Her Unexpected Family

The murmur of voices in the kitchen told her Drew and Kimberly were deep in discussion. She was just about to go to bed herself when her phone buzzed. She pulled up a text from Grant and sighed. He’d sent her a picture of Timmy and Dolly, sleeping, tangled in covers, sharing a bed. And under it Grant had typed, Unusual moment of peace, now recorded for posterity.

Something sweet and gentle curled inside her. She sent back a single-word reply. Precious.

She went to bed, smiling, the image of those two sweet children blending with Einstein’s words.

Chapter Three (#ulink_dcc74c30-a994-5b44-81a6-0159e1f894eb)

“Well, don’t you look handsome,” Aunt Tillie remarked the next evening. “Percy, don’t Grant look handsome tonight?”

Uncle Percy grunted, unimpressed, but when Timmy saw him dressed in a turtleneck and a sport coat, he frowned. “I go bye-bye, too.”

“Not this time, little man. Daddy’s got to go see more people about Auntie’s wedding.”

His words didn’t impress the toddler. “I go bye-bye wif Daddy.”

Grant squatted down, hugged the toddler and shook his head. “No can do, Daddy’s got some things he has to do. Aunt Tillie and Uncle Percy are with you tonight.”

“I go!” Dolly crawled across the dining area, grabbed a kitchen chair leg, hauled herself up and stomped a foot. “I go!”

“Not you, either, button. And on that note...” He gave Dolly a kiss, kissed Timmy again and left his aunt with two squalling children. “Sorry.”

She waved him off, calm as ever. “This is all for your benefit, Grant. They’ll be fine in two minutes. You’ll feel guilty all night while they play and laugh and giggle and eat mac and cheese. Go, get this done, and Christa will be thrilled.”

He walked to the garage, torn. He’d gotten a lecture today from Dolly’s occupational therapist, reminding him that she needed to work on skills daily, but that was easier said than done. Dolly had become an expert at refusing to do the simplest tasks, which meant her motor skills were dragging even further behind.

Was Aunt Tillie right? Were they really fine in a couple of minutes while he wore a mantle of guilt all evening? He drove to the lodge, saw Emily’s SUV then felt guilty for looking forward to the evening. He got out, crossed the couple of spaces to her car and opened the door for her.

“Thank you!” Her bright smile warmed him, and that only made the guilt mount higher. “How was your day?”

His day had been fine until fifteen minutes ago, and he didn’t want to lay all that at her door, so he shrugged. “It was okay. Yours?”

She studied him, then shook her head. “You’re worried about something. If it has to do with the wedding, spill it now.”

“It’s not about the wedding.” And then, ten seconds after deciding not to lay it at her door, he recounted the kids’ antics. She nodded, frowned in sympathy then laughed out loud.

He tucked his neck deeper in his coat, aggrieved. “It wasn’t one bit funny when two little kids were crying because they miss their daddy and I’m too busy to be with them.”

“It is kind of funny,” she insisted. “Because Tillie is right. I told you I worked in a children’s home during college, and this is textbook toddler attachment stuff. We even started messaging pics to the parents five minutes later to prove our point. They’re fine, they’re just experts at pushing the guilt button. They don’t like the moment of separation, and boy, do they let you know it. I bet if Aunt Tillie was to send you a picture right now, it would be of two happy, healthy, goofy kids playing or eating and having the time of their lives.”

“Which is exactly what they say at day care, too.” He worked his jaw, then shrugged one shoulder. “I’m a pushover when it comes to them.”

She moved forward to the lodge door, let him open it and smiled over her shoulder. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

He let the door swing shut behind them and followed her to the hostess station.

He liked the setting instantly. One part of the lodge was a restaurant, known for great food and its cozy, rustic atmosphere. Cozy and rustic worked for him, and he was pretty sure it would work for two air force officers tying the knot.

When the owner/manager sat down with them and covered everything in detail, Grant was sold, unless the food tasting went bad.

It didn’t.

Instead of the tiny bites he’d been offered last night, the lodge owner served them a full meal at a linen-draped table complete with a centerpiece and a candle, alongside a fireplace.

It was like a date, only it wasn’t, he reminded himself.

But the feeling persisted as they laughed and talked their way through dinner. “This is amazing,” he told her.

“The Celtic stew, the homemade bread or the beef?”

“All of it, plus the setting, the service and the prices are so reasonable. And I like the idea of family-style dining.”

“Dishes at the table, everybody sharing. I like that, too. It’s Sunday-dinner-friendly and most folks enjoy that.”

“The phrase pass the peas becomes a conversation starter.”

“Exactly.” She smiled at him, made a note in her tablet and sipped her water.

“I bet Timmy and Dolly would love the big animals on the walls.” She pointed over his shoulder to the authentic-looking deer, moose and bear.

He winced. “They’re two. Taking them out to eat usually turns into a food fight. Timmy’s getting a little better, but Dolly’s stubbornness gets in the way, so we rarely go anyplace.” He waited, and when she said nothing, he nodded an acknowledgment. “Of course, it’s pretty clear she’s got me somewhat snowed.”

“Somewhat,” Emily agreed, but she said it gently, as if she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Grant appreciated that. Between Tillie, the occupational therapist and day care, everyone had something to say these days. That meant they were probably correct, but he appreciated Emily’s gentler approach.

“So tonight, we need to have coffee or something,” she told him outside. “We can go to the diner, but it’s late and they’ll be closing. Or we can sit down at your place or mine. Rory stopped by Gabriella’s bakery today.”

“If we go to my place and wake the kids, we’ll get nothing done, so if you don’t mind, your place sounds good. And the baked goods seal the deal.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

* * *

Emily parked her car behind Kimberly’s and waited until Grant pulled in alongside her. She climbed out and headed to the walk, waiting. He took longer than she expected, and when a blast of eastbound wind tunneled in from the west, she pulled her coat tighter. He glanced her way, looking surprised.

Realization flashed in his eyes. He popped the door open and pocketed his phone, looking contrite. “Sorry. I wanted to give Tillie an idea of my time frame, but you didn’t have to wait. It’s cold out here.”

She started for the door. “I didn’t want you to feel awkward coming in.”

“Do you make people feel awkward?”

She turned to face him and caught his smile beneath the lamps lighting the stoned path. “I try not to. Guess my success rate could use an upgrade.”

“My batting average isn’t all it could be, either,” he told her, and the way he said it sounded like he understood regret.

“We usually have meetings in the office.” She indicated The Square up the road. “But there’s no sense going over there, turning on all the lights when there are perfectly delicious cookies and brownies here, courtesy of my sister Rory.” She opened the door as she mentioned Rory’s name, and her sister waved from the far side of the living room.

“Grant?”

Kimberly came through from the kitchen. So did Drew. “I’m Kimberly. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet, but Dad says a lot of good stuff about you.”