by Diana Currie
"I'm so happy to finally meet you, Amanda," she chirps. "Alexander and I have been trying to get out here for weeks to meet Adam's new girlfriend."
My eyes fly to Adam's face which is suddenly covered in guilt. He must have talked to his brother about me, so the cat is already out of the bag. Caroline and Gregory don't look shocked either. Did they all know?
"Xander, I told you not to say anything to your big mouthed wife," Adam says somewhat seriously.
Alexander puts his hands up defensively. "Dude, the second she knew I was keeping something from her she grabbed both my pinkie fingers and twisted them so hard I thought she'd break my fingers."
"Paige, I thought you promised to stop beating up my brother," Adam laughs.
Paige shrugs with a bright smile. "I thought maybe the secret was about me," she says innocently. "I didn't mean any harm, and no one else knows. Well, besides your parents. And Bianca and Andrew."
"Is there anyone left?" Adam replies playfully.
I decide right then and there that Paige is my new best friend. Not only is she crazy in a lovable way but she has singlehandedly removed the pressure I was feeling until a moment ago. I don't need to worry any longer about how Adam's family will react to the news of our relationship. They all know, and yet welcomed me here today anyway.
Adam sighs and places his hand lightly on my shoulder. "Well, this is apparently not news any longer, but mom and dad, Amanda and I are a couple now."
Gregory smiles warmly. "We're very happy to hear that. Again." He looks pointedly at Paige and she grins.
"It's wonderful news," Caroline agrees. "Adam is very lucky to have found you when he did."
"Thank you, Caroline," I reply bashfully. "I feel lucky too."
"Alright, quit embarrassing my girlfriend," Adam chides. "You've made all this food, so let's eat!"
I look over at Tyler and Gabby to see they are happily filling their bellies with Caroline's food. Everyone else starts making up plates and then carries them out to the living room. I follow Adam's lead, placing a number of yummy items on my plate and taking a seat next to him on the sofa. Gabby and Tyler come too, sitting on the floor in the middle of the room and dumping their bag of toys onto the beige carpet. I’m glad I didn’t let them bring their markers and coloring books.
"So how long have you lived in Swainsboro, Amanda?" Paige asks.
"Since birth. My parents grew up here too. My father's the pastor."
"And your mom?"
"Um, left a long time ago. She moved out of state but I talk to her occasionally."
The only subject I want to discuss less than my mother would be my divorce. Paige can see she's hit a sore spot and quickly changes the subject to the B&B. I tell her about the house and how much I enjoy working there. Caroline happily describes her visit to Thatcher's and says how interesting the history of the home was to her and Bianca. Meanwhile Gregory is engaging his sons in a conversation about the house Andrew's building and how far construction has come in the past weeks. When that topic is exhausted they move on to baseball talk and the NFL preseason.
"How are things at the gallery?" Paige asks Caroline.
"Very good. I'm busy sorting through all the entries, deciding which pieces to use for the winter gala. It's really going to be fabulous this year. I hope you and Bianca can be there."
I don't understand what they are talking about so I just sit with my hands in my lap hoping one of them will explain. Paige asks a few more questions and it becomes clear they are discussing some kind of art gallery Caroline is associated with. It can't possibly be located in Swainsboro so she must be talking about a place in Atlanta or maybe Augusta. My attention starts to drift back to the guys' conversation when Caroline touches my forearm lightly.
"Have you ever taken your kids to the Winter Gala, Amanda?"
"Um, no. What is it?"
"Oh, they would love it! It’s in Savannah. River Street is transformed into a winter wonderland; garland strung along every storefront and Christmas lights hung everywhere. A giant evergreen is decorated in the center of the Riverfront Plaza. It's going to be beautiful this year; the fourth annual."
"Really? It sounds wonderful. I'm surprised I've never heard of it before."
"The gallery where I volunteer helps sponsor it. Local artists can showcase their work and the local businesses get a lot of customers."
"I had no idea Savannah had an art gallery. I haven't been to one since my senior class trip to Atlanta," I say.
Caroline's eyes light up; she is clearly thrilled to see my interest. "You must come by sometime and I'll give you a special tour. We have some very old Native American works that are stunning. Are you interested in art?"
"Yes. I was thinking of studying it in college before I got married. I'd love to come see the gallery."
"Well then you should really consider coming to the Winter Gala. It's a great time; lots of holiday music and amazing food. We put all our local artist pieces on display and it's the best time of year to see the collection. It's perfect for children Tyler and Gabby's ages too. They have reindeer for the kids to pet and feed carrots. They get to decorate stockings and Santa and his elves are there too.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely try to make it this year.”
“You must do things like that with them while they're little. They grow so quickly," Caroline adds.
"Yes, you're right about that. I feel like Tyler was just born a year or so ago and he's starting kindergarten in the fall. It goes by so fast."
I see Caroline glance over at Adam and Alexander and then back to me. "Just wait until they're twenty seven and twenty five. I look at those two grown men over there and you know what I see?"
I shake my head.
"I see my babies waking me up in the middle of the night with bad dreams. I see five year olds learning to ride their bikes, hugging me goodbye at the bus stop each morning, and arguing with me about everything from video games to CCD classes. No matter how much taller than me they get, they'll still never be grown up in my eyes."
"Tyler getting taller than me is a frightening thought," I reply with a smile.
Caroline nods. "It's difficult when they become independent, that's for sure. But he'll still be your baby. They don't understand it, but someday when they're looking at their own babies they'll know how it feels."
Paige snickers. "Having Amanda's kids here had thrown you into full blown grandbaby fever, hasn't it?"
"Then why don't you give me one, Miss Smarty Pants," Caroline replies.
I watch as Paige's eyes widen. "Give me a little more time and you'll have one! Xander and I still spend so many nights and weekends working it doesn't seem fair to have a baby under those circumstances."
"I will come babysit anytime you want," Caroline says as if that solves the problem.
Paige rolls her eyes and smiles. "I hope Bianca gets pregnant soon. It'll take the pressure off me for a while!"
Glancing over at Adam I see he is talking to his father but Alexander is no longer in the room. Tyler and Gabby are sitting side by side cross legged on the floor looking expectantly at a closed door on the far side of the room near the hall. Adam's parents are great and he seems comfortable here. I still wonder why he's spending the money on the B&B when Caroline clearly adores him and Gregory couldn't be prouder of his son. I remember Adam telling me once that his parents are much more pleasant when he is making decisions of which they approve. I hope that means they accept me and my children into Adam's life. I've never had much family; just my parents and Aunt Patty are still living, so I really envy Adam's good fortune. The Brickman's seem to be a good family to belong to.
"Where did Alexander go?" Paige asks.
The door to Gregory's office opens and Alexander comes out wearing a black satin top hat and a long flowing cape.
“Oh, no," Caroline replies. "My son, Alexander Copperfield."
Paige giggles. "I'm a spectator today, right babe?"
Alexander looks at his
wife as he slides white gloves onto his hands. "Yes, dear. I'm just going to give the kids here a little taste of Alexander the Magnificent."
I look at Adam and he beams at me. "Told you," he whispers and winks.
My hand finds his and we link fingers in what feels like a very natural way. I lean back against the sofa and watch the excitement on my children's faces as Alexander walks into the center of the living room. He has a purple crush velvet bag in one hand and I find myself equally intrigued to see what Alexander the Magnificent can do.
"Welcome Tyler and Gabrielle Miller to the best magic show you've ever seen."
"I've never seen magic before," Gabby says bouncing up and down on the carpet.
Alexander smiles. "Then I am sure this will be the best one!"
He pulls a soft red ball from his magic bag and shows it to the kids. "This is a very special ball. It can change to any color you desire just by a wave of my magic wand. I need to hold the ball so can you guys wave the wands?"
Tyler and Gabby nod their heads. Alexander hands them each a plastic black wand with a white tip. "Okay, what color should we turn the ball to?"
"Green!" "No, yellow!"
"Let's do green first and then yellow. Now wave those wands and think green!"
Tyler and Gabby wave their wands fiercely in Alexander's direction while he squeezes the ball tightly in his fist. When he opens it the ball is still red but now there are two of them. I'm as surprised as the kids and Adam chuckles beside me. I can tell he's seen this trick before.
"You guys were supposed to think green! Look what you did to my magic ball!" Alexander exclaims. Tyler and Gabby laugh, amazed by what their wands have done. "Okay, let's try this again. Now I want you to wave your magic wands and think the color yellow. Okay? Yellow… not two red balls!"
The kids laugh and wave their wands again with even more excitement. Alexander holds both red balls tightly in his fist and when he opens it again there are three red balls in his hand.
Gabby gasps. Tyler groans. "I was thinking yellow!" he complains.
Alexander replies, "What did you guys do, break my wands?" They shake their heads. "One more time. I'm serious now! Here, let me sprinkle a little magic pixie dust on your wands to give them extra power."
He sprinkles confetti over the kids and squeezes the three red balls in his fist. "I'm going to need everyone in the room to participate now. We need all the magic we can gather to fix my magic ball. Everyone in the room think One Red Ball. Say it with me. One Red Ball!"
"One red ball," we all say in unison.
When Alexander opens his hand the three balls have come together once again and formed the original sized red ball that he started with.
"It worked!" Gabby shrieks in delight. She turns around to find me watching her. “Mommy, did you see that?”
“Yes, baby. I saw it!” I laugh at her enthusiasm.
Adam tightens his hand around mine. He's watching the kids as they get up to inspect the ball Alexander is holding out for them. They are clearly amazed and ask for more tricks. Alexander the Magnificent is happy to indulge them; following the ball routine with one involving scarves, another with the top hat, and a final trick with rings. I am just as entertained as Tyler and Gabby and find myself clapping along when he bows and thanks them for being such a wonderful audience.
Caroline stands to clear some of the plates and Paige jumps up to help her while Gregory stands and stretches his back. "Well, I feel like I need to work off some of those appetizers we just ate. Adam, Alexander, what do you say to a little touch football out back?"
I look at Adam surprised but he seems to have been expecting this. "Absolutely. But we need a fourth, don't we?" He stands and presses his hands together cracking his knuckles.
"Hmmm, you're right. Andrew's not here today." Gregory's eyes sparkle as he looks over to my son. "Hey, Tyler? Do you know how to catch a football?"
"Not really."
"That's okay, neither does Alexander," he teases waving at Tyler to join the other guys.
Adam laughs at his fathers' joke and Alexander pushes his shoulder playfully. It's funny to watch since Alexander is still wearing his black magician's cape and white gloves.
Gregory and Alexander start walking to the back door and Adam smiles at me. "You okay?" he mouths. I nod my head and grin back at him. I like seeing him bonding with his family.
Gabby walks over to me and tugs on my shirt. "Can I play too?"
I know I need to find a gentle way of saying no to her or she'll start to cry and I'll be very embarrassed. I don't want her playing football with grown men because she might get hurt, but Gabby always wants to do everything her brother is doing. I know she'll see this as unfair and I can understand how she feels left out.
Luckily, Caroline has raised three children and she knows as well as I do that Gabby is feeling excluded from a fun activity. "Hey, Gabrielle? I taught Adam how to play the piano when he was about your age. Do you want me to show you a little?"
Gabby's gaze turns towards the giant piano against the far wall and her eyes widen. "I can play it?"
Caroline smiles and hands the dirty plates in her hand to Paige. "Absolutely. Come on, I'll show you my favorite songs."
Gabby follows her happily, completely forgetting the guys as they go out to the back yard. Wanting to make myself useful I help Paige pick up the remainder of the plates and glasses and follow her to the kitchen. We can see the football game from the window over the sink and I smile when I see Adam has taken Tyler as his teammate.
"Are you having a good time?" Paige asks conversationally.
"Yes. The Brickman's are great and have been so nice to me."
"Yeah, I couldn't ask for better in-laws. But did you really expect them to be any other way, considering the way Adam feels about you?"
I blush. "I think I'm still getting used to the way Adam feels about me."
"What do you mean?" she asks as she stacks the dishwasher.
"I thought that when I started to date again the hardest part would be finding a man accepting of my family. So I was kind of surprised Adam didn't mind that I have two kids. They can be a handful sometimes but it doesn't seem to bother him at all."
"They might have been part of what drew him to you," Paige suggests.
"Why is that?" I ask confused.
She looks at me innocently. "Because you're so different from Lindsey. Just a thought," she says flippantly. "Come on; let's watch the guys’ game from the other window."
I follow Paige to the large picture window by the kitchen table and take a seat across from her. It never occurred to me before that my being a mother might have been a positive quality in Adam's mind. I remember when we went to look at houses together he mentioned wanting one big enough to raise a family. He couldn't have meant mine, right? The thought that Adam has been thinking so seriously about me since the first week I knew him is a little hard to wrap my head around.
We watch the football game through the window and laugh often. Alexander misses quite a few catches and Tyler erupts into a fit of giggles every time Gregory grabs his hair in frustration. Adam does everything he can to help my baby out but they still end up losing by one touchdown.
When it’s time to leave I thank Caroline for inviting us to her family party. She doesn't say it, but I can tell by the way she graciously accepts my thanks that they are unnecessary. She's treated me and the kids like part of the family all afternoon and I’m really grateful for her hospitality.
"Alexander, maybe you could come do your magic show for Tyler's next birthday," I say after he hugs me goodbye.
"When does the little man turn six?" he asks with a smile.
"October."
"I'll put it on my calendar. It was great meeting you today, Amanda."
"You too."
The drive back to Thatcher's is only fifteen minutes but after such a long and exciting day it's enough for Gabby and Tyler to fall asleep in the backseat of the car. I decide to leave th
e engine running and walk Adam to the front door. He holds my hand as we walk up the driveway and I wish I'd thought to invite him back to the house instead of bringing him here. We didn't get much time to talk today; we were both so busy talking to the rest of his family.
"Did you like Xander and Paige?" he asks as we climb the porch steps.
"Yes, of course I did. Paige was just as friendly and chatty as you said she would be and Alexander was great too. He really impressed the kids with the magic show." Adam smiles but something on his face looks troubled. "What's the matter?"
He waits a moment before speaking as if he's deciding whether or not to ask his question. "Do Tyler and Gabby really like me?"
"Yes, they adore you. Why do you think they might not?"
Adam shrugs. "I could never make them laugh the way Alexander did today. Andrew has always been fun loving and adventurous. Alexander is outgoing and eccentric. I've always felt like the boring brother; so serious and static in comparison."
"Adam, you are anything but static or uninteresting. The kids like you very much. I swear."
"How are they handling our relationship? I want to make sure they aren't confused or unhappy."
I sigh looking at his worried face and can't help but raise my hand to cup his cheek. It's soft yet covered in light stubble. "Tyler and Gabrielle are adjusting better than I expected. They like you," I say sincerely hoping to reassure him.
Adam's eyes close briefly and then open again, meeting mine with an intense gaze. "Sometimes I worry about how close I should allow myself to get. I know I'm not their father and I certainly don't want Tommy to feel like his toes are getting stepped on. I don't know when it's okay to correct Tyler if he does something wrong or hug Gabby when she gets a boo boo."