Temporary Father (Welcome To Honesty 1) (16 page)

“What did you say to him? Is he upset?”

“I told him I love you.”

“What?” He might have suggested she leap off that dock.

“Not what you wanted to hear?” he asked.

“Why would you—”

“Someone suggested I take action.” He took her hand. “Do you want to go inside?”

“I don’t ever want to remember you inside my house.”

“Because I matter to you,” he said. “I’m in the same sad shape where you two are concerned. Only I’m willing to take the chance. I believe we can love each other and no one will get hurt.”

“I’m not worried about—”

“You are,” he said, realizing it had to be true even as he spoke. “I thought you were the bravest woman I knew because you could laugh even when things went bad. I went out of my way to show you how I felt. I had to be a stalker or a man in love. But you
used to believe Campbell, who lied to you, so you’d rather think I’m a nut trying to heal my former wife.”

“That’s almost too much sweet talk, Aidan. Notice, I can stand it if you say my ex’s name.”

“Why don’t we stop talking?” He put his arms around her, forgetting Eli, forgetting fear, knowing only that being with Beth made him live again.

“Eli…” she said.

“Better get used to seeing you in my arms.” He kissed her, gently at first, when he wanted to roll over her defenses.

She held on to his arms and tried to lean back, but her lips softened. She slanted her mouth against his, reaching for his shoulders, pulling closer.

“Wait. What about Madeline? Are you sure this isn’t—”

“Talking about my first wife with you makes me feel odd.” He stepped back, wiping his mouth. “I love you more, need you more and I won’t give up. I tried to love her. I can’t stop loving you.”

“What if you get tired of me? I’m no judge of men.”

“What is it with you and Eli? I won’t get tired of you.”

“What about him? He could get sick again. He’s not entirely better yet.”

“We’d get him help again. He’d be my son, too.” He looked toward the lake, where Eli was wrestling with the pieces of his new fishing pole. “I’d be proud to call him my son.”

“But Campbell—”

“Is a waste of breath. I want to love you and your son. And all I ask is that you take me on, too.”

“I want more children,” she said.

“Keep throwing obstacles at me,” he said. “I’d be happy if we had to build the house all the way to the lake to fit us all in.”

“Is it this easy? Talking about our differences and finding common ground?”

“No,” he said. “We can talk forever, but you and Eli have to take a leap of faith. I did that the night Eli lived. You can’t wait for someone to nearly die because I’ll be really pissed if any one of us is in that much danger again.”

“I have to be certain.”

“No one gets to be as sure as you want to be,” he said. “You have to decide.”

She grabbed a loop of her wavy hair and tugged.

“You’re weighing the pros and cons,” he said. “I wish I could laugh.”

He started down the hill, a city boy who might tumble ass over teakettle with the next step. Maybe she was giving him a lucky out.

“Wait.”

He stopped.

She ran down the hill, grabbing him so hard he almost fell and dragged her with him. “I’m scared of a lot of things, but most of all, I’m scared of losing you.”

She looped her arm around his neck and this time
she kissed him, opening his mouth with hers, taking him back to the thick, silent moments of need in his bedroom. She pushed her hand to his cheek.

“You’re mine,” she said. “I’ll risk everything, but I won’t let you go if you stay now. You’re stuck with us forever, and when things go wrong, you’ll just have to fight with me until everything’s right again.”

“That’s life, Beth. That’s how two people who love each other live together.”

“Forever,” she said again, as if he didn’t want it.

“I guess you two do like each other.” Bound up in fishing line, Eli looked like a piece of living string art.

What had he seen? What had he heard? “I meant everything.” Aidan pulled Beth against his side. “You’re both my future if you’ll have me.”

“Do you mind us being together?” Beth asked. “Did you dislike Aidan or are you reluctant to have any guy give us more grief?”

“Like Dad.” Eli straightened, and the fishing line glittered in bright sunlight. “I won’t put up with that, Aidan.”

“Then you’ll have to put up with the best life I can give you.”

“You’ll have to try, too, Eli,” Beth said. “None of us compromises easily.”

“Way to make love sound like work, Mom.” Eli whistled for Lucy and started back to the lake, yanking at fishing cord that tightened around
various body parts. “I don’t know why you two even care what a kid thinks anyway.”

“Are you okay?” Aidan called.

“Yeah, I’m okay with it.” Lucy bolted out of the trees and ran him down. They rolled down the hill, boy and dog and fishing wire a single package.

Aidan and Beth ran to sort them out—holding hands, so that when they fell, too, they rolled into Eli and Lucy and formed a laughing ball of string and loving family.

“I’
M JUST SAYING
we could have made a crapload of money during a four-day holiday, Mom.”

Up to her elbows in turkey and the hope of producing an edible dinner, Beth turned to her son. “While I’m always interested in a ‘crapload’ of anything,” she said, “being just the three of us for our first Thanksgiving mattered more to Aidan and me.”

“Uncle Van’s coming.”

“He’s family, too.”

“All right. We have bills to pay, but I guess you guys are running the show.”

“Yes, we are.” And thank goodness it was all right with him. She and Aidan were a little happier every time he handed over control and adult worries about their home to the real grown-ups.

“I’m going to see if Jeff’s outside. I called about a half hour ago and his mom was making him peel yams.” He hurried down the hall.

“Hey—can moms do that? I have some yams.”

“See ya later.” The closet door opened. Some
thing thudded into a wall, and then something else scraped the still-new paint job. “It’s okay. I’ll clean it up,” Eli said. “Bye.”

The front door opened and then slammed shut.

Beth laughed out loud. Sometimes a woman had to love life. Then she caught a glimpse of the dressing, which seemed to expand every time she turned her back on it. How did that whole pile of revolting stuff get inside the turkey and cook? Aidan and his big talk of loving a traditional meal.

“Need an extra pair of hands?”

The turkey slipped into the sink. “I thought you were testing office connections,” Beth said. Aidan’s new home office sat closer to the lake. Every time she visited and stared out his wall of windows onto the water, she was tempted to displace him.

“It’s all working. I thought you might like some help.” He leaned over her shoulder, but drew back. “Are you sure that’s—”

“As good as a dinner reservation? No.” She plunged her hands in again. “If you could wash up and steady this bird…”

“You plan to feed this to our family?”

“If Eli didn’t look too closely, and you don’t tell Van how it looks right now. Think of it as practice for when your parents come at Christmas.” She spooned some of the stuffing in and caught the turkey before it slipped again. Then she caught his smirk. “Don’t go all moral on me. It’s your duty, Aidan.” She lifted her face for his kiss. He laughed
as he took advantage of her busy hands and her defenseless body.

Sighing, she swayed against him. “Help me get this in the oven and we can close our bedroom door for a little while.”

“I never thought I’d hear you ask for help without trying everything on your own first.” He bundled the turkey into its roasting pan and then into the oven.

Beth stared wistfully through the window set in the door. “I won’t be able to let you help at Christmas. That is going to be one ugly Thanksgiving bird.”

“I’ll take your mind off it.”

Several hours later, Beth shooed Van and Eli to the dining table where her mother’s china gleamed beneath candlesticks Aidan’s parents had sent as a housewarming gift. Aidan lit the candles and took his place at the head of the table. Van and Eli wrestled to their places on opposite sides.

“Van,” Beth said.

“You’re too serious.”

Aidan’s smile took her to the less serious two hours they’d shared that afternoon. She grinned.

“It’s a moment to be serious.” Aidan cleared his throat, but laughed anyway and Van and Eli laughed, too, though they didn’t know why. Beth felt herself blushing. Secure in her lover’s heart, she didn’t feel vulnerable any more.

“What’s up, Mom?”

“Nothing. Where’s Lucy?”

“I couldn’t find her.” Just a few months ago, he’d have been frantic. Now he was able to leave Lucy to her doggie concerns. “What were you and Aidan laughing about?”

“Private joke,” Van said.

“Oh.” He looked from Aidan to his mother, who went blank instead of coming up with a pithy distraction. “Gross.”

“Van,” Beth said again.

“Let me in here,” Aidan said. “I’m trying to toast my new family.”

“Let’s toast.” Van lifted his glass.

“Mom,” Eli did likewise, “can I have a sip of wine, too?”

“No.” She still overprotected her son at moments she found as startling as he. He was better. He no longer took antidepressants and he only visited his therapist once every two weeks. But she wasn’t about to add even a teaspoon of wine to the mix.

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“I know.” She put all her love in the smile she shot him.

“Don’t get all mushy.” Eli lifted his water glass to Aidan. “Better get on with it. That turkey looks funny but I’m starving.”

One of the wings had bent at an odd angle, and half the breast was a bit more well-done than its golden, glowing mate. No doubt due to distraction on the part of the cooks.

She sipped her wine.

“Beth,” Aidan said. Van laughed and took a sip, too. Eli waved his water with so much enthusiasm several drops spilled on the tablecloth. A bargain find—not the one they’d be using at Christmas with the Nikolases.

“Sorry. I was thinking.” Beth wiped her mouth. “Let’s try again.”

“I was going to say that no one had more reason to be thankful than I,” Aidan said, “because I’ve found the woman I love and a boy I want to call my own son.”

Beth stiffened. “You can’t do that unless—”

“Let me ask you before you answer,” Aidan said.

All the laughter stopped. Beth glanced at Eli, whose hope was intense. She looked at Van, who eyed her, worried.

“It’s all right,” she said. “We still have nothing in common, except I love him and he loves me and we count on each other, and Eli knows he can trust us both.”

“You’re not a novelty to him, are you?” Van asked.

“No,” Aidan said, his tone dry. “In case you’ve both forgotten I’m here.” He and Eli commiserated with a clink of their glasses. “She’s the woman I’ll love all my life. She’s the woman I want for my wife.”

“And she’s saying yes,” Beth said. “Yes and yes again. What do you think, Eli?”

Before he could answer, Lucy burst through the
dog flap, click-clacked down the hall, skidded into the door frame and then stared at the family around the table.

“Over here, girl.” Eli pointed to a bone in her dish beside his chair.

“Beth, will you marry me?”

“And love you forever and ever and ever.”

“Gross,” Van and Eli said together.

Aidan came around the table. “Let’s make it worse for them.” Dipping her over one arm, he kissed her so thoroughly the chair rocked behind her. For a moment, she thought she should grab for it, but then she didn’t care.