Twins for the Soldier

by Rochelle Alers

  “Oh.”

  Sitting back on his chair, Lee couldn’t stop laughing at how her expressive face changed, becoming somber. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this is my first time eating here.”

  “You’ve just become the designated restaurant chooser. You select the restaurant and I’ll just show up.”

  “You’re giving me a lot of responsibility.”

  “What’s the matter, sport? You don’t trust your instincts?”

  “The only thing I trust is my own cooking.”

  “That’s because you’re an incredible cook.”

  Lee angled his head. “I can’t take the credit. Aunt Babs taught me well.”

  “Remember me inviting myself to your house for study group and hanging around so your aunt would invite me to stay for supper?”

  “Your mama is no slouch in the kitchen,” Lee countered. “Her oxtails and short ribs were to die for.”

  Angela traced the design on the handle of her knife with a finger. “I have a binder filled with my mother and grandmother’s favorite recipes. Once I get my own kitchen I’m going to make every one of them.”

  Lee reached across the table and caught her hand. “I don’t want you stressing out because you can’t find a house. I am serious when I say you can stay at The Falls House for as long as it takes for you to move into your new home.”

  Her head popped up. “It’s not adding up. You invite me to stay in a house where you refuse to live.”

  He released her hand. “It’s not as simple as that.”

  “Talk to me, Lee. Tell me why I’m sleeping in your house while you sleep in a converted motel off the interstate.”

  Lee stared at the wooden carving on the opposite wall. He knew he owed it to Angela to reveal the bitter enmity between him and his father because he loved her and wanted her in his life. “I’d planned to stay but Vivi didn’t tell me that Emory had come back.”

  “You call your father Emory?”

  “It’s been a long time since I’d called him Dad.”

  It was Angela’s turn to cover his hand with hers. “You can tell me it’s none of my business but if we’re going to be together then I need to know about why you’re estranged from your father.”

  If we’re going to be together. Lee stared at Angela, complete surprise freezing his features with her prediction of their possibly sharing a future. He nodded. “You have every right to know. Let me settle the check and I’ll tell you everything on the drive back to The Falls.”

  Chapter Nine

  Angela listened without saying a word as Lee revealed the circumstances surrounding his parents’ marriage.

  Annette Wolfe met Emory Remington in college where she was an education major and he a part-time art student. She hadn’t told her parents she was dating a man of African and Native-American ancestry until she found herself pregnant. Both of them dropped out, married, and Annette convinced Emory to come with her to Wickham Falls so he could meet her family.

  “All hell broke loose, and my grandmother took to her bed, while my grandfather threatened to disinherit his youngest daughter because he’d expected her to marry the son of a prominent Virginia politician.”

  “She never told Emory she was engaged?”

  “No, because it was an arranged marriage. Emory refused to live in the same house as his in-laws and rented a second-floor apartment in a row house on Pike Road. He issued Annette an ultimatum: she could live with him or stay with her parents. In the end she opted to live with her husband. Money was tight and Emory used his artistic talent when he found a job as a sign painter. Mom got pregnant, but lost the baby when she was four months along after she slipped and fell down a flight of stairs.

  “Meanwhile Emory enlisted in the Marines and earned more than what he’d made working for the sign company. Mom got pregnant again and this time she carried to term and delivered me. Two years later she had Viviana.”

  “Was your dad still in the military?”

  “Yes. He deployed to Kuwait during Desert Storm, where he was wounded and eventually medically discharged. He was prescribed powerful pain killers, which eventually led to his drug addiction. I was only six, but I can remember my mother pleading with him to go into treatment or she was going to divorce him. He’d get clean for a few months, then he would relapse. During this time my grandmother had passed away and Grandpa was practically bedridden after a series of heart attacks. That’s when Mom decided to move back to The Falls House.

  “She ran the household, took care of me and Vivi, and looked after her father. Emory would be there and then without warning he would disappear for months. Whenever I asked him where he was going and when he was coming back he’d mumble, ‘I don’t know.’ And whenever I asked my mother if my father was coming back she would say, ‘Hopefully soon.’ What I did not or could not understand as I grew older was why my mother took her marriage vows seriously. She had stuck by her husband in sickness and in death, and she’d died still loving and believing in him.

  “Mom enrolled me and Vivi in the private school where generations of Wolfes had been educated. We lived on campus during the week and came home on weekends. Everything changed when Mom started falling. At first she attributed it to clumsiness and then her sister urged her to see a doctor. That’s when they discovered she had an inoperable brain tumor. Aunt Babs sold her DC condo, married her boyfriend and moved back to West Virginia to take care of her terminally ill sister and invalid father. Grandpa died in his sleep several days before celebrating his seventy-second birthday. His last will and testament bequeathed the house to Mom and divided between his daughters his shares of mineral rights on large tracts of land with natural gas.

  “My mother, blatantly aware of her own mortality, drew up a will and left the house and remaining twelve acres on which it sat to me and Viviana. We were also equal recipients of her life insurance. The terms of the policy designated her older sister Barbara Wolfe-McCarthy as executor and legal guardian for her children until their eighteenth birthdays. The only time I saw my father cry was when he showed up out of the blue and discovered his wife was dying. She admitted she still loved him and would with her last breath.”

  Angela swallowed the lump in her throat as she struggled not to become emotional. “Where was he living?”

  “There were rumors that he was living in a flophouse across the tracks and I’d overheard my aunt tell my mother that the sheriff had locked him up after he was found him sleeping off a high in someone’s backyard. Emory was arrested again, this time for robbing a gas station at gunpoint. He claimed his dealer had threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay him for drugs he’d stolen from him. Emory was tried, convicted and sentenced to five years in the state prison for armed robbery. The next and last time I saw him was at my mother’s funeral. Two marshals had escorted him into the church wearing handcuffs and shackles. I was nine years old and that was the last image I had of my father until a couple of weeks ago.”

  “What did you say to him?”

  “Nothing. I was so angry with Vivi because she could’ve warned me that he was staying with her.”

  “Viviana told me he’d gone to Philly for a few weeks and would let her know when he was coming back.”

  “That has to be a first.”

  “What is?”

  “His telling someone of his comings and goings.”

  “People do change, Lee.”

  “Some do and some don’t.”

  Angela registered the hardness in Lee’s voice. “You don’t believe your father can change?”

  “It has nothing to do with what I believe, Angela. It’s been twenty-one years since I last saw the man and not once in all of that time has he attempted to reach out to me. He may have loved his wife but not more than he craved his drugs and alcohol.”

  “Maybe one of these days you can find it in your heart t
o forgive him.”

  Lee took his eyes off the road for a millisecond. “Let it go, Angela.”

  Her nerves tensed as she glared at him. “Do you intend to shut me down every time I say something you don’t want to hear? Either we discuss things like mature adults or not talk at all. I had enough of that with Justin.”

  “Why do you always compare me to Justin?”

  Angela clenched her hands until her nails bit into her palms. “I won’t unless you do something that reminds me of things that annoyed me about him.”

  * * *

  The inside of the jeep would’ve been as silent as a tomb if not for the audible sound of Lee’s breathing as he struggled to not lose his temper. He’d stripped himself bare when he revealed to Angela things he’d only admitted to the army psychiatrist. Talking about his mother’s funeral and seeing his father shackled had brought back images it had taken him years to forget. And Angela had suggested he forgive his father, when it was Emory who should be the one to ask for forgiveness for deserting his wife and children when they needed him most.

  His mother had died with Emory’s name on her lips, and he had grown up without a father. Emory should’ve been there when it came time to talk to him about sex and what it took to grow up to become an honorable man. And where was he for Viviana? Fathers were supposed to love and protect their daughters. Lee knew he didn’t have to be a genius to know his sister was looking for a man to replace the father who was never there for her.

  Angela didn’t know what it was to grow up without her parents. He’d lost both parents at an early age—his mother to a terminal disease and his father to illegal substances and eventually prison.

  He chose his words carefully. “Tell me now if I’m going to have to compete with a dead man and if I am then I’ll walk away and never bother you again.”

  “Are you looking for an excuse to quit me, Leland Wolfe Remington?”

  He laughed in spite of the seriousness of their conversation. “Why did you have to go and say my entire government name?”

  “Because I’m angry as hell, Leland. You tell me you love me and now you’re ready to cut and run.”

  “Rangers don’t cut and run.”

  “Right now you’re not a ranger. You’re someone I’m falling in love with and need in my life. Don’t play with my feelings or I’ll make you sorry you ever met me.”

  “What are you going to do? Body slam me?”

  “Now you’ve got jokes? You know I can’t lift you.”

  “That’s because I probably weigh twice as much as you do and that means I can bench press you with one arm.”

  “Showing off?”

  He winked at her. “Why not flaunt it when you’ve got it?” Lee sobered when he remembered what they were arguing about. “I meant it when I told you I love you and want you in my life.”

  Angela went still. “And I told you I needed time to think about it.”

  Lee decided to press the issue now that she’d admitted to falling in love with him. “How much more time do you want?”

  “I...I don’t know.”

  “Give me a timeframe, Angie. Next week? Next month?”

  “The end of summer.”

  “Good. And you can stop looking for a house because we’ll live at The Falls House.”

  “How long have you been concocting this scenario?”

  “It’s been a while.”

  “How long is a while, Lee?”

  “It was probably a year after you buried Justin. The promises we had made to one another in high school kept nagging at me. I wanted to come back and see you but I was afraid you’d think of me as a creep looking to take advantage of your vulnerability.”

  “Why now, Lee?”

  “I’ve seen and done things that remind me of my own mortality. It also made me aware of the fragility of human life. It’s taken me this long to know I’m now mature enough to become a husband and father. And if we do decide to marry we don’t have to wait to plan for children because I’ll already have a son and daughter.”

  The passion in his voice when he mentioned having a son and daughter made Angela’s breath catch in her chest. “Will you want more children?”

  “Of course. There are five bedroom suites, and we’re going to need a bunch of kids to fill up those rooms.”

  “You’ve gone and lost your mind if you think I’m going to have five children. And what about Viviana? Where will she live?”

  “She’s always said that she prefers living in the guesthouses because she likes her privacy.”

  “So it will just be us in the big house?”

  “Yes. The B and B will be run out of a separate wing of the main house. Once the B and B is up and running Vivi will hire a staff of house and groundskeepers. Of course I’ll help her, but she’ll be the general manager.”

  A shiver of excitement eddied through Angela when she thought about how life as she knew it was going to change if she married Lee. Once the word got out she was going to become Mrs. Leland Wolfe Remington the gossips would have a field day talking about Emory’s boy marrying his best friend’s widow, and that Lee probably had always coveted his friend’s wife.

  Let them talk, she mused. Some said Justin would still be alive if she hadn’t convinced him to drop out of medical school and join the military like Leland. A lie possibly perpetrated by Joyce and repeated by others. Church ladies whispered to one another if they saw the same man sit in her pew more than once.

  Angela also had her share of would-be suitors who probably considered her as a good catch. None of them knew she wasn’t interested in landing another husband; her entire existence revolved around taking care of her babies. Her three-year-olds were verbal, completely potty-trained and ready for all-day childcare. And her inquisitive son who wanted a daddy was going to get his wish once she and Lee married.

  “If we do decide to marry, where do you want to hold the ceremony?” she said after a comfortable silence.

  “Do you want another courthouse ceremony?”

  Angela shook her head. “No.” She wanted to tell Lee that it was too impersonal. “I’d like something simple and a little more traditional.”

  “What about The Falls House? If we hold it there, then we’ll need to fast-track the repairs.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t set a date until everything’s completed,” Angela suggested.

  Lee patted her knee. “I’ll leave all of the planning to you. Just let me know the date and the time and I’ll show up.”

  Her smile mirrored the joy wrapping Angela in a cocoon of soaring peace. She had always loved Lee as her best friend, confidant and protector, which wasn’t the same as being in love with him. Angela now knew there was something special about the boy who’d appeared unfazed by the alienation from many of the students at his new school.

  “I’m going to ask Viviana to help with the planning.”

  “The two of you are certain to be a dynamic duo.”

  She smiled. “You think?”

  Lee nodded. “I know.”

  * * *

  Angela unlocked the door to the house that she could now think of as home, and then turned to face Lee. “Is this when I invite you in for coffee?”

  “Yes, but not tonight. Go inside and lock the door before I do something I may come to regret.”

  Angela didn’t know whether he was talking about making love to her, or crossing the threshold of the house where he’d experienced memories he still had not been able to exorcise. The night was one of looking back and planning forward. She knew it wasn’t easy for Lee to talk about his parents, and she felt his pain as surely as if it was her own. He’d talked about his past and now they were planning for their future.

  “Good night, Lee.”

  “Good night, Angela.”

  She walked into the house, then closed and loc
ked the door behind her. Angela stood in the same spot for several minutes before she realized Viviana was standing there. The younger woman was dressed in a tank top and sweatpants.

  “Did Lee and I wake you?”

  Viviana ran her fingers through a mane of curly black hair, the style reminiscent of a younger Cher. “No. I was waiting for you to come home because I wanted you to let know I’ll be away for a week. Some of my friends from college are gifting me with a seven-day cruise for my birthday.”

  “That’s wonderful news!”

  Viviana clasped her hands together. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to hang out with them because I couldn’t leave the boardinghouse. But now there’s nothing keeping me here until I get word that the contractor will begin working on the house.”

  “Have you told Lee?”

  “Not yet. I wanted to tell you first, and I’m willing to bet he won’t let you stay here alone. Even though Dad’s not coming back until the end of July or the beginning of August I’m going to try and convince Lee to stay here with you.”

  “I really don’t need him to babysit me.” Angela decided it was it wasn’t the right time to tell Viviana that she planned to marry her brother. “When are you leaving?”

  “Not for another two weeks. Hopefully by that time we’ll know the timeline for sprucing up this old house to get it ready to reopen as a bed-and-breakfast. I’ve been up working up on the plans for how I want the B and B. If you’re not ready to turn in, then I’d like you to see what I’ve come up with.”

  “Give me a few minutes to change and wash my face, and I’ll join you.”

  Viviana flashed a knowing smile. “How is it to date my brother?”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  Angela met her future sister’s-in-law eyes. “It’s really great.”

  “I told Lee that you married the wrong friend. But I suppose you had to marry Justin to get those adorable twins.”

  Angela sobered and became reflective. “You’re right about that.”