The whole family came over for a barbecue two days later to celebrate Independence Day. Kara's mom was there, of course, and with Ben and Lia and their girls there, the house was full. The three mothers and Jasmine were crowded into the kitchen to prepare the meal; Craig could see them through the open side door. He and Ben stood around the barbecue grill, tending burgers.
"There's potential for discord there, I think." Ben nodded toward Marissa and Zach. Zach was trying to kick his soccer ball to Brooke, but Marissa stood in his way, taunting him and kicking the ball away from him. Jayda climbed on Paws, who lay off to the side, sprawled on the grass.
"Marissa really likes him," Craig observed.
Ben grimaced. "I told her it's fine to be excited about having a new cousin, but she needs to give him some space. Poor guy."
"Is she still saying she doesn't like boys?" Craig asked.
"Of course—and then she won't leave them alone."
"Brooke and Jasmine never did that."
"No, this is a hundred percent Marissa."
"Stop it!" Zach yelled suddenly. He was near the center of the yard, trying to pull away from Marissa, who was tugging on his arm. He kicked the ball hard, away from her pestering feet. The ball banged against the house only inches below the den's large picture window.
"Zach, be more careful!" Craig called to him. The youngster stopped immediately and looked. "Don't kick the ball toward the house, all right?"
"Sorry," Zach called back. Marissa chased after him again, and he ran from her.
Craig turned back to the burgers and flipped them over one at a time; they needed a couple more minutes yet. Ben continued to watch the kids play. "Any more clues to where he came from?"
"Nothing since the DNA tests," Craig answered. "We don't even know where to look. Someone at the clinic gave his embryo out for adoption—that's all we know. But they did it quietly; then they put our names on his birth certificate. So how are we supposed to track down who gave him away and who took him?" He took a deep breath. "But that's not the most important thing right now. The important thing is figuring out"—he ran a hand through his hair—"how to raise him."
"It's weird, hearing you say that."
"Not half as weird as it is saying it. And you know what's even weirder? I like it." Craig looked up at the kids again, particularly Zach. "My biggest fear now is that someone will show up with adoption papers and take him away from us."
"What would you do then?"
"Fight them, take it to court," he said, turning back to Ben. "We never agreed to give our child to anyone. And it's not like they gave him much of a home life. So the way I figure it, we should be able to get legal cust—"
SMACK! The soccer ball rebounded off the picture window, leaving the glass reverberating from the impact. "Zach!" Craig yelled. He was angry this time. The ball had nearly shattered the window.
"Zechariah!" came Kara's voice as she thrust her head through the doorway. "Craig, he could have broken that window!"
"Zach, come here!" he hollered, and the youngster came hesitantly across the grass toward him. "Did you kick that ball?" Zach nodded fearfully. "I told you not to kick the ball near the house! Do you realize how much it would cost to replace that window? You almost—"
He cut off as Zach turned abruptly and ran inside the house, past the women and toward the bedrooms. A door slammed. Kara looked at Craig in surprise.
"I didn't mean to—oh, good grief," Craig muttered. He stepped toward the house. "I'll go talk to him."
Ben caught his arm. "You might give him a minute," he advised. "At least, it helps with the girls."
Craig paused, looking after Zach, then nodded. "All right. Thanks. I don't really know what I'm doing."
Ben shrugged. "Zach doesn't know that."
Craig paced a circle around the barbecue grill. He flipped the burgers again. He ran another hand through his hair, thinking. What had he done to make the youngster run and hide? He hadn't meant to frighten him—well, not that much. Only enough to warn him to be more careful next time.
After a minute, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Long enough?"
"I'll watch the burgers," Ben answered.
Craig strode past the women to Zach's room, then slowed his pace, calming himself as he neared the door. They could replace windows, even expensive ones. He knocked on the door before he entered. He was not surprised to find the room seemingly empty. "Come sit beside me, Zach," he said, setting himself on the floor with his back against the desk, his legs stretched out in front of him. This approach had worked last time.
Zach was more hesitant this time, though; last time, Kara had spoken to him first. And this time the youngster knew he had done something wrong.
"Wow, you've lived here almost two months, Zach, and this is the first time you've gotten in trouble," Craig pointed out. "That's pretty impressive. When I was ten, I got in trouble everyday. Just ask my parents." The youngster peeked out at him from under the bed. Craig pretended not to notice. "We need to talk about what just happened, but I think we can work it out."
He waited. After a few moments, Zach emerged uncertainly. He had been crying; tears streaked his cheeks. Cautiously, he came and sat against the wall, with some space between himself and Craig.
"So, what's so interesting under the bed?" Craig asked, immediately regretting the poor attempt at humor. Zach remained silent. "Remember, we asked you not to run and hide."
Zach looked up at him through moist eyes. "I didn't mean to hit the window," he whispered.
"I know," Craig replied. He put a hand on the youngster's shoulder, but only for a moment. Kara had pointed out to him how hands made Zach uncomfortable. "And I'm sorry I yelled. I guess everybody makes mistakes, even you and me, huh? It might be best to put the ball away for tonight, though, pal."
Zach wiped away a couple of tears. "Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Can I still stay here? With you and Mom?"
Was that what had scared him? "Of course, Zach. Why wouldn't you?"
He shrugged. "Dad?"
"Yes, Zach?"
"Can you make Marissa leave me alone? She's driving me crazy."
Craig suppressed a grin. "I saw her. She really likes you, you know. She's excited about having a new cousin—Ben told me."
Zach rolled his eyes. "Why can't I have boy cousins?"
"You have one—my sister's son, same age as you. But he lives in Alaska. Sorry. They only come to visit once a year, if that. In the meantime, you're stuck with girls." Craig gave the youngster a few seconds of silence. "I'll talk to Ben about Marissa. Are you all right?"
Zach drew in a deep breath. "Yeah. Can I just stay in here, though?"
"Sorry, pal," Craig replied as he stood up. "Five minutes. Then wash your face in my bathroom and come join us. The burgers should be ready by then. And you won't want to miss what comes after that."
"Fireworks?" he asked, perking up a little.
"Have you ever gotten to watch a live fireworks show?"
"In one house we lived in," he recalled, "I had a room upstairs, and I could see the fireworks from my window, just barely."
"Tonight you get a close-up view," Craig promised. Giving the youngster one more gentle clap on the shoulder, he left Zach alone in the room and returned to help Ben with the burgers.
*****
The Boy Who Appeared from the Rain Page 58