the living room sofa.

“Goodbye, dear,” Grace responded to her daughter with a mischievous smile aimed at Adam. “I’ll let you answer that question,” she whispered before slipping out the front door.

“Thanks a lot,” Adam said quietly.

“Adam?” The soft voice came from inside.

He closed the door. “I’m right here.” He returned to the couch where Angela was resting.

“What were you and Mom talking about?” she asked suspiciously.

“You,” he answered. “And us,” he added with a kiss to her crown. “I think your mother likes me.” He sat down on the edge of the sturdy oak coffee table.

“Likes you?” She shook her head and laughed. “She wants to
keep
you…permanently.”

“And what do
you
want?” he asked, point-blank. All hints of a smile faded.

Angela wondered how she could say the things she felt. There were no adequate words. Not in all the world. “I want to keep you, too,” she said softly and watched Adam’s smile warm to match his eyes. “But I’m afraid my mother will scare you away with her plans for our future.”

Adam caught her hand in his own and kissed her lightly across the knuckles. “Nothing has scared me away yet.”

“Not even how terrible I look?” She spoke her thought aloud. No makeup, unkempt hair, the same old nightshirt she’d worn over her jeans to the emergency room last night.

Adam’s smile broadened, and he shook his head in assurance. “You look like you’re feeling better, and that’s all I care about. Now, do you feel like having something to eat? Tea and toast maybe?”

“That would be nice,” she said as she pulled the blanket away from her. “But let me shower and change clothes first so I feel more like a human being.”

“Can you stand up all right?” He extended a hand and stood up with her, supporting her by the elbow. “You’re still a little wobbly.”

“I’m okay,” she insisted and took a few steps toward the hallway, pulling away from him. “I’ll feel better if I can clean up.”

Adam crossed his arms in front of him. Grace had been right. As soon as Angela could possibly stand up, she was off and running to get things back to normal. “Angela,” he began as she glanced back at him, “don’t overdo it. Your mother suspected you would as soon as you were capable of standing.”