WHOSE CHILD?

by Susan Gable

  "Why not?"

  Voices echoed from the foyer. Sarah's boots stormed up the stairs.

  "That's why not." Lexie backed away from him, tightening her grip on her towel.

  "Momma, Momma, guess what?" Sarah rounded the railing at the top of the stairs, took in David's presence and slowed her approach.

  "What, baby?"

  The child edged closer. "Momma, I'm Sarah Jacobs, but there's another one. A real old lady."

  "I heard that." Another pair of footsteps came up the staircase.

  Sarah squeezed between the doorway and Lexie, hiding her face in the soft terry cloth.

  "Mom?" Lexie's heart jumped as the woman reached the top of the stairs. "Oh, Mom!" She spread her arms open, then had to grab for the top of her towel as it threatened to unfold because of Sarah's yanking on the bottom.

  David moved aside in the narrow space, leaning against the door to Sarah's bedroom. Her mother patted his cheek as she passed. "David. Thank you for finding my baby."

  His face reddened, and he shuffled his feet.

  Suddenly Lexie found herself in her mother's embrace. She hunched over and turned her face into her mom's neck. The scent of Pear's soap filled her nose; she struggled briefly to hold back the tears. Then she let them go. "Mom, oh Mom!"

  "I'm here now, sweetheart." Soft, familiar fingers rubbed Lexie's shoulder.

  Home. She was home in her mother's arms.

  "I've missed you so much!" She sniffled.

  "Me, too."

  "If this isn't typical of women, blubbering all over each other," said a deep, masculine voice from the top of the stairs.

  Lexie straightened up, grabbing for the towel again. "Ohmigosh. Marc! Where's Daddy? He's here, too, right? What about Kenny?"

  "Dad's downstairs, honey," her mom said. "Kenny's busy with his new son, but he sends you his love."

  "It's getting a little crowded here, Lex," David murmured. "Think I'll head down to the kitchen and get some coffee."

  "Good idea. Take a hike." Marc glared at him.

  David squared his shoulders and returned the favor.

  "Marcus Anthony Jacobs, you promised to behave." Their mother wagged a finger.

  "No sweat, Mrs. J." David turned and headed down the back stairs.

  "Now, I think we need to get you in some clothes before you lose that towel," her mom said.

  "Do you always parade around in a towel in front of your guests, sis?" Marc dropped the suitcases and headed toward her.

  "Momma," Sarah whispered. "Momma!" Her voice cracked and she trembled.

  Lexie stroked Sarah's curls. "It's okay, baby." She held up her hand to deflect her brother's advance. "Let me get dressed and…" She jutted her chin in Sarah's direction. "This is a little overwhelming, if you know what I mean."

  "Sure."

  Her mom's smile wavered. "But…"

  Marc took her elbow. "Pick what room you want, Mom, and I'll haul your suitcases there. Let Lex get squared away."

  "Put Mom and Dad in the room at the end of the hall," Lexie said, offering her brother a look of gratitude. "It's the honeymoon suite, the best in the house."

  "Oh, don't be foolish, dear. We don't need the best room in the house—"

  "Mom, please."

  "Okay, honey." She followed Marc down the hall.

  Lexie eased Sarah into her bedroom and closed the door. Then she sank to her knees and gathered the child into her arms. "You okay, baby? That was a lot of commotion at once, huh?"

  Sarah nodded against her neck. "Who is that, Momma?"

  "That's my momma. And my brother. And my daddy is here somewhere."

  "You have a momma?" Sarah drew back and stared at her. "How come we never saw her before? I thought mommas stayed with their kids."

  The words cut right through her. "Sometimes, honey, when kids grow up, they leave home and go places far away from their families."

  "I'm not leaving, Momma. I'm staying with you forever."

  Lexie pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to contemplate what the future held.

  Maybe after last night…?

  "Momma? You okay?"

  She opened her eyes, blinking hard a few times. "I think I got some dust in my eyes." She brushed a quick kiss on Sarah's head, then rose to her feet. "Now, I have to get dressed. I need to see my dad!" Pulling a pair of jeans from her dresser, she tried to put on an enthusiastic face for Sarah's sake.

  Despite how much she wanted to see her parents and brothers, and how much she'd missed them over the years, she'd give just about anything to turn back the clock a few weeks to when Sarah and Pappy and the bed-and-breakfast were her entire world.

  "Is that my grandma? Like Connor's momma's momma?"

  Lexie sighed. "Baby, you need to ask your daddy about that."

  He was the one turning their lives upside down in so many ways. Let him handle the hard questions.

  David rubbed his forehead. Was there a sign plastered there that said, I slept with your daughter/sister last night?

  Because it sure felt like it.

  Mr. J. sat at the table, poring over the Mill Creek Gazette, but stealing furtive looks at him over the newspaper's edge. Marc tipped his chair back on two legs, arms folded across his chest, staring coldly at David.

  Mrs. J., oblivious to the men, bustled around the country kitchen, gathering the makings for omelettes, chattering all the time. "Lexie looks like she's lost weight. She needs some good home cooking."

  Pappy scowled. "That gal's a whiz in the kitchen. When she first came to town, she lived here, but did some cooking for Jo over at the diner. Sold her all kinds of baked goods. Jo still moans over losing Lexie to this bed-and-breakfast."

  David readjusted his stance, leaning against the counter near the coffee machine. Things could get interesting with her family here. Damn it, he didn't need Marc interfering with his plan. He set his mug on the counter. "I'm going upstairs to see if Lexie needs any help with Sarah."

  Mrs. J. sighed, cracking eggs into a bowl. "Yes, I saw the way that child was dressed. She needs some coordination, doesn't she? And it's much too cold for shorts. My goodness—"

  "I'm sure the gal's helping the young'un change. That child was bustin' her buttons this morning for dressing herself and letting her momma sleep."

  David blessed the old man's defense as he climbed the back stairs. Lexie was a good mother.

  He rapped on Sarah's door, then popped his head in. "Hey, there. Can I come in?"

  "Wait!" Sarah yelped. "I'm not dressed!"

  "Okay, my eyes are closed."

  "Just a second." Lexie helped the child pull up a pair of jeans and snap them. "Okay, come on in."

  "Momma says I can get a pumpkin today. So I hafta wear long pants."

  "That sounds like a good idea." David picked up the discarded shorts from the floor and tossed them on the twin bed. "Can I come get a pumpkin, too?"

  Sarah tapped her chin with one finger. "Well … will you buy a huge-mongous pumpkin?"

  "Humongous?"

  "That means big." She spread her arms wide to demonstrate. "I want a huge-mongous pumpkin, but Momma says they're too 'spensive."

  A deep pink color stole across Lexie's cheeks.

  "I'll buy you whatever pumpkin you want," he said.

  "Then you can come." Sarah flashed a smile at Lexie. "Right, Momma?"

  "I suppose." Lexie rose to her feet. "Now, I'm going to see my family."

  Sarah looked at David. "Is that my grandma? Momma says I gots to ask you."

  "She did, huh?" He lifted an eyebrow at Lexie. "Well, actually, she and I need to talk about that. Think you could run downstairs and get some breakfast while we chat?"

  Sarah's mouth drooped, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. "Uh-uh."

  "All right, then we'll just go next door and talk, okay? And you can stay here…" David glanced around her room for inspiration. A pad of paper and a box of crayons sat on a small des
k in the corner. "You can draw a picture of the humongous pumpkin while you wait for us, okay?"

  "Okay."

  He took Lexie's hand and pulled her toward her bedroom.

  "David, what's this about? I haven't seen my family in four and a half years, and—"

  "And they can wait just a few more minutes. This is really important. This is about your future role in Sarah's life."

  She followed quietly, without resisting his tugs anymore. He shut the door behind them. For a moment, he debated how to go about this. It wasn't exactly real, but would she feel cheated if he didn't go all the way?

  Nah. She'd become much more practical.

  "Well?" she prodded.

  "Okay." He took a deep breath. "Lexie, we— I— Let's get married."

  She blinked. Repeatedly. "W-what did you say?"

  "Marry me."

  Her eyes glazed over, and she blinked a few more times. "Marry you?"

  "Yes, don't you see? It's the perfect idea, the perfect solution. Debugs all the glitches. We get married, you can still be Sarah's mom, I'm her full-time dad. I don't have to worry about how I'm going to take care of her, she doesn't have to go to day care… Your mom can be her grandma. Everybody's happy."

  Except Lexie didn't look happy. No smile. Blank expression. Her mouth kind of hung open. She looked as if he'd punched her in the stomach without warning rather than proposed to her.

  "You want to marry me?"

  He nodded. "Lexie, I've realized that motherhood—or fatherhood, for that matter—is more than a strand of DNA. You are her mother, no matter what those tests say. And you're a good one. I don't want to hurt Sarah by yanking her away from you."

  "You want to marry me?"

  "Why is that so hard to understand?"

  She tipped her head up, locking eyes with him. A glimmer of—hope?—sparkled in the green depths. "I haven't heard the magic word."

  He raised his eyebrows. "Please?"

  She sighed. "No, that's not it."

  "Then what?"

  "Do you love me, David?" she whispered. "Is that what last night was all about?"

  Love? Oh, hell. "Uh … um… I care about you, Lex. A lot. I always have. I care about your family, and I want to make things right."

  "Oh." Her shoulders slumped forward. "Oh." She nodded. "Now I get it. This is about making sure Marc doesn't beat you up if he finds out about last night. Well, you don't have to worry, I wasn't planning on telling anyone!" She spun toward the door.

  He grabbed her wrist. "That's not it, Lexie, and you know it. Last night was special. There's incredible chemistry between us. I think it's been there, simmering, for years. And I do care about you. I think it could be really good between us, Lex.

  "You said yourself that you'd stopped dreaming and believing in fairy tales. I think a marriage based on mutual caring, enhanced with the attraction between us, with neither one of us having false, pie-in-the-sky expectations, would be built to last. Don't you?"

  "Built to last. You make it sound like a truck." Lexie tugged on her wrist. "Let go. Don't make me kick you again."

  "I'm not letting you go yet." He pulled her into his arms, then kissed her. A soft, coaxing, slow-burn kind of kiss. He nibbled on her lips until she parted them, allowing him deeper access. His mouth glided over the line of her jaw, then planted teasing kisses down her throat. She moaned softly.

  He nuzzled the hollow of her neck. "Don't answer me now, Lexie. Take today." He trailed his tongue along her collarbone. "Think about it. Think about this." His hands wandered down her back to cup her butt, pull her flush against the ridge of his arousal. "And this. And how good last night was."

  He let her go, then gently stroked the back of his fingers over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open.

  "Think about Sarah. Isn't her love enough? I'm offering you the chance to be her mother forever."

  Sarah barged into the room. "No more talking. I'm hungry. And I wanna get a huge-mongous pumpkin."

  "Think about it, Lex." Without another word, he turned from her and headed for his daughter, who needed breakfast and a humongous pumpkin.

  And a mother.

  Hopefully Lexie wouldn't let either of them down.

  Lexie forced another bite of ham-and-cheese omelette down her throat. It landed like a boulder in her stomach, along with the other bits she'd managed to swallow to please her mother.

  How quickly she'd reverted to the child role herself, doing what pleased her mom. The joy she felt being with her family again was tempered by the awkward realities of the reunion.

  David lurked on the edges of the gathering, skulking near the counters, trading barbed looks with Marc, who sat opposite her at the table. Sarah squirmed on Lexie's lap, still hesitant, uncertain with this group of quasi-family.

  "Honey, it's hard for your momma to eat with you wiggling on her like that. Why don't you come sit with me?" Lexie's mom held her arms out.

  Sarah pressed her face harder against Lexie's shoulder, shaking her head. The fork slipped from Lexie's fingers. "It's okay, Mom. I'm really not that hungry anyway. But thanks for making breakfast. This is my second breakfast today. Wow, I must really rate. Everybody's trying to take care of me today."

  Just like old times, her family had ridden in, and they were looking after "Little Lexie." Despite the fact that she'd missed them horribly and was thrilled to see them, it felt … wrong. She was a big girl now, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. As well as Sarah.

  And Pappy. Don't forget Pappy. He looked almost as lost and left out in the confusion as David.

  "Isn't it time to head off for the pumpkin patch?" David asked.

  "Yeah." Sarah sat up, taking Lexie's face in her hands. "Right, Momma? It's time? Let's go get the pumpkins." Sarah forced Lexie's head into an up-and-down motion. "See? She said yes." Sarah scrambled off her lap and raced to the back door, plucking her jacket from the low hooks Pappy had installed especially for her.

  Chuckling, Lexie pushed back from the table. "Not so fast. I have to clean up first. You know the rules."

  Sarah folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "Momma says clear your dishes."

  "That's okay, honey," her mother said. "I can get—"

  "I can get it, too, Mom. Thanks."

  "Sweetheart…" Her dad rose from his chair and laid his hands on his wife's shoulders, gently massaging. "This is Lexie's kitchen." He laughed, leaning over and kissing her mother on the cheek. "Pretend you're actually on vacation unless she asks you to do something, okay?"

  Her mom's eyes sparkled as she caressed his face. "Anything you say, love."

  Marc groaned. "Did you have to give them the honeymoon suite, Lex? Like they don't act enough like lovesick teenagers without your encouragement?"

  "Actually, I think it's pretty fantastic that they still feel like that after all this time."

  "Watch it, there. All this time? You make it sound like we're old fogies or something," her dad said.

  "I'm the old fogy," Pappy said. "You two still got plenty of time ahead of ya. Don't listen to the young folks." He ran his fingers through his white hair. "Just cause there's snow on the roof don't mean there ain't still fire in the furnace, huh?"

  "Pappy!" Lexie said. "Okay, now we're going places I don't want to go. Stop it. All of you."

  Her dad gave her mother a long, lingering kiss.

  Lexie's heart clenched. They loved each other so much, even after thirty-six years of marriage. That's what she wanted. Not some marriage of convenience. David's convenience.

  She might not believe in dreams anymore, but she still wanted love.

  "Yep, they're your parents. Just like Fallyn said. Mommas and daddies kiss. Just like you and David did," Sarah pronounced.

  The entire kitchen went still.

  Three pairs of eyes drilled into Lexie.

  She forced a dry chuckle and tried to keep the plate from slipping out of her trembling hands. She carefully set it in the sink.

  Marc shoved
his chair backward, his gaze now locked on David.

  "Spare us the macho-brother demo, Marc, okay?" Lexie ambled for the back door, her leisurely motion belying her emotions. She grabbed her navy fleece jacket. "I kissed him. So what? I've wanted to kiss him for years, and I did." She squinted at him, sending a pointed message—Butt out, big brother. "That's what mothers and fathers do." She jerked her head toward Sarah. "Get over it."

  She knelt down and zipped the child's coat.

  "Did I say somethin' wrong, Momma?"

  "No, baby. You told the truth, and that's never wrong." She gathered the little girl into a hug, then stood, taking her by the hand. "We're going to get some pumpkins. Who's coming with us?"

  "I am." David slipped on his coat.

  "Anybody else?" Lexie asked the still-stunned kitchen occupants. Pappy offered her a wink and a covert thumbs-up. She smiled, pulling back her shoulders.

  "I think we'll just get settled in here," her dad said. "Maybe unpack. You kids go on."

  "Take the truck, Missy. Don't forget the hay bales and the cornstalks."

  "You got it, Pappy."

  "I'm getting a huge-mongous pumpkin," Sarah reminded everyone.

  And Lexie was getting a huge-mongous … headache.

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  « ^ »

  "Stop here for just a minute." Lexie pointed out the windshield, directing David to stop the truck on Main Street

  in front of Al's Market, the small grocery store.

  Sarah yanked on her seat belt. "Can I come too?"

  Lexie kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be right back, baby. Stay here."

  David watched the sway of her butt in her faded jeans as she dashed into the store. He loved the way she'd stood up to her brother.

  Her kisses, her touch … she made him crazy, in a way he'd never thought possible. Last night had been incredible. The idea of losing her when he'd just realized how perfect they could be … it didn't sit well. He'd have to convince her that his idea was best for all of them.

  "David?"

  He turned to face the child in the seat beside him. "I'd like it if you'd call me Daddy."

  "David?"