Now he was asking her to marry him...because his ex-wife had nude photos of them.
“Becca?”
“I don’t want this to be about the photos,” she whispered. “I love you, Eli.”
He pulled his class ring off his finger and slipped it over her thumb with a sheepish grin. “It’s all I’ve got right now. We can get a real ring tomorrow. But I want you to know, everyone to know, you’re mine.” He swallowed. “You did say yes, right?”
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him to her. “Oh yes! And Eli? I don’t care about Heather. You and I will get through this. When it’s over, we can all be a family. You, me, and Bash.”
“God I love you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s tell Bash!”
He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side. When they stepped out onto the deck, Eli’s parents looked over at them expectantly. Becca held up her thumb with Eli’s class ring on it and grinned. He smiled down at her and ducked his head to kiss her softly on the mouth.
“Congratulations!” Jane said, tears in her eyes.
Eli’s arm tightened around Becca’s shoulders. “It’s not just for show,” he told his parents. “I just want y’all to know that.”
Greg slapped Eli on the back and leaned down to give Becca a kiss on the cheek. “Even better.”
Bash set his cars aside and bounced over to tug on Eli’s hand. “Why’s Gwamps kissin’ on Becca? Did he ask you?”
Eli dropped to a squat and rested his arms on his thighs. “I asked Becca to marry me, and she said yes.”
Bash’s eyes rounded as he turned his face up to Becca’s. “Will you marry me too?”
Becca laughed. Suddenly all the potential problems with Heather faded into the background. “Oh Bash, that’s the best part. I get to marry your daddy and you’re a part of the deal. Can I come live with both of you?”
Bash extended his arms, and Becca swung him up onto her hip. He wrapped his sturdy legs around her and hugged her with his chubby arms. “Will you be my mommy?”
Becca sneaked a glance at Eli, whose eyes were bright, and saw him nod imperceptibly.
“Yes, baby. If you want me to. I would love to be your mommy.”
Bash leaned back and smiled into her face, his blue eyes sparkling and his dimples flashing. “Can I pwactice? Call you mommy now?”
She stroked the hair off his forehead. This was a little uncertain territory, and she was afraid what might happen if word got back to Eli’s ex. Eli came to her rescue.
“You can practice when we’re at our house, but when we’re around other people, you better still call her Becca for now. They might get confused.”
“How ‘bout here?”
“Mama’s fine.”
Bash grinned at her. “Becca Mama.”
She blinked, afraid for a moment she’d start bawling. It sounded wonderful, more wonderful than she could have imagined. Bash gave her a smacking kiss on the lips and Becca giggled. Eli laughed too.
They spent the afternoon at his parents, eating a late lunch and swimming in the pool. Becca knew Greg and Jane Mercer casually. After all, Caleb and Noah had spent a fair amount of time over here while they were all growing up, and Greg and Jane both had been involved in running Mercer’s until Eli took over.
They kept the conversation light, and off the topic of Heather after Eli assured his parents he would talk to both Jake and Sam. Eli’s father now understood why his son was so insistent about putting in an alarm system even in a rental house.
When they left around five, Bash very quickly fell asleep in his booster seat. Eli took her hand. “Dad said he’d take over for me tomorrow so we can have the day together. Mom’s going to watch Bash. That way we can shop for a ring. When do you want to tell your family?”
Becca grinned. “Now if you’re up for it. They were all getting together at Luke and Rachel’s house. I’ll need to call Mom and Dad too.”
“You really are okay with this?” Eli asked.
There it was again, that uncertainty. She had the feeling that if he could ever get past Heather’s head job on him, he would be a lot more like the man who’d bent her over a chair and made love to her right in front of the window. But no matter, she loved him either way.
“I am so okay with this it’s not even funny.”
“I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.”
Becca laughed softly. “And both our parents would kill us. You, because you’re an only child, and me because I’m the baby and the only girl. No, I have the feeling we’re going to have to go for an event...not just a wedding.”
They pulled up in front of Luke’s house. The driveway was already full. It seemed there was not only a full contingent of Allreds, but Richardsons as well. As soon as the engine stopped, Bash stirred in the back seat.
“Come on, buddy,” Eli said softly as he turned around to put his hand on his son’s knee. “We’re stopping by Dr. Luke’s house so we can tell everyone we’re marrying Becca.”
The most beautiful smile spread over Bash’s face. Could there be anything to make her feel better than seeing that? She answered her own question when she glanced at Eli and saw the tender, gentle look on his face. Yes. Yes, there could.
“Ready?” she asked him.
“Yes. I am.” And he laughed.
****
As soon as they got out of the SUV, they heard laughter coming from the back yard. Eli’s gut tightened. It sounded like half the town was there. “Are they really all here?”
“I think. I see Stoner’s vehicle, Sam’s truck, Ev’s, Jake’s and I guess that must be Caleb’s. There must be about twenty-five in all.”
Eli blew out a shaky breath. “Well it will save us having to announce it in the paper...or Facebook. We can take care of everyone knowing right now.”
Becca giggled. “I could pick up the phone and call Betty Gatewood, then we truly would have it covered.”
Hell no. “I think we can forgo another round with the church ladies.”
As they neared the corner of the house, Jared and Tyler came flying around and skidded to a halt.
“Hey, Aunt Becca,” Jared greeted with a grin. “I didn’t expect you. I told everyone you were at Eli’s. They’ll be glad to see you. The senator was asking about you just a little while ago.”
“Is everybody here?”
“Joe’s at evening services. He should be here in about a half hour.”
“Where are you two headed?” Becca’s gaze shifted from one to the other.
“Uncle Caleb’s going to ride with us and let us drive his Subaru to Jake’s and back so we can practice.”
Caleb strolled around the corner of the house just then and stopped dead when he saw them. “I thought you all were going to the Mercers’.”
“We did. Now we’re here.” Eli knew he sounded abrupt, but facing down every Allred in the area all at the same time was no easy task.
Caleb shifted. “I don’t know if this is really the place to talk to Sam and Jake...”
“Oh, we’ll talk to them tomorrow,” Becca assured him. “Can’t we just drop in to spend a little quality time with our family?”
Caleb’s glance slid between the two of them. “Y’all are up to something.”
Eli liked having Caleb at a disadvantage for a change. “Don’t be gone too long or you’ll miss finding out what.”
Caleb eyed them both suspiciously, pursed his lips, and stalked by. They stood for a minute watching as Tyler slid behind the wheel and buckled up while Jared got in the back. Caleb rolled his eyes and disappeared into the passenger side.
“Better him than me,” Eli mumbled.
Becca tugged his hand. “Let’s go. I’d like to wait until everyone’s here, but we’ll be lucky if we can do that.”
As soon as they reached the back yard, Bash wiggled down and made a beeline for Peter and the twins. They were playing with cars in the sandbox. Bash began digging in the pockets of his shor
ts and produced about four cars.
Rachel was the first to see them when she came out the back door with a tray of fresh vegetables and dip. “Becca! Eli! We’re so glad to see you. Would you like something to drink?”
Evan, Jake, and Luke sat with Stoner and Sam playing cards. They waved Eli over to the table. “Take Caleb’s place.” Luke pointed to the empty chair. “You can join us losing money watching Sam and the Senator out-poker-face each other.”
Eli arched a brow at Becca. She smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll see if I can help with anything inside.”
Eli sat in Caleb’s empty chair and accepted the beer Evan handed his way. “A quarter gets you in.”
Eli fished in his pocket and tossed a quarter on the table. He discovered in pretty short order that he was in way over his head...again. Things got even worse when Joe joined them, hanging his coat and tie on the back of a chair. The preacher was even harder to read than Sam or Stoner. Good hand or bad, Joe kept a smile on his face.
After emptying his pockets of change, Eli tossed his cards in. “Y’all are still way out of my league. I’m going into the kitchen where I know I can help.”
As soon as he walked in, Holly stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. “Welcome to the family.”
His eyes skittered to Becca. “You told them?”
Becca rolled her eyes. “You can’t keep a secret in this family. Tabby’s too observant for mere mortals, and what she doesn’t notice, her daughter does. Holly, Jenny, Rachel, and Erin just smile and claim it’s women’s intuition.”
He looked around at all the women. “You’re serious.”
“Perfectly.”
Tabby patted his arm in commiseration. “You can tell the men after dinner. They’ll still be surprised.”
Eli went to work slicing vegetables for the enormous tossed salad Rachel wanted. He listened to the laughter and chatter surrounding him, letting their lighthearted banter soothe him. When he finished chopping the vegetables, Eli wandered over to where Becca was fluting the edges of the pie crust she’d created.
“That looks great. You look great.” He kissed her cheek. “Your family’s great.”
Becca laughed and glanced up. “You’re awfully upbeat all of a sudden.”
He leaned against the counter. “Just absorbing the atmosphere. You know, I loved being around your family when I was a kid. Not only because of you, but because they were loud and boisterous, and what I always wanted my family to be.”
Becca’s head tilted to one side. “But Eli, your folks are wonderful.”
“I know. I’m not knocking them, and I’m sure given a choice they would have had more kids. But your family was what I always imagined families to be. Even now, as much as you might resent it sometimes, your brothers are there for you. They’ll rally around and support each other no matter what.”
She leaned forward to touch her mouth to his. “They’ll support you too. Watch.”
And they did. Becca made the announcement right after Joe said the blessing for dinner. There were several minutes of back slapping and hugs, but then everyone got down to the business of eating. Bash looked up from his plate to see everyone perched wherever they could find a chair. After looking around at them all, he turned to Becca.
“Can everyone be my family too?”
Becca grinned at him. “Every one, family and friends.”
“Wow.” He took another bite of his hot dog, chewed and swallowed. “I’m gonna like this.”
Eli’s tension eased. He looked around and wanted to say, “Me too.”
Later, as they pulled into the drive to his house, Eli murmured, “Come in for a bit. We can have some grown up time after Bash gets his bath and goes to bed.”
Becca’s smile was slow and sexy. “Mm. I like the sound of that.”
He leaned over to kiss her just as a car halted in the drive behind them. Eli glanced into the rearview mirror in consternation. Who...the thought died in his mind as he saw a bleached blond Heather getting out of the driver’s side.
“Becca. Get Bash. Take him in the house.”
“Wha...”
“It’s Heather. She’s here.”
Becca didn’t question. She didn’t hesitate. Even as he was getting out of the car, Becca was too. He heard her speak quietly to Bash as she opened his door and helped him undo the buckle on his booster seat.
Heather glared at them. From several feet away, he already smelled the booze on her.
“Heather,” Eli said quietly, afraid of setting her off. “You can’t be here.”
She looked around her. “Looks like I am.” Her face lit up in a saccharine smile as her head swiveled to Bash. “Hi baby. Come here and give Mommy a hug.”
Eli’s gaze swung just in time to see Bash wrap his arms around Becca’s hips and hide behind her.
“Do I haf to, Becca Mama?”
As Becca bent and swung Bash up into her arms, Heather’s eyes narrowed spitefully. There was no doubt she’d heard exactly what Bash said.
“Get him inside, Becca,” Eli ordered quietly. He knew the explosion was coming and just hoped Heather would wait until Bash couldn’t hear, but that was futile.
“My son calls that slut Mama?”
Eli cast a desperate look over his shoulder. For just a second, he locked glances with Becca, then noticed she had her hand covering the ear Bash didn’t have already resting against her chest. Some of the tightness in his chest eased. He swung his gaze back to Heather, eyes narrowed.
“The restraining order I took out at the coast still applies here, Heather. You’re in violation of it. You have one minute to get off my property.”
She pulled out a thick envelope from her purse. “Don’t you want to see the pictures I have of my trip so far?” She threw them at him. When they fell to the ground, Eli glanced down to see shots of Becca and him as they made love on his porch. Heather had taken something beautiful and cheapened it. “Those are just copies of course. I still have the originals of you and your cow.”
“My fiancée,” Eli interjected quietly. “And we already know about your filth. But even in a town as small as this one, engaged couples get some latitude in how they behave. Keep your poison, Heather. You won’t get any more money out of me.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Becca’s older brother is the chief of police. We just left him at his brother’s house a couple of blocks over, and your minute is just about gone.”
Heather yanked open the door of her small sedan. “You won’t cut me off, and you won’t cut me out of Bash’s life. I’m still his mother.”
“You were never a mother, just an incubator, and God knows you didn’t even want to do that.”
“Fuck. You.”
She slammed the door and reversed out of the driveway with a squeal of rubber on pavement. Eli closed his eyes as he listened to the angry roar of the engine accelerating down the street. When he opened them, he gazed on the scattered images of Becca loving him. Eli gathered the photos together and stalked around to the back of the house where the grill was sitting on the deck. He set the photos on it and lit the burners. As the edges blackened and curled and the acrid smoke stung his nostrils and his eyes, Eli felt empty inside. Hollow. And he wondered if he would ever be filled again.
* * * *
Becca heard Heather’s car race away from the house. She stepped back into the bathroom where Bash was playing with a rubber porpoise and a smaller shark.
“Who’s winning?” she asked after watching the obvious sea battle in progress.
Without looking up at her, Bash said, “The dolphin because it’s nice and good. The shawk is mean. It’s twying to hurt the dolphin babies.”
Becca swallowed and knelt down next to the tub. “She’s gone Bash. She won’t come in to hurt you. Is that what you thought?”
Tears welled in his deep blue eyes. “She scares me.”
Becca touched the curls on his head. “Your daddy will protect you. So will I.”
“I love you.”
She dried him off, found his pajamas and then they went in search of Eli. He stood on the deck in back, his hands jammed in his pockets and his broad shoulders stiff.
“Eli?”
He turned. Becca’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the wounded, empty look there. He looked even more injured than his son. She offered a tentative smile. “Bash came out to say good night. Do you want to put him to bed or should I?”
He swallowed, tried to smile. “You.”
He hugged his son, ruffled his hair, and then just held him against him for a minute while he breathed. When he handed him back, Becca saw a little more life in his dark eyes. She kissed his cheek.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Becca let Bash pick out a story. As she read to him, she watched his eyes droop. By the time she finished, he was sound asleep. After quietly shutting the book, she set it back on his night stand, adjusted his covers and turned off the bedside lamp. Such routine actions, everyday things that parents did for their children without conscious thought.
Just because they loved them.
So why didn’t Heather want or need that? Becca shook her head as she walked back through the quiet house to find Eli still out on the deck.
“He’s asleep.”
He held his arm out and Becca went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him. He ducked his head and buried his face against her hair.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
He breathed deeply, but there was a hitch in it. “She won’t go away, baby.”
“We’ll talk to Jake and Sam tomorrow, Eli. We’ll have them keep an eye out for her. You have a restraining order. They’ll make sure it’s enforced. She won’t get to Bash.”
He held her away from him for an instant. “What about you?”
Becca stared at him. “Me?”
“You just don’t know. When she’s drinking, on drugs, or both, she’s out of control.”
Becca stroked his hair back. “Sam and Jake will have some ideas. And I’m a big girl, Eli. I can take care of myself.” She touched his cheek. “Come inside.”
He caught her hands. “Stay with me.”
The Secret Ingredient (A Place to Call Home Book 2) Page 17